A companion paper (Barthel et al.) reports the discovery of superluminal motion in the core of 4C 34.47, the largest known quasi-stellar radio source. Superluminal motion, the apparent continuity of small- and large-scale one-sided radio jets, and the recently established depolarization asymmetry in luminous quasars find a natural explanation in the effects of relativistic beaming. In the framework of this relativistic beaming model the available data imply that all radio-loud quasars are beamed toward us. Powerful radio galaxies may well form the unbeamed parent population. Radio-quiet QSOs and powerful infrared galaxies can be unified using similar orientation effects.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
P. D. Barthel (1989) studied this question.