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]

UM 287
UM 287, as seen by DESI Legacy Survey
Observation data (J2000.0 epoch)
ConstellationCetus
Right ascension00h 52m 02.40s
Declination+01d 01m 29.31s
Redshift2.267134
Heliocentric radial velocity679,670 km/s
Distance10.9 Gly (light travel time distance)
Apparent magnitude (V)0.073
Apparent magnitude (B)0.097
Surface brightness17.6
Characteristics
TypeQuasar
Notable featuresQuasar in a Lyman-alpha blob
Other designations
PGC 3048, LBQS 0049+0045, PHL 868, KODIAQ J005202+010129, SDSS J005202.39+010129.3

Observation history

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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

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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] Dubbed the Slug Nebula,[9] it is believed to play a major role in powering up the quasar[10] which the Lyα emission produces from a large population of compact (< 20 pc), dense (nH & 3 cm−3), cool gas clumps.[11] 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.[12]

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.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "NED Search results for LBQS 0049+0045". NASA/IPAC EXTRAGALACTIC DATABASE.
  2. ^ MacAlpine, G. M.; Lewis, D. W.; Smith, S. B. (1977-10-01). "Curtis Schmidt-thin prism survey for extragalactic emission-line objects: University of Michigan List III". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 35: 203–207. Bibcode:1977ApJS...35..203M. doi:10.1086/190476. ISSN 0067-0049.
  3. ^ Chaffee, Frederic H.; Foltz, Craig B.; Hewett, Paul C.; Francis, Paul A.; Weymann, Ray J.; Morris, Simon L.; Anderson, Scott F.; MacAlpine, Gordon M. (1991). "1991AJ....102..461C Page 461". The Astronomical Journal. 102: 461. Bibcode:1991AJ....102..461C. doi:10.1086/115886. hdl:1885/147323. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  4. ^ Steidel, Charles C.; Adelberger, Kurt L.; Shapley, Alice E.; Pettini, Max; Dickinson, Mark; Giavalisco, Mauro (2000-03-01). "Lyα Imaging of a Proto-Cluster Region at z = 3.09". The Astrophysical Journal. 532 (1): 170–182. arXiv:astro-ph/9910144. Bibcode:2000ApJ...532..170S. doi:10.1086/308568. ISSN 0004-637X.
  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. ^ a b Young, Monica. "LIGHTING UP THE COSMIC WEB". Sky & Telescope.
  7. ^ McLeod, K. K.; Rieke, G. H. (1995-12-01). "Luminous Quasars in Luminous Early-Type Host Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 454 (2): L77. arXiv:astro-ph/9509073. Bibcode:1995ApJ...454L..77M. doi:10.1086/309793. ISSN 0004-637X.
  8. ^ Redfern, Simon (2014-01-20). "Cosmic 'web' seen for first time". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  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.
  10. ^ a b Chen, Chian-Chou; Arrigoni Battaia, Fabrizio; Emonts, Bjorn H. C.; Lehnert, Matthew D.; Prochaska, J. Xavier (2021-12-01). "A Multiwavelength Study of ELAN Environments (AMUSE2). Detection of a Dusty Star-forming Galaxy within the Enormous Lyα Nebula at z=2.3 Sheds Light on its Origin". The Astrophysical Journal. 923 (2): 200. arXiv:2111.15375. Bibcode:2021ApJ...923..200C. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac2b9d. ISSN 0004-637X.
  11. ^ Arrigoni Battaia, Fabrizio; F. Hennawi, Joseph; Cantalupo, Sebastiano; Prochaska, J. Xavier (2016). "THE STACKED LYα EMISSION PROFILE FROM THE CIRCUM-GALACTIC MEDIUM OF z ~ 2 QUASARS". The Astrophysical Journal. 829 (1): 3. arXiv:1604.02942. Bibcode:2016ApJ...829....3A. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/829/1/3.
  12. ^ Martin, D. Christopher; Matuszewski, Mateusz; Morrissey, Patrick; Neill, James D.; Moore, Anna; Cantalupo, Sebastiano; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Chang, Daphne (2015-08-01). "A giant protogalactic disk linked to the cosmic web". Nature. 524 (7564): 192–195. Bibcode:2015Natur.524..192M. doi:10.1038/nature14616. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 26245373.