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Issue A&A
Volume 505, Number 2, October II 2009
Page(s) 601 - 604
Section Extragalactic astronomy
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200912820
Published online 18 August 2009

A&A 505, 601-604 (2009)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200912820

Research Note

The host galaxy of 3C 279

K. Nilsson1, T. Pursimo2, C. Villforth1, 2, E. Lindfors1, and L. O. Takalo1

1  Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Väisäläntie 20, 21500 Piikkiö, Finland
    e-mail: kani@utu.fi
2  Nordic Optical Telescope, Apartado 474, 38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain

Received 3 July 2009 / Accepted 9 August 2009

Abstract
We have obtained a deep i-band image of the blazar 3C 279 while the target was in a low optical state. Due to the faintness of the optical nucleus we have made the first detection of the host galaxy. The host galaxy has an apparent I-band magnitude of  $18.4 \pm0.3$ and an effective radius of ( $2.7 \pm 1.1$) arcsec. The luminosity of the host galaxy MR = -23.8 is consistent with the luminosities of other radio-loud quasar host galaxies. Using the empirical correlation between bulge luminosity and central black hole mass $M_{\rm bh}$ we estimate $\log(M_{\rm bh}/M_{\odot}) = 8.9\pm0.5$, broadly consistent with values obtained by photoionization methods.


Key words: galaxies: active -- quasars: individual: 3C 279 -- galaxies: nuclei



© ESO 2009

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