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Variability of the double quasar 0957 + 561 A, B

Nature volume 289, pages 153–155 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

Evidence suggests that the double nature of the quasar 0957 + 561 A, B results from the influence of an intervening gravitational lens on the light from a more distant, single quasar. The nearly identical spectral characteristics of the two objects have been established1–3 and have been the incentive for interpreting the two apparent objects as images of a single one. We report here spectroscopic and photometric observations which show that the images of the double quasar 0957 + 561 A, B are variable. Brightness changes were observed to be accompanied by corresponding spectral variations. These data suggest that the quasar itself is an intrinsically variable object.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lick Observatory, Board of Studies in Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, 95064

    Joseph S. Miller, Robert R. J. Antonucci & William C. Keel

Authors
  1. Joseph S. Miller
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  2. Robert R. J. Antonucci
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  3. William C. Keel
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Miller, J., Antonucci, R. & Keel, W. Variability of the double quasar 0957 + 561 A, B. Nature 289, 153–155 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/289153a0

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