| CTA 102 | |
|---|---|
| Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Right ascension | 22h 32m 36.4s[1] |
| Declination | +11° 43′ 51s″[1] |
| Redshift | 1.037[1] |
| Other designations | |
| CTA-102 , Q2230+11 , QSR B2230+114 , QSO J2232+1143 , 4C +11.69 , | |
| See also: Quasar, List of quasars | |
In astronomy, CTA 102, also known by its B1950 coordinates as 2230+114 (QSR B2230+114) and its J2000 coordinates as J2232+1143 (QSO J2232+1143), is a quasar discovered in the early 1960s by a radio survey carried out by the California Institute of Technology.[2] It has been observed by a large range of instruments since its discovery, including WMAP, EGRET, GALEX, VSOP and Parkes,[1] and has been regularly imaged by the Very Long Baseline Array since 1995.[3] It has also been detected in gamma rays, and a gamma-ray flare has been detected from it.[4]
In 1963 Nikolai Kardashev proposed that the then-unidentified radio source could be evidence of a Type II or III extraterrestrial civilization on the Kardashev scale.[2] Follow-up observations were announced in 1965 by Gennady Sholomitskii, who found that the object's radio emission was varying;[5] a public announcement of these results caused a worldwide sensation. The idea that the emission was caused by a civilization was rejected when the radio source was later identified one of the many varieties of a quasar.[2]
C.T.A. 102 is one of the two great false alarms in the history of SETI, the other being the discovery of pulsars, specifically PSR B1919+21, which are rotating neutron stars.
The view of C.T.A. 102 as a sign of extra terrestrial intelligence was captured in the Byrds' 1967 song, C.T.A. 102