UM 287

Last updated
UM 287
DESI Legacy Surveys image of UM 287.jpg
UM 287, as seen by DESI Legacy Survey
Observation data (J2000.0 epoch)
Constellation Cetus
Right ascension 00h 52m 02.40s
Declination +01d 01m 29.31s
Redshift 2.267134
Heliocentric radial velocity 679,670 km/s
Distance 10.9 Gly (light travel time distance)
Apparent magnitude  (V)0.073
Apparent magnitude  (B)0.097
Surface brightness 17.6
Characteristics
Type Quasar
Notable features Quasar in a Lyman-alpha blob
Other designations
PGC 3048, LBQS 0049+0045, PHL 868, KODIAQ J005202+010129, SDSS J005202.39+010129.3

UM 287 known as PHL 868 and LBQS 0049+0045, is a quasar located in the Cetus constellation. Its redshift is 2.267134 estimating the object to be located 10.9 billion light-years away from Earth. [1]

Contents

Observation history

UM 287 was first discovered between 1974 and 1976, where it was observed as a part of the Curtis Schmidt-thin prism survey for extragalactic emission-line objects and possible quasars. The name UM comes from the University of Michigan. [2]

Characteristics

An image of the nebula extending across two million light-years discovered around UM 287. An image of the nebula around UM 287.jpg
An image of the nebula extending across two million light-years discovered around UM 287.

UM 287 is classified as a radio-quiet quasar. It has a bolometric brightness of around 10 47.3 erg /s (10 40 watts), making it one of the brightest quasars ever observed. [3] Furthermore, UM 287 has a Lyman-alpha blob structure surrounding the object. Some of these Lyman-alpha blobs have line luminosities up to ~ 1044 erg s−1 with their spatial extents exceeding 100 proper kpc. [4] [5] But in this case, the Lyman-alpha blob structure in UM 287 is 1.5 million light-years across making it too big to be contained within the quasar's host galaxy, [6] which is found to be a massive early-type galaxy. [7]

Using the 10-meter Keck I telescope in Hawaii, [8] a team of researchers found there is cold hydrogen emitting Lyman-alpha radiation underneath the spotlight of the quasar's intense ultraviolet beam. [6] The nebula is dubbed the Slug Nebula, [9] named after the UCSC’s banana slug mascot. [10] It is believed to play a major role in powering up the quasar [11] which the Lyα emission produces from a large population of compact (< 20 pc), dense (nH & 3 cm−3), cool gas clumps. [12] From a follow-up field observation, a smooth kinematic profile is suggested. This presents a giant, rotating proto-galactic disk for the brightest portion of the filament showing a cold accretion flow around the black hole in UM 287. [13]

In addition to the Lyman-alpha blob structure, a new dusty star-forming galaxy was found. The galaxy has a 2 mm continuum with its single emission line consistent with the CO(4–3), sitting at a projected distance of 100 kpc southeast from UM 287. The systemic velocity difference is -360 ± 30 km s-1 with respect to UM 287, suggesting the galaxy is a possible contributor to the powering of the Slug Nebula. [11]

Related Research Articles

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References

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  5. Matsuda, Yuichi; Yamada, Toru; Hayashino, Tomoki; Tamura, Hajime; Yamauchi, Ryosuke; Ajiki, Masaru; Fujita, Shinobu S.; Murayama, Takashi; Nagao, Tohru; Ohta, Kouji; Okamura, Sadanori; Ouchi, Masami; Shimasaku, Kazuhiro; Shioya, Yasuhiro; Taniguchi, Yoshiaki (2004-08-01). "A Subaru Search for Lyα Blobs in and around the Protocluster Region At Redshift z = 3.1". The Astronomical Journal. 128 (2): 569–584. arXiv: astro-ph/0405221 . Bibcode:2004AJ....128..569M. doi:10.1086/422020. ISSN   0004-6256.
  6. 1 2 Young, Monica. "LIGHTING UP THE COSMIC WEB". Sky & Telescope.
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  9. Nowotka, Marta; Chen, Chian-Chou; Battaia, Fabrizio Arrigoni; Fumagalli, Michele; Cai, Zheng; Lusso, Elisabeta; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Yang, Yujin (2022-02-01). "A MUltiwavelength Study of ELAN Environments (AMUSE2). Ubiquitous dusty star-forming galaxies associated with enormous Lyα nebulae on megaparsec scales". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 658: A77. arXiv: 2111.15374 . Bibcode:2022A&A...658A..77N. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202040133. ISSN   0004-6361.
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