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Variability of the double quasar 0957 + 561 A, B

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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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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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/289153a0

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