3C 371
Encyclopedia
3C 371 is a BL Lac object
located in the constellation
Draco
. With a redshift
of 0.051, this active galaxy
is about 730 million light-year
s away.
3C 371 is a well known object, first associated with the BL Lac class by Miller in 1975, and is among the nearest and brightest BL Lacs. Optical jet emission
from 3C 371 was first detected in ground based images by Nilsson et al. in 1997, and confirmed with HST
(Scarpa et al.) in 1999. The implied viewing angle may be less than 18 degrees. But no superluminal motion
has been detected, despite frequent monitoring by the Very Long Baseline Array
(VLBA).
There are photos of this object dating back to 1895, and they suggest that this objects magnitude can vary by ±1.5.
BL Lac object
A BL Lacertae object or BL Lac object is a type of active galaxy with an active galactic nucleus and is named after its prototype, BL Lacertae. In contrast to other types of active galactic nuclei, BL Lacs are characterized by rapid and large-amplitude flux variability and significant optical...
located in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Draco
Draco (constellation)
Draco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...
. With a redshift
Redshift
In physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
of 0.051, this active galaxy
Active galactic nucleus
An active galactic nucleus is a compact region at the centre of a galaxy that has a much higher than normal luminosity over at least some portion, and possibly all, of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such excess emission has been observed in the radio, infrared, optical, ultra-violet, X-ray and...
is about 730 million light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away.
3C 371 is a well known object, first associated with the BL Lac class by Miller in 1975, and is among the nearest and brightest BL Lacs. Optical jet emission
Relativistic jet
Relativistic jets are extremely powerful jets of plasma which emerge from presumed massive objects at the centers of some active galaxies, notably radio galaxies and quasars. Their lengths can reach several thousand or even hundreds of thousands of light years...
from 3C 371 was first detected in ground based images by Nilsson et al. in 1997, and confirmed with HST
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
(Scarpa et al.) in 1999. The implied viewing angle may be less than 18 degrees. But no superluminal motion
Superluminal motion
In astronomy, superluminal motion is the apparently faster-than-light motion seen in someradio galaxies, quasars and recently also in some galactic sources called microquasars...
has been detected, despite frequent monitoring by the Very Long Baseline Array
Very Long Baseline Array
The Very Long Baseline Array is a system of ten radio telescopes controlled remotely from the Array Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The array works together as the world's largest dedicated, full-time astronomical instrument using the...
(VLBA).
There are photos of this object dating back to 1895, and they suggest that this objects magnitude can vary by ±1.5.
External links
- Wikisky image of 3C 371
- New X-ray Jet in Nearby BL Lacertae Object 3C371 (Brandeis University Radio Astronomy)