3C 66B

3C 66B
3C 66B
	Hubble Legacy Archive visible light image of 3C 66B
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Andromeda
Right ascension	02h 23m 11.4112s
Declination	+42° 59′ 31.385″
Redshift	0.021258
Heliocentric radial velocity	6,367 km/s
Distance	240.67 ± 0.82 Mly (73.79 ± 0.25 Mpc)
Group or cluster	Abell 0347
Apparent magnitude (V)	15.0
Characteristics
Type	E
Apparent size (V)	3.0′ × 3.0′
Notable features	FRI RG,; gamma-ray source
Other designations
	3C 66, 4C 42.07, QSO B0220+427, MAGIC J0223+430, 2MASX J02231141+4259313, UGC 1841, LEDA 9067, PGC 9067

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]

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

References

^ ^a ^b Charlot, P.; et al. (2020). "The third realization of the International Celestial Reference Frame by very long baseline interferometry". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 644: A159. arXiv:2010.13625. Bibcode:2020A&A...644A.159C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202038368. S2CID 225068756.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hudson, Michael J.; et al. (October 2001). "Streaming motions of galaxy clusters within 12 000 km s-1 - III. A standardized catalogue of Fundamental Plane data". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 327 (1): 265–295. Bibcode:2001MNRAS.327..265H. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04786.x. hdl:10533/172647.
^ ^a ^b Tully, R. Brent; et al. (October 2013). "Cosmicflows-2: The Data". The Astronomical Journal. 146 (4): 25. arXiv:1307.7213. Bibcode:2013AJ....146...86T. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/146/4/86. S2CID 118494842. 86.
^ Trussoni, E.; et al. (2001). "X-ray observations of 3C 66B and 3C 346". Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana. 72: 111–113. Bibcode:2001MmSAI..72..111T.
^ Huchra, John P.; et al. (April 1999). "The CFA Redshift Survey: Data for the South Galactic CAP". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 121 (2): 287–368. Bibcode:1999ApJS..121..287H. doi:10.1086/313194.
^ ^a ^b "3C 66B". XJET: X-Ray Emission from Extragalactic Radio Jets. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
^ ^a ^b Errando, Manel; et al. (July 2009). "A TeV source in the 3C 66A/B region". arXiv:0907.0994 [astro-ph.HE].
^ "UGC 1841", SIMBAD, Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg, retrieved 2025-02-20.
^ ^a ^b Aleksić, J.; et al. (January 2011). "Observations of the Blazar 3C 66A with the Magic Telescopes in Stereoscopic Mode". The Astrophysical Journal. 726 (2). id. 58. arXiv:1010.0550. Bibcode:2011ApJ...726...58A. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/726/2/58.
^ Northover, K. J. E. (1973). "The radio galaxy 3C 66". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 165 (4): 369. Bibcode:1973MNRAS.165..369N. doi:10.1093/mnras/165.4.369.
^ Fanti, C.; et al. (1982-01-01). "Radio and optical observations of 9 nearby Abell clusters - A262, A347, A569, A576, A779, A1213, A1228, A2162, A2666". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 105: 200–218. Bibcode:1982A&A...105..200F. ISSN 0004-6361.
^ ^a ^b ^c Macchetto, F.; et al. (June 1991). "HST Observations of 3C 66B: A Double-stranded Optical Jet". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 373: L55. Bibcode:1991ApJ...373L..55M. doi:10.1086/186050.
^ Iguchi, Satoru; et al. (December 2010). "A Very Close Binary Black Hole in a Giant Elliptical Galaxy 3C 66B and its Black Hole Merger". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 724 (2): L166 – L170. arXiv:1011.2647. Bibcode:2010ApJ...724L.166I. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/724/2/L166.
^ Fraix-Burnet, D. (February 1997). "An optical counterjet in 3C 66B?". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 284 (4): 911–914. arXiv:astro-ph/9610259. Bibcode:1997MNRAS.284..911F. doi:10.1093/mnras/284.4.911.
^ Jackson, N.; et al. (March 1993). "The radio and optical structure of 3C 66B". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 269: 128–134. Bibcode:1993A&A...269..128J.
^ Tansley, D.; et al. (September 2000). "The infrared jet in 3C 66B". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 317 (3): 623–629. arXiv:astro-ph/0005272. Bibcode:2000MNRAS.317..623T. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03657.x.
^ Fraix-Burnet, D.; et al. (January 1989). "Near-Ultraviolet Emission from 3C 66B and Its Jet". Astrophysical Journal. 336: 121. Bibcode:1989ApJ...336..121F. doi:10.1086/166999.
^ Hardcastle, M. J.; et al. (October 2001). "Chandra observations of the X-ray jet in 3C 66B". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 326 (4): 1499–1507. arXiv:astro-ph/0106029. Bibcode:2001MNRAS.326.1499H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2001.04699.x.
^ Aliu, E.; et al. (February 2009). "Discovery of a Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Signal from the 3C 66A/B Region". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 692 (1): L29 – L33. arXiv:0810.4712. Bibcode:2009ApJ...692L..29A. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/692/1/L29.
^ Sparks, W. B.; et al. (May 1992). High resolution observation of 3C 66B. Testing the AGN Paradigm. AIP Conference Proceedings. Vol. 254. pp. 415–418. Bibcode:1992AIPC..254..415S. doi:10.1063/1.42261.
^ Fraix-Burnet, D.; et al. (August 1991). "An Optical Study of 3C31, 3C66B, 3C120 and their Jets". Astronomical Journal. 102: 562. Bibcode:1991AJ....102..562F. doi:10.1086/115893.
^ Sudou, H.; et al. (2003). "Orbital Motion in the Radio Galaxy 3C 66B: Evidence for a Supermassive Black Hole Binary". Science. 300 (5623): 1263–1265. arXiv:astro-ph/0306103. Bibcode:2003Sci...300.1263S. doi:10.1126/science.1082817. PMID 12764190. S2CID 36578161.
^ Jenet, F.; et al. (2004). "Constraining the Properties of Supermassive Black Hole Systems Using Pulsar Timing: Application to 3C 66B". The Astrophysical Journal. 606 (2): 799–803. arXiv:astro-ph/0310276. Bibcode:2004ApJ...606..799J. doi:10.1086/383020. S2CID 119457912.
^ De Paolis, F.; Ingrosso, G. (November 2004). "A super massive black hole binary in 3C 66B: Future observational perspectives". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 426 (2): 379–385. arXiv:astro-ph/0407498. Bibcode:2004A&A...426..379D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20040314.
^ Perlman, Eric S.; et al. (2006). "Optical Polarimetry of the Jets of Nearby Radio Galaxies. I. The Data". The Astrophysical Journal. 651 (2): 735–748. arXiv:astro-ph/0606119. Bibcode:2006ApJ...651..735P. doi:10.1086/506587. S2CID 53073859.