3C 273 is a quasar located in the constellation of Virgo. It was the first quasar ever to be identified.
It is the optically brightest quasar in the sky from Earth (m ~12.9), and one of the closest with a redshift, z, of 0.158.[5] A luminosity distance of DL = 749 megaparsecs (2.4 Gly) may be calculated from z.[4] It is also one of the most luminous quasars known, with an absolute magnitude of −26.7,[6] meaning that if it were only as distant as Pollux (~10 parsecs) it would appear nearly as bright in the sky as the Sun. Since the sun's absolute magnitude is 4.83, it means that the quasar is over 4 trillion times more luminous than the Sun at visible wavelengths. The mass of its central black hole has been measured to be 886 ± 187 million solar masses through broad emission-line reverberation mapping.[7]
Large-scale jet
The quasar has a large-scale visible jet, which measures ~200 kly (60 kpc) long, having an apparent size of 23″.[4] In 1995, optical imaging of the jet using the Hubble Space Telescope revealed a structured morphology evidenced by repeated bright knots interlaced by areas of weak emission.[4]
History
The name signifies that it was the 273rd object (ordered by right ascension) of the Third Cambridge Catalog of Radio Sources (3C), published in 1959. After accurate positions were obtained using lunar occultation by Cyril Hazard at the Parkes Radio Telescope,[8] the radio source was quickly associated with an optical counterpart, an unresolved stellar object. In 1963, Maarten Schmidt[5] and Bev Oke[9] published a pair of papers in Nature reporting that 3C 273 has a substantial redshift of 0.158, placing it several billion light-years away.
Prior to the discovery of 3C 273, several other radio sources had been associated with optical counterparts, the first being 3C 48. Also, many active galaxies had been misidentified as variable stars, including the famous BL Lac, W Com, and AU CVn. However, it was not understood what these objects were, since their spectra were unlike those of any known stars. Its spectrum did not resemble that of any normal stars with typical stellar elements. 3C 273 was the first object to be identified as a quasar—an extremely luminous object at an astronomical distance.
3C 273 as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Light from the bright quasar nucleus is blocked by a coronagraph so that the surrounding host galaxy can be more easily seen. Credit: NASA/ESA.
3C 273 is a radio-loud quasar, and was also one of the first extragalactic X-ray sources discovered in 1970. However, even to this day, the process which gives rise to the X-ray emissions is controversial.[4] The luminosity is variable at nearly every wavelength from radio waves to gamma rays on timescales of a few days to decades. Polarization with coincident orientation has been observed in radio, infrared, and optical light being emitted from the large-scale jet; these emissions are therefore almost certainly synchrotron in nature,[4] radiation that is created by a jet of charged particles moving at relativistic speeds. Such jets are believed to be created by the interaction of the central black hole and the accretion disk. VLBI radio observations of 3C 273 have revealed proper motion of some of the radio emitting regions, further suggesting the presence of relativistic jets of material.[10][11]
Host galaxy
3C 273 lies at the center of a giant elliptical galaxy with an apparent magnitude of 16 and an apparent size of 30 arc seconds.[12]
Observation
Quasar 3C 273, with its jet. Image by Chandra X-ray Observatory
3C 273 is visible in May in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Situated in the Virgo constellation, It is bright enough to be observed with larger amateur telescopes. Due in part to its radio luminosity and its discovery as the first identified quasar, 3C 273's right ascension in the Fifth Fundamental Catalog (FK5) is used to standardize the positions of 23 extragalactic radio sources used to define the International Celestial Reference System (ICRS).[13]
Given its distance from Earth and visual magnitude, 3C 273 is the most distant celestial object average amateur astronomers are likely to see through their telescopes.
References
"Best image of bright quasar 3C 273". ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
"NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for 3C 273. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
"3C 273". XJET: X-Ray Emission from Extragalactic Radio Jets. 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Urry, C. Megan; Cheung, C. C.; Jester, Sebastian; Van Duyne, Jeffrey; Coppi, Paolo; et al. (2006). "Shedding New Light on the 3C 273 Jet with the Spitzer Space Telescope". The Astrophysical Journal. 648 (2): 910–921. arXiv:astro-ph/0605530. Bibcode:2006ApJ...648..910U. doi:10.1086/505964.
Schmidt, M. (1963). "3C 273 : A Star-Like Object with Large Red-Shift". Nature. 197 (4872): 1040. Bibcode:1963Natur.197.1040S. doi:10.1038/1971040a0.
"The Quasi-Stellar Radio Sources 3C 48 and 3C 273". The Astrophysical Journal. Bibcode:1964ApJ...140....1G. doi:10.1086/147889. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
Peterson, B. M.; Ferrarese, L.; Gilbert, K. M.; Kaspi, S.; Malkan, M. A.; Maoz,D.; et al. (2004). "Central Masses of AGNs. II". The Astrophysical Journal. 613 (2): 682–699. arXiv:astro-ph/0407299. Bibcode:2004ApJ...613..682P. doi:10.1086/423269.
Hazard, C.; Mackey, M. B.; Shimmins, A. J. (1963). "Investigation of the Radio Source 3C273 by the method of Lunar Occultations". Nature. 197 (4872): 1037. Bibcode:1963Natur.197.1037H. doi:10.1038/1971037a0.
Oke, J. B. (1963). "Absolute Energy Distribution in the Optical Spectrum of 3C 273". Nature. 197 (4872): 1040. Bibcode:1963Natur.197.1040O. doi:10.1038/1971040b0.
Pearson, T. J.; Unwin, S. C.; Cohen, M. H.; Linfield, R. P.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Seielstad, G. A.; Simon, R. S.; Walker, R. C. (1981). "Superluminal expansion of quasar 3C273". Nature. 290 (5805): 365. Bibcode:1981Natur.290..365P. doi:10.1038/290365a0.
Davis, R. J.; Unwin, S. C.; Muxlow, T. W. B. (1991). "Large-scale superluminal motion in the quasar 3C273". Nature. 354 (6352): 374. Bibcode:1991Natur.354..374D. doi:10.1038/354374a0.
Bahcall, John N.; Kirhakos, Sofia; Saxe, David H.; Schneider, Donald P. (1997). "Hubble Space Telescope Images of a Sample of 20 Nearby Luminous Quasars". The Astrophysical Journal. 479: 642. arXiv:astro-ph/9611163. Bibcode:1997ApJ...479..642B. doi:10.1086/303926.
International Earth Rotation & Reference Systems Service. "Definition of ICRS Axes". Retrieved 11 January 2012.
External links
3C 273's Database at the INTEGRAL Science Data Centre (ESA)
Detailed CCD image of 3C 273 based on 30 min total exposure
Amateur 3C 273 Redshift Measurement
NightSkyInfo.com – 3C 273
SKY-MAP.ORG SDSS image of 3C 273
The Quasar 3C 273: Spring 2005 – Variable Star Of The Season AAVSO
3C 273 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
Coordinates: Sky map 12h 29m 06.7s, +02° 03′ 09″
vte
Virgo constellation
Stars
(list)
Bayer
α (Spica) β (Zavijava) γ (Porrima) δ (Minelauva) ε (Vindemiatrix) ζ (Heze) η (Zaniah) θ ι (Syrma) κ (Kang) λ (Khambalia) μ ν ξ ο π ρ σ τ υ φ (Elgafar) χ ψ ω
Flamsteed
4 (A1) 6 (A2) 7 (b) 10 11 12 13 14 16 (c) 17 20 21 (q) 25 (f) 27 28 31 (d1) 32 (d2) 33 34 35 37 38 39 41 44 (k) 46 48 49 50 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 (e) 61 62 63 64 65 66 68 (i) 69 70 71 72 73 74 (l) 75 76 (h) 77 78 (o) 80 81 82 (m) 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 (p) 92 94 95 96 97 103 104 106 108 109 110 1 Ser (M) 2 Ser
Variable
R S W RS RT SS ST SW TW TY UU UV UW UY XX AG AH AL AW AX AZ BB BF BH BK CE CS CU CX DK DL DM DT EP EQ ET FF FG FO FS FT FW GL GK GR HS HT HU HV HW IM IN IP IQ IS IV LN NN NY OU PP PX QS QZ
HR
4478 4484 4510 4533 4544 4580 4587 4591 4598 4613 4657 4722 4741 4770 4772 4805 4837 4856 4877 4896 4901 4935 4957 (g) 4959 4960 4986 5013 5014 5031 5033 5037 5053 5059 5078 5086 5106 (y) 5114 5178 5183 5205 5233 5258 5272 5275 5276 5277 5283 5307 5317 5322 5332 5341 5342 5344 5353 5368 5384 5392 5418 5424 5496 5536 5584 5631
HD
102195 102329 104078 104755 106038 106252 106270 106515 107148 107794 109271 112495 114783 116429 122577 124973 125490 125612 126614 128563 130322 133600
Other
EC 14012-1446 G 64-12 HAT-P-26 HAT-P-27 K2-19 PG 1159-035 PG 1323-086 PG 1325+101 PSR B1257+12 (Lich) Qatar-2 Ross 128 SDSS J121209.31+013627.7 SDSS J1229+1122 ULAS J133553.45+113005.2 WASP-16 WASP-24 WASP-37 WASP-39 (Malmok) WASP-54 WASP-55 WD 1145+017 Wolf 424 Wolf 437 Wolf 485A Wolf 489
Star
clusters
Open
NGC 5634
Globular
HVGC-1 Koposov 1
Nebulae
Planetary
Abell 36
Galaxies
Messier
49 58 59 60 61 84 86 87 89 90 104 (Sombrero Galaxy)
NGC
3776 3817 3818 3833 3843 3848 3849 3852 3863 3876 3907 3907B 3914 3915 3952 3976 3976A 3979 4006 4012 4029 4030 4043 4044 4045 4045A 4058 4063 4067 4073 4075 4077 4079 4082 4083 4107 4116 4119 4123 4129 4139 4164 4165 4168 4176 4178 4179 4180 4191 4193 4197 4200 4201 4202 4206 4207 4215 4216 4223 4224 4233 4234 4235 4240 4241 4246 4247 4249 4252 4255 4257 4259 4260 4261 4264 4266 4267 4268 4269 4270 4273 4276 4277 4279 4281 4282 4285 4287 4289 4292 4292A 4294 4296 4297 4299 4300 4301 4305 4306 4307 4309 4309A 4313 4316 4318 4320 4324 4326 4330 4333 4334 4339 4341 4342 4343 4348 4351 4352 4353 4356 4360 4365 4366 4368 4370 4371 4376 4378 4380 4385 4387 4388 4390 4402 4403 4404 4410 4411 4412 4413 4415 4416 4417 4418 4420 4422 4423 4424 4425 4428 4429 4430 4431 4432 4433 4434 4436 4440 4442 4445 4451 4452 4453 4454 4457 4458 4461 4464 4465 4466 4467 4469 4470 4476 4478 4480 4482 4483 4484 4486A 4486B 4487 4488 4491 4492 4493 4496 4496B 4497 4503 4504 4517 4517A 4518 4518B 4519 4519A 4520 4522 4526 4527 4528 4531 4532 4533 4535 4535A 4536 4538 4541 4543 4544 4546 4550 4551 4564 4567 4568 4570 4576 4577 4578 4580 4581 4584 4586 4587 4588 4592 4593 4596 4597 4598 4599 4600 4602 4604 4606 4607 4608 4612 4620 4623 4626 4628 4629 4630 4632 4636 4637 4638 4639 4640 4640B 4641 4642 4643 4747 (Arp 116) 4653 4654 4658 4660 4663 4664 4666 4668 4671 4674 4678 4680 4682 4684 4688 4690 4691 4694 4697 4698 4699 4700 4701 4703 4705 4708 4713 4716 4717 4718 4720 4731 4731A 4733 4734 4739 4742 4746 4753 4754 4757 4759A 4760 4761 4762 4764 4765 4766 4770 4771 4772 4773 4775 4777 4778 4779 4780 4780A 4781 4784 4786 4790 4791 4795 4796 4799 4803 4808 4809 4810 4813 4818 4820 4822 4823 4825 4829 4830 4836 4838 4843 4845 4847 4855 4856 4862 4863 4866 4877 4878 4880 4885 4887 4888 4890 4897 4899 4900 4902 4904 4915 4918 4920 4924 4925 4928 4933 4933C 4939 4941 4942 4948 4948A 4951 4958 4969 4975 4981 4984 4989 4990 4991 4992 4995 4996 4997 4999 5006 5010 5013 5015 5017 5018 5019 5020 5022 5027 5028 5030 5031 5035 5036 5037 5038 5039 5044 5046 5047 5049 5050 5054 5058 5059 5060 5066 5068 5071 5072 5073 5075 5076 5077 5079 5080 5084 5087 5088 5094 5095 5097 5099 5104 5105 5106 5111 5115 5118 5119 5122 5125 5129 5130 5132 5133 5134 5136 5137 5146 5147 5148 5159 5165 5167 5170 5171 5174 5176 5177 5178 5179 5181 5183 5184 5185 5186 5191 5192 5196 5197 5202 5203 5207 5208 5209 5210 5211 5212 5213 5221 5222 5224 5226 5227 5230 5231 5232 5235 5241 5245 5246 5247 5252 5254 5261 5270 5285 5300 5306 5324 5327 5329 5331 5334 5335 5338 5339 5343 5345 5348 5356 5360 5363 5364 5366 5369 5373 5374 5382 5384 5386 5387 5392 5400 5420 5442 5468 5470 5472 5476 5478 5491A 5491B 5493 5496 5501 5506 5507 5510 5521 5534 5537 5549 5551 5552 5554 5555 5560 5563 5566 5569 5573 5574 5575 5576 5577 5584 5599 5604 5618 5619 5619C 5636 5638 5645 5652 5661 5668 5674 5679 5679A 5679C 5679D 5680 5690 5691 5692 5701 5705 5713 5718 5719 5725 5733 5738 5740 5746 5750 5765 5765B 5770 5774 5775 5776 5806 5811 5813 5814 5831 5838 5839 5845 5846 5846A 5847 5848 5850 5854 5855 5864 5865 5869
Other
A1689-zD1 Abell 1835 IR1916 Arp 240 (NGC 5257 and NGC 5258) Arp 271 (NGC 5426 and NGC 5427) BR 1202-0725 3C 273 3C 279 3C 298 4C 04.42 Eyes Galaxies GR 8 IC 3258 IC 3328 IRAS 12212+0305 IRAS 13197−1627 M60-UCD1 Markarian 50 Markarian 1318 PG 1216+069 PG 1244+026 PG 1254+047 PG 1307+085 PG 1416−129 PG 1426+015 PKS 1148-001 PKS 1167+014 PKS 1217+023 PKS 1229−021 PKS 1302−102 PKS 1335−127 PKS 1402+044 PKS 1405−076 QSO B1208+1011 QSO B1243−072 QSO B1246−057 QSO B1331+170 RXJ1242−11 SMM J14011+0252 UM 448 UM 461 UM 462
Galaxy
clusters
Abell 1644 Abell 1650 Abell 1651 Abell 1689 Abell 1750 Abell 1835 Abell 2029 Abell 2147 HCG 62 MKW 4 NGC 5044 group RX J1347.5−1145 Virgo Cluster
Other
GRB 930131 GRB 030328 GRB 050408 GRB 050801 GRB 080310 North Polar Spur SN 1960F SN 1981B SN 1990B SN 1990N SN 1991T SN 1991bg SN 1994D SN 1999br SN 2002cx SN 2007bi U1.11
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