Astron. Astrophys. 347, 419-423 (1999)

Research Note

Long-term infrared variation of 3C 279 and 4C 29.45

J.H. Fan

CCAST (World Laboratory), P.O. Box 8730, Beijing 100080, P.R. China
Center for Astrophysics, Guangzhou Normal University, Guangzhou 510400, P.R. China (jhfan@guangztc.edu.cn)

Received 13 May 1998 / Accepted 18 March 1999

Abstract

In this paper, the historical infrared (JHK) data compiled from 22 publications are presented for 3C 279 and 4C 29.45. Relations between color index and magnitude and between color-color indices are discussed. (J-K) is found closely correlated with (J-H) while (J-H) is almost not correlated with (H-K), which is perhaps due to two facts of (1) (J-K) shows wider distribution than (J-H) and (H-K) and (2) the spectrum deviates from the power law. For color-magnitude relation, there is a correlation of color index increasing with the magnitude for 3C 279 suggesting that the spectrum flattens when the source brightens. But an opposite tendency is also noted between (H-K) and J when J is fainter than 14 magnitude, which suggests that the near-IR spectrum of 3C 279 consists of, at least, two components. No similar result is found for 4C 29.45. The largest amplitude infrared variation is smaller than but comparable with the largest amplitude optical variation for the two objects.

Key words: galaxies: quasars: individual: 3C 279 galaxies: quasars: individual: 4C 29.45

Online publication: June 30, 1999

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