The following graphs summarze useful information for AAVSO members interested in observing blazars on the AAVSO Blazar Program list.
BLAZAR LIST
The list of AAVSO Blazar Program objects will number ~50. Charts are available for ~8, so far. Here's a brief summary of information on the list of charted blazars (as of 2004; sorry, but I haven't kept up with blazars since then).
AAVSO
Common RA RA RA Dec Dec
RA Dec Approx Mo
Name
Name hh mm ss deg
' deg.fr deg.fr Mv #
1 0216+42 3C 66A
2 22 40 43 2.1 35.67 43.04 14.7
10.91
2 0732+17 PKS0732+17
7 38 7 17 42.3 114.53 17.71 16.7
1.54
3 1058+38 Mark 421
11 4 27 38 12.5 166.11 38.21 13
3.26
4 1216+28 W Com
12 21 32 28 14.0 185.38 28.23 14.7
3.91
5 1253-05 3C 279
12 56 11 -5 -47.3 194.05 -5.79 16
4.20
6 1650+39 Mark 501
16 53 52 39 45.6 253.47 39.76 13.5
6.18
7 2153-30 PKS2155-30
21 58 52 -30 -13.5 329.72 -30.23 12.9 8.72
8 2158+41 BL Lac
22 2 43 42 16.6 330.68 42.28 14.8
8.76
9 2342+51 2342+514
23 47 5 51 42.3 356.77 51.71 15.6
9.63
The last column ("Mo #") is the month value for midnight transit, and
is explained in a later section.
----------------- Wolfgang Renz suggested this
page be updated to include information on AGN lists that have been produced
since I lost interest in them, so here it is ----------------
New List by Wolfgang Renz:
AGNs with AAVSO charts:
HarvDes Const
Common Names
RA 2000 Dec 2000 Observed
Mag Culm Type
AAVSO
hh mm ss deg ' v/V mags
2004
AAVSO
0106+22 Psc S2 0109+224 01
12 06 +22 44.7 14.8 - 15.5 15.2
Oct 10 BLAZAR (QSO)
0216+42 And 3C 66A
02 22 40 +43 02.1 13.5 - 15.6 14.2
Oct 28. BLAZAR (BLLAC)
0313+41 Per NGC 1275
03 19 45 +41 31.1 12.5 - 14.5 13.4
Nov 11. ? (SEYFERT)
0427+05 Tau BW TAU, 3C 120
04 33 10 +05 21.7 13.5 - 15.5 14.6
Nov 30. GAL (QSO)
0710+71 Cam PKS 0716+71, S5 0716+71,
07 21 53 +71 20.6 12.3 - 14.8 13.8
Jan 12. BLAZAR
RX J0721.8+7120
0732+17 Gem PKS 0735+17, OI+158 07
38 07 +17 42.3 14.6 - 16.4 15.7
Jan 16. BLLAC
0849+20 CNC OJ 287
08 54 49 +20 07.2 13.0 - 16.5 14.9
Feb 04. BLLAC (RADIO OBJ)
0952+32 Leo 3C 232, RX J0958.3+3223
09 58 21 +32 24.0 15.3 - 16.2 15.9
Feb 21. SEYFERT
1058+38 UMa Mark 421
11 04 27 +38 12.5 12.0 - 14.4 13.3
Mar 09. BLAZAR
1154+29 UMa 4C 29.45
11 59 33 +29 14.8 13.0 - 18.1 18.1
Mar 23. QSO
1205+39 CVn NGC 4151
12 10 33 +39 24 10.5 - 12.8 11.8
Mar 26. ? (SEYFERT)
1216+28 Com W Com, ON 325 12
21 32 +28 14.0 12.9 - 17.0 14.6
Mar 29. BLAZAR (QSO)
1224+02 Vir 3C 273 Vir
12 29 06 +02 02.4 12.0 - 13.4 12.6
Mar 31. ? (QSO)
1251-05 Vir 3C 279 Vir
12 56 11 -05 47.3 13.3 - 16.3 15.5
Apr 05. BLAZAR (QSO)
1413+25 BOO NGC 5548
14 17 57 +25 36 11.9 - 14.3 13.3
Apr 25. ? (SEYFERT)
1511-24 Lib AP LIB
15 17 41 -24 22.3 14.2 - 15.1 14.8
May 12. BLAZAR (BLLAC)
1650+39 Her Mark 501
16 53 52 +39 45.6 13.5 - 14.0 13.5
Jun 06. BLAZAR (AGN)
1746+09 Oph OT 081
17 51 33 +09 39.0 16.1 - 18.2 17.5
Jun 20. BLAZAR
1749+70 Dra S4 1749+70
17 48 33 +70 05.8 ? -
? 16.7 Jun 19. BLAZAR
1806+78 Dra S5 1803+78
18 00 46 +78 28.1 ? -
? ? Jun 23. BLAZAR
1807+69 Dra 3C 371
18 06 51 +69 49.5 14.5 - 16.0 15.2
Jun 24. ? (N-Galaxy)
2002-49 Tel PKS 2005-48, RX J2009.4-4849
20 09 25 -48 49.9 12.2 - 13.4 13.2
Jul 25. BLAZAR (BLLAC)
2153-30 PsA PKS 2155-30, RX J2158.8-3013
21 58 52 -30 13.5 12.3 - 13.9 13.2
Aug 22. BLAZAR
2158+41 Lac BL Lac
22 02 43 +42 16.6 12.7 - 16.0 13.8
Aug 23. BLAZAR (BLLAC)
2342+51 Cas 2344+514
23 47 05 +51 42.3 15.4 - 15.9 15.9
Sep 19. BLAZAR (AGN)
Error Corrections by Wolfgang Renz:
Found errors:
HarvDes 1255-05 : Should be correctly
1251-05.
Common Name 2342+514 : Should be correctly 2344+514.
1749+70 Dra S4 1749+70: One of the 1749 in RA should probably differ
by about 3'.
Additional List of AGNs provided by Wolfgang Renz:
Further AGNs in the AAVSO DB (without AAVSO charts
and just a few or no obs):
0001+19
MARK 335 QSO 13.85
V 13.7
- 13.9
0045-10 OB-081 CET BLLAC
16.0 - 16.5
0048+12 MARK 1502 QSO 14.07
V 14.0
- 14.1
0106+21B UX PSC GAL
300 13.4 - 15.2 V =
0106+22 Psc S2 0109+224 ?
0202+34 MS 0205.7+ QSO 1E
or MS 0205.7+3509 <16.0
0209-01 MARK 590 QSO 14.0:
V
NGC 863 13.9
- 14.1
0211+37 AK 79 AND AGN
14..4
0233+16 AO 0235+16 BLLAC 15.50
V
PKS 0235+16 15.8 - 16.5
0511-00B AKN 120 AGN MARK
1095 13.9 - 14.1
0734+01 PKS0736+01 QSO
16.7 - 17.0
0751+20 OI090.4CNC BLLAC
16.0
1217+75 MARK 205 SEYFERT 14.50
B 13.9
- 15.2
1255+28 X COM AGN 15.9
- 17.9 B E
16
1305+32 AU CVN BLLAC 14.2
- 20.0 B CONT
16.0
1402+28 OQ 203 QSO
16.2 - 16.8
1438+35 MARK 478 AGN
-
1619-29 PKS1622-29 QSO
15.3 - 15.9
1639+40 3C 345 HER QSO 15.41-
17.5 B 15.5
1725+50 OT+546 HER BLLAC
15.8 - 16.1
1937-10 NGC 6814 SEYFERT
14.3
2009+77 S5 2007+77 BLLAC 16.5 B S5
2007+777 <16.1
2152-15 OX-192 CAP BLLAC 12.5:-
19 P
<15.5
2158+31 OY-302 PEG BLLAC
15.7 - 16.5
2203-47 NGC 7213 SEYFERT 10.45
V 11.1
- 11.4
2249+15 3C 454.3 QSO 3C
454.3 PEG 16.1 - 16.4
2313-00 MARK 530 SEYFERT
13.9
2313-42 PKS2316-42 QSO 16.0 PKS
2316-423 <13.9
AGNs triggerung an AAVSO GTN Objects MyNewsflash alert at > 20 mag:
AK 79 AND, AKN
120, X COM, MARK 478, MARK 501, PKS2155-30, OB-081 CET,
3C 66A, Ao 0235+16, S5 0716+71, OI090.4CNC, AU CVN, AP LIB, OT+546
HER,
PKS2005-48, S5 2007+77, OX-192 CAP, OY-302 PEG, BL LAC, MARK 421,
MCQC J1628, MARK 335, MARK 1502, S2 0109+22, MS 0205.7+, MARK 590,
OI+158, PKS0736+01, 4C 29.45, W COM, 3C 279 VIR, OQ 203, PKS1622-29,
3C 345, 3C 454.3, PKS2316-42, 3C 232, MARK 205, NGC 6814, NGC 7213,
MARK 530.
AGNs in the GCVS:
Type of variability: BLLAC
W
Com |121901.1+283036. |122131.7+281358. |BLLAC
| 11.5 | 17.5 |B
|cont see above
AU CVn |130807.6+323641. |131028.7+322044. |BLLAC
| 14.2 | 20.0 |B
|cont see above
AP Lib |151445.3-241123. |151741.8-242219. |BLLAC
| 14.0 | 16.7 |B
| see above
BL Lac |220039.4+420208. |220243.3+421640. |BLLAC
| 12.4 | 17.2 |B
| see above
Type of variability: GAL
ZZ Hyi
|002540. -785748.:|002735. -784112. *GAL
| 16.6 |< 17.
|p | ?
UX Psc |010903.8+214813. |011145.7+220408. |GAL
| 16. | |B
| see above
BW Tau |043031.6+051500. |043311.1+052116. |GAL
| 13.7 | 16.4 |B
| see above
AU Leo |112736.5+240442. |113014.3+234809. |GAL
| 17. | |p
|pec(gal) ?
X Com |125757.6+284011. |130022.1+282402. |GAL
| 15.9 | 17.9 |B
|cont-e see above
V0395 Her |172030.6+244748. |172234.0+244501. |GAL
| 16.1 | 17.7 |p
| ?
V1102 Cyg |190925.4+520813. |191037.1+521315. |GAL
| 15.5 | 17.
|p | ?
V0362 Vul |200037. +222000.:|200247. +222827. *GAL
| 16.0 | 17.7 |p
| ?
Type of variability: GAL:
HP And
|001630.8+411103. |001909.1+412742. |GAL: |
10.5 |< 14.5 |p
| 0013+40 HP AND UG: 10
- 14.5 P
NSV 15617 |025613.6-014209. |025846.0-013013. |GAL: |
17.8 | 18.5 |B
| ?
NSV 15627 |025956.8+014210. |030232.0+015355. |GAL: |
17.5 | 19.4 |B
| ?
Type of variability: QSO
IO And
|004534..0+392451. |004819.0+394111. |QSO
| 15.6 | 17.5 |B
|(QSO) ?
XX Cet |022020.0-194625. |022239.9-193247. |QSO
| 18.0 | 19.7 |p
| ?
GQ Com |120208.8+281054. |120442.1+275412. |QSO
| 14.7 | 16.1 |p
|pec(e) ?
CC Boo |133803.9+275608. |134022.9+274058. |QSO
| 18.0 | 19.5 |B
| ?
CD Boo |133904.6+280503. |134123.3+274955. |QSO
| 19.0 | 19.7 |B
| ?
V0396 Her |172037.7+243906. |172241.3+243619. |QSO
| 15.7 | 16.7 |p
| ?
AAVSO charts with V mags:
- ftp://ftp.aavso.org/charts/standard/
- http://www..aavso.org/charts/
Finding chart for AGN with UBVRI mags:
- Heidelberg Collection of Finding Charts for AGN
http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/projects/extragalactic/charts.html
- GTN Global Telescope Network - Program Object Catalog
with images, charts for visual estimates and partially
UBVRI sequences
http://gtn.sonoma.edu/participants/catalog
AGNs:
3C 66A (15.5mag),
AO 0235+164 = OD 160 (15.5mag),
PKS 0716+714 (14.17mag),
OI 158 (14.85mag),
OJ 287 (14mag),
Mrk 421 (13.5mag),
4C 29.45 = Ton 599 (15.6mag),
3C 273 (12.86mag),
BL Lac (14.5mag),
Mrk 501 = UGC 10599 (13.8mag),
1ES 2344+51.4 = B2344+514 (-),
PKS 0537-441 (15.5mag),
PKS 2155-304 (13.09mag),
OJ 049 (16.5mag),
4C 71.07 (16.5mag),
W Com (16.5mag),
3C 279 (17.75mag),
OP 151 (16.71mag),
OS 319 (17.5mag),
4C 11.69 (17.33mag),
J0210-5055 (16.93mag),
J0458-4635 (17.4mag),
PKS 1229-021 (16.75mag),
OR -017 = PKS 1510-089 (16.54mag),
GeV J1832-2128 ().
Polars:
AN UMa = PG 1101+453
(15.5mag),
AR UMa = 1ES 1113+432 (14.5mag),
MR Ser = PG 1550+191 (15mag),
AM Her = 3A 1815+498 (12.4mag),
QQ Vul = 1E 2003+225 (14.9mag),
BL Hyi = H 0139-68 (14.9mag),
EF Eri = 2A 0311-227 (14.5mag),
VV Pup = 1E 0812-1854 (13.9mag),
GQ Mus (7.2mag),
V834 Cen = 1E 1405-451 (14.2mag),
V2214 Oph (),
V347 Pav = RE 1844-74 (15mag)
Some further interesting Links provided by Wolfgang Renz:
- European Research Training Network on Quasar Variability (ENIGMA)
http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/projects/enigma
- The GLAST Telescope Network:
http://gtn.sonoma.edu/
- Chandra - Field Guide to X-ray Astronomy
http://chandra.harvard.edu/field_guide.html
- Chandra - Field Guide to X-ray Sources - Supernovas & Supernova
Remnants
http://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_sources/supernovas.html
- Chandra - Field Guide to X-ray Sources - Quasars & Active
Galaxies
http://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_sources/quasars.html
- Multi-colour optical monitoring of the intra-day variable blazar
S5 0716+71:
http://cdsads.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1999A%26AS..134..453S&db_key=AST&high=408679c4d625519
http://www.edpsciences.org/journal/index.cfm?v_url=aas/full/1999/03/ds8009/ds8009.html
http://www.edpsciences.org/articles/aas/pdf/1999/03/ds8009.pdf
- Bill Keel's WWW Gallery - Active Galaxies and Quasars
http://www.astr.ua.edu/keel/agn/
Markarian 421 across the Electromagnetic Spectrum
http://www.astr.ua.edu/keel/agn/mkn421.html
- Extragalactic astrophysics at the LSW
http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/projects/extragalactic/
- The Blazar Times Magazine
http://hosting.uaa.alaska.edu/aftar/blazar/
- Christian Buil:
Spectra - Peculiar stars corner - Active Galaxies and Quasars
http://www.astrosurf.org/buil/us/agn/agn.htm
OBSERVATION OF THE REDSHIFT
OF THE QUASAR 3C273
http://www.astrosurf.org/buil/us/spe6/quasar.htm
- Maurice Gavin:
wpo - quasars
http://www.astroman.fsnet.co.uk/quasars.htm
wpo - quasar images - look-back time in billions of years
http://www.astroman.fsnet.co.uk/qimages.htm
wpo - quasar spectra starfields
http://www.astroman.fsnet.co.uk/qshift.htm
wpo - BL Lac - active galactic nuclei [AGN]
http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/bl_lac.htm
Kari Nilsson - Optical lightcurves of Blazars (mag and flux LCs)
http://users.utu.fi/kani/1m/
Wolfgang Vollmann - Quasare, Blazare und andere aktive
galaktische Kerne (AGN = active galactic nuclei) im Fünfzöller
http://home.pages.at/vollmann/quasare.htm
Wolfgang Steinicke:
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/index_e.htm
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/Artikel/bibl_e.htm
Extragalactic Objects Discovered As Variable Stars (2000)
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/AGN/vargal/vargal2000.htm
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/index_e.htm
Quasars, Active and Compact Galaxies, Exotic Objects for Visual
Observing (1999)
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/AGN/atn/Atn_e.htm
A Catalogue of Bright Quasars and BL Lacertae Ojects (1998)
http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/KHQ/khq_e.htm
Armin Quante - Quasare, ferne kosmische Leuchtfeuer
http://home.foni.net/~aqua1/astro/QSO/QSO.html
Achim Strnad - Projekt: High-Redshift Objects
http://www.strnad-emskirchen.de/qso_beobachtungen.html
------------------ end of Wolfgang's updated lists.
Hopefully AAVSO will create a page with this information and maintain it ----------------------
MIDNIGHT TRANIST DATES
Figure 1. Midnight transit dates for the blazar list.
For example, BL Lac tranits at midnight each year on August 23 (month value 8.76). The way to use this graph is to ask "What blazars can be best observed in October?" To find out, convert October 15 to a month value of 10.5, then imagine drawing a horizontal line that intersects the left side at 10.5. For this example, the answer is "3C 66A," which transits at midnight in late October.
APPROXIMATE MAGNITUDES
The next graph is a tentative plot of approximate V-filter magnitudes for the charted blazars.
Figure 2. Approximate V-magnitudes.
OBSERVING NOTES
Note that 0732+17 has a nearby bright star that could easily contaminate the photometry "signal circle area" or "reference annulus area." I recommend (not yet the AAVSO position) using a smallest-possible signal circle radius, a large middle gap width, and a large reference annulus width that is completely away from the nearby star - as the following figure illustrates (terminology is defined below).
Figure 3. Zoom and crop of 0732+17 (center of annulus pattern) showing suggested photometry annulus set for avoiding influence of bright nearby star. The nearby star is 5.4 "arc to the west and has Mv = 15.5 (versus the blazar Mv = 16.67 at the time of this image). FOV = 1.84x1.64 'arc, north up, east left. RGA = 36a (see definitions, below).
The photometry annulus pattern depicted can be used for most (but not all) of the reference stars in the AAVSO chart for 0732+17.
The following blazars (in the above list) deserve a similar caution in annulus choice due to nearby stars: 1058+38 (Mark 421), 2158+41 (BL Lac), and 2342+51.
A more difficult problem is posed by blazars whose galactic emission is
bright enough to affect the blazar magnitude measurement. The following
blazars (in the above list) should be dealt with very cautiosuly due to their
galactic emission: 1058+38 (Mark421) and 1650+39 (Mark 501).
DEFINITIONS
signal circle area = pixels within area of the
innermost circle containing the object of interest
gap annulus area = pixels within the middle annulus
(ignored by the photometry calculations)
reference annulus area = pixels in the outer annulus
used for establishing a background level (subtracted from the signal circle
pixel counts before intensity is calculated)
RGA = set of 3 numbers defining the annulus pattern;
R = radius of signal circle, G = gap annulus width, A = reference annulus
width.
(RGA is a set of 3 single-digit hexadecimal numbers; e.g., RGA=36a means
R = 3 pixels, G = 6 pixels and A = 10 pixels)
Note: This is my persoanl terminology, and is not recognized by AAVSO.
____________________________________________________________________
This site opened: September 12, 2003. Last Update: September 27, 2003. Updated 2008.05.25 to include Wolfgang Renz info