CTA-102
| CTA 102 | |
|---|---|
| Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Right ascension | 22h 32m 36.4s[1] |
| Declination | +11° 43′ 51s″[1] |
| Redshift | 1.037[1] |
| Other designations | |
| CTA-102 , Q2230+11 , QSR B2230+114 , QSO J2232+1143 , 4C +11.69 , | |
| See also: Quasar, List of quasars | |
In astronomy, CTA 102, also known by its B1950 coordinates as 2230+114 (QSR B2230+114) and its J2000 coordinates as J2232+1143 (QSO J2232+1143), is a quasar discovered in the early 1960s by a radio survey carried out by the California Institute of Technology.[2] It has been observed by a large range of instruments since its discovery, including WMAP, EGRET, GALEX, VSOP and Parkes,[1] and has been regularly imaged by the Very Long Baseline Array since 1995.[3] It has also been detected in gamma rays, and a gamma-ray flare has been detected from it.[4]
In 1963 Nikolai Kardashev proposed that the then-unidentified radio source could be evidence of a Type II or III extraterrestrial civilization on the Kardashev scale.[2] Follow-up observations were announced in 1965 by Gennady Sholomitskii, who found that the object's radio emission was varying;[5] a public announcement of these results caused a worldwide sensation. The idea that the emission was caused by a civilization was rejected when the radio source was later identified as one of the many varieties of a quasar.[2]
CTA 102 is one of the two great false alarms in the history of SETI, the other being the discovery of pulsars, specifically PSR B1919+21, which are rotating neutron stars.
The American folk rock band The Byrds whimsically reflected the original view that CTA-102 was a sign of extraterrestrial intelligence in their song "C.T.A.-102" from their 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d "CTA 102 in the NASA Extragalactic Database". Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ a b c "CTA-102". Internet Encyclopedia of Space; David Darling. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ^ "MOJAVE Sample: 2230+114". Retrieved 2008-12-25.
- ^ "Fermi LAT detection of a GeV flare from blazar CTA 102". Astronomers Telegram. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ^ Sholomitsky, G. B. (1965). "Variability of the Radio Source CTA-102". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. 83: 1. Bibcode:1965IBVS...83....1S.
- ^ Rogan, Johnny (2011). Byrds: Requiem for the Timeless. Rogan House. pp. 317–320. ISBN 978-0-95295-408-8.
See also
- LGM-1, the first pulsar discovered, mistaken for an alien radio signal
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