3C 66B
Elliptical radio galaxy in the constellation Andromeda
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3C 66B is an elliptical radio galaxy[6][9] located in the constellation Andromeda. With an estimated redshift of 0.021258,[2] the galaxy is about 240.7 Mly (73.79 Mpc) away.[3] It has an angular separation of 6′ from the blazar 3C 66A,[9] but the two are most likely unrelated.[10] 3C 66B is an outlying member of Abell 347, which is part of the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster.[11]
| 3C 66B | |
|---|---|
Hubble Legacy Archive visible light image of 3C 66B | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Right ascension | 02h 23m 11.4112s[1] |
| Declination | +42° 59′ 31.385″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.021258[2] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 6,367 km/s[2] |
| Distance | 240.67 ± 0.82 Mly (73.79 ± 0.25 Mpc)[3] |
| Group or cluster | Abell 0347[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 15.0[4] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | E[2] |
| Apparent size (V) | 3.0′ × 3.0′[5] |
| Notable features | FRI RG,[6] gamma-ray source[7] |
| Other designations | |
| 3C 66, 4C 42.07, QSO B0220+427[8], MAGIC J0223+430, 2MASX J02231141+4259313, UGC 1841, LEDA 9067, PGC 9067[7] | |
Observations
This is a giant elliptical galaxy that is classified as a low-luminosity Fanaroff and Riley class 1 radio galaxy. Maps of the radio structure suggested that the emission is being shaped by the motion of the galaxy through an ambient medium.[12] A strong jet and counter-jet extend about 330 thousand light-years (100 kpc) from the nucleus.[13][14] These jets have been observed in radio,[15] infrared,[16] optical,[12] ultraviolet,[17] and X-ray bands.[18] Gamma ray emission has been detected coming from the direction of this galaxy, which were most likely emitted from the core region.[19]
Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 showed that the jet has a filamentary, double-stranded structure.[12][20] When viewed in the optical, the northern jet shows four knots along its length, all of which are polarized, thus indicating a synchrotron basis.[21]
Very-long-baseline interferometry measurements of the galaxy's radio-emitting core demonstrated elliptical motion with a period of 1.05±0.03 years. This strongly suggested that a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) was located at the center of 3C 66B.[22] This motion was expected to emit gravitational waves that would cause fluctuations in the pulse arrival times from the pulsar PSR B1855+09. However, no such signature was found.[23] Numerical simulations indicated this detection method may only be valid for an orbital eccentricity below 0.03.[24]
Messier 87 (M87), about 55 million light-years away, is the largest giant elliptical galaxy near the Earth, and also contains an active galactic nucleus. The smooth jet of 3C 66B rivals that of M87.[25]
Gallery
Hubble Near-UV image of the jet coming out of 3C 66B
NRAO VLA image of 3C 66B
