PKS 0637−752
Quasar in the constellation Mensa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PKS 0637−752 is a quasar located six billion light years in the constellation of Mensa.[1] It is noted for having a bright and largest astrophysical jet at redshift of z = 0.651.[2][3] Discovered by Einstein Observatory in 1980 through X-rays,[4] PKS 0637−752 was the first celestial object to be observed by Chandra X-ray Observatory upon its commissioning on July 23, 1999.[5]
| PKS 0637−752 | |
|---|---|
 Chandra X-ray Observatory image of PKS 0637−752 | |
| Observation data (J2000.0 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Mensa |
| Right ascension | 06h 35m 46.5s |
| Declination | −75° 16′ 16.8″ |
| Redshift | 0.653000 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 195,765 km/s |
| Distance | 6.0 Gly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 0.34 |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 0.26 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | FRSQ, Blazar |
| Notable features | X-ray jet |
| Other designations | |
| IRAS F06374−7513, PGC 2824867, MRC 0637−752, 2E 1720, OCARS 0637−752 | |
Characteristics
PKS 0637−752 contains an active galactic nucleus. It is classified a blazar, a type of an active galaxy with a relativistic jet pointing towards Earth's direction.[6][7] Like other quasars, PKS 0637−752 is considered luminous, powering up 10 trillion times the sun, with a supermassive black hole in its center.[8][9]
X-ray jet
PKS 0637−752 contains a high γ-ray flux[10] X-ray jet[11][12] studied by Hubble Space Telescope[13] and Spitzer.[14] The jet extends ≥100 kiloparsecs wide and has a luminosity of ~1044.6 ergs−1. It produces X-ray emission through inverse Compton scattering from the cosmic microwave background.[15]
Further observations from Hubble also found three small knots occurring concurrently with the X-ray emission and peak radio.[2] According to observations made by Australia Telescope Compact Array, these knots are shown to be quasi-periodic with a separation gap of ~1.1 arcsecs. Using two class models, astronomers calculated the jet power of PKS 0637−752 to be Q ~ 1046 erg/s and the jet engine modulation to be 2 × 103 yr < \tau <3 × 105 yr. Such evidence, proves the jet structure in the quasar might result from an unstable accretion disk, causing limit cycle behavior.[16]