astronomy

PKS 0426−380

PKS 0426−380 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PKS 0426−380 rather than just read about it. In short: PKS 0426−380 is a blazar located in the southern constellation of Caelum. The redshift of the object is (z) 1.110, meaning it is 8.3 billion light-years away from Earth and it was first discovered as a strong radio source in 1981 by astronomers conducting the Very Large Array (VLA) survey.

Key takeaways

PKS 0426−380 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PKS 0426−380 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PKS 0426−380 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PKS 0426−380 is a blazar located in the southern constellation of Caelum. The redshift of the object is (z) 1.110, meaning it is 8.3 billion light-years away from Earth and it was first discovered as a strong radio source in 1981 by astronomers conducting the Very Large Array (VLA) survey. The radio spectrum of the object is classified flat making it a flat-spectrum radio quasar but also referred to as a BL Lacerate object in literature.

Description PKS 0426−380 has been described having broad emission lines shown visible but in an low-emission state. The object is also noted to be variable on the electromagnetic spectrum, undergoing several flaring episodes with its flux rising by orders of magnitude. It has two gamma-ray flares, detected by Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on January 4, 2010 and 17 December 2012. The host galaxy of PKS 0426−380 is described as a luminous elliptical galaxy with a magnitude of -26.65, and referred to as a microlensing candidate based on a detection of an absorbing galaxy at the redshift of (z) 0.559. It is also said to be a low-polarized quasar since its optical polarization is less than 3%. The object has a compact radio structure. Observations made by the VLA have found it has a compact core with an extension by 2.7 arcseconds with a position angle of -24°. This core also has a temperature brightness of 7 × 1011 Kelvin. The jet structure of the object is also compact, with a short jet pointing northwest based on high resolution imaging. PKS 0426−380 is known to be a very-high-energy emitter. According to observations by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which detected it in an active flaring phase, it is known to emit several gamma-ray photons at high energies of 134 and 122 GeV, one of them being associated with the object making it the most distant of its kind observed. It was also noted no GeV flux increased on the day of the very-high-energy detection although its spectral index was found hardening significantly. Observations also found most of the flare emitting regions are located within the area between the supermassive black hole and torus. PKS 0426−380 is an astrophysical neutrino candidate. Dubbed IceCube 190504A, the event was found within the 90% error ellipse from the object and was shown to have an average flux measuring 1.97 ± 0.41 × 10−7 ph cm−2. This occurred while PKS 0426−380 was in a faint gamma-ray state. In 2017, PKS 0426−380 was found to display a possible quasi-periodicity signal. A further study in 2023, confirmed the signal was caused by quasi-periodic oscillations with a period 12.2 years based on evaluation of its power spectrum signal from its source with the red-noise background. These detections of quasi-periodic oscillations suggests PKS 0426−380 might have a binary supermassive black hole in its center with a mass of 3 × 108 M☉ and a separation gap of 0.0029 parsecs.

References

External links PKS 0426−380 on SIMBAD

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PKS 0426−380

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PKS 0426−380 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PKS 0426−380 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PKS 0426−380 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PKS 0426−380

In research: PKS 0426−380 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PKS 0426−380 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PKS 0426−380 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Active galaxies, Astronomical objects discovered in 1981, BL Lacertae objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PKS 0426−380 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study PKS 0426−380 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PKS 0426−380 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PKS 0426−380 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PKS 0426−380 in simple terms?

Why does PKS 0426−380 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PKS 0426−380?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PKS 0426−380.