Hi all, I am afraid that I may be entering a dark and expensive tunnel but i am getting an urge to find the most distant object my LOB 8" reflector can help me to spot.
Any suggestions where I might find distance info will be appreciated.
Brian
Quasar 3C-273 a few degrees away from M61 in Virgo. You'll need to print a field star chart to make sure you've got the right object as it appears stellar.
Probably the most distant thing you can see with an 8".
Distance - 749MPsec or 2.4 Gl.y. assuming the redshift is entirely cosmological and not caused by the relativistic speeds of the jets emerging from it.
cheers,
Andrew
Yep, 3C-273 would be your target. Looks just like a faint star in your scope, so you'll spend a while going to and from your chart/eyepiece to be sure you are on it, but once you are sure -WOW! - those photons have come a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng way for a very lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time!
Just an aside...this was the first quasar which had its Redshift measured by an amateur astronomer. Maurice Gavin using a 12" Lx200 and a SA100 grating obtained the result z= 0.156 in 1998.
Looks just like a faint star in your scope, so you'll spend a while going to and from your chart/eyepiece to be sure you are on it, but once you are sure -WOW! - those photons have come a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng way for a very lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time!
