Ultraviolet Variability in the Nucleus of the Giant Elliptical NGC 4278
Abstract
The variability of the UV luminosity and mass of the supermassive black hole (SBH) in the nucleus of the giant elliptical NGC 4278 were derived by analyzing the UV images and Hα spectrum available in the Hubble Space Telescope Science Archive. The UV nuclear source in NGC 4278 is almost certainly associated to the low-luminosity AGN responsible for its known radio emission. The properties of this UV flare and SBH are remarkably similar to the UV-bright nuclear transients and SBHs discovered earlier in other low-luminosity AGNs. This supports the idea that UV flaring near the center of galaxies may be a common event and offers a way to search for SBH-related activities in otherwise quiescent galaxies.
- Publication:
-
Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Disks
- Pub Date:
- October 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008ASPC..396...53C