| 3C 66A | |
|---|---|
 Hubble Legacy ArchiveWFPC2 image of 3C 66A (brightest object on the far right) | |
| Observation data(EpochJ2000) | |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Right ascension | 02h 22m 39.612s[1] |
| Declination | +43° 02′ 07.80″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.444[1][2] |
| Distance | 4.5billionlight-years (Light travel time)[2] 5.4 billion light-years (present)[2] |
| Type | BLLAC[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 15.5[1][2] |
| Other designations | |
| 2E 558, 2EG J0220+4228, B3 0219+428A, QSO B0219+4248[1] | |
| See also:Quasar,List of quasars | |
3C 66A is ablazar[1][2] located in theconstellationAndromeda.
The "distance" of a far away galaxy depends on thedistance measurement used. With aredshift of 0.444,[1][2] light from thisactive galaxy is estimated to have taken around 4.5billion years to reach Earth.[2] But as a result of theexpansion of the Universe, the present (co-moving)distance to this galaxy is about 5.4 billionlight-years (1647 Mpc).[2] Even at this great distance this blazar has anapparent magnitude of about 15.5.[1] Although 0.444 is used as the common redshift value, 0.3347 is a new strict lower limit "inferred through observing the far-UV absorption by the low-z IGM."[3]
3C 66A underwent an optical outburst in 2007 August, as monitored by the Tuorla blazar monitoring program.[4] The event was monitored by theWhole Earth Blazar Telescope project.
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