Observations of the 7.8-GHz flux-density variations of 3C 120 suggest that the apparent superrelativistic expansion of this source and others can be explained as being due to independent spatially separated radio outbursts. If confirmed, this result would establish that the energy generated in sources is released in many separate independent outbursts rather than by repeated eruptions in a single supermassive object.
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W. A. Dent (1972) studied this question.