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Back 3C 273 the brightest and first quasar ever to be discovered

3C 273 the brightest and first quasar ever to be discovered


Copyright: D.Lumb

As part of the joint calibrations with CHANDRA and other observatories, the XMM-Newton operations were carried out with slightly different pointing directions for the target 3C273. This was designed to see how the detected X-ray flux changes with position within the telescope field of view. These details were vital for the RGS spectrometer calibration, as a slight position change can masquerade as an unexpected change in the measured photon wavelengths.
The black strips are small gaps between neighbouring detectors in the camera, while the slightly brighter tailing strips coming from the target are an artefact of data collection in this detector when very bright objects are observed.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
6-Mar-2026 11:25 UT

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