CTA-102

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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 on April 12, 1965, caused a worldwide sensation [6]. The idea that the emission was caused by a civilization was rejected when the radio source was later identified as one of the many varieties of a quasar.[2]

CTA 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 American folk rock band The Byrds whimsically reflected the original view that CTA-102 was a sign of extraterrestrial intelligence in their song "C.T.A.-102" from their 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday.[7]

References

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  6. "Is Man Not Alone in the Universe? Space Signals Stir Experts", Milwaukee Sentinel, April 13, 1965, p1-3
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See also

  • LGM-1, the first pulsar discovered, mistaken for an alien radio signal


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