3C8

3C8 is a designation from the Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources, commonly written as 3C 8. The 3C catalog, produced in the mid-20th century, lists bright extragalactic radio sources detected with Cambridge radio telescopes. The label 3C 8 identifies the eighth object in this catalog.

In radio observations, 3C 8 is identified with a galaxy that hosts an active galactic nucleus and emits strongly at radio wavelengths. Radio imaging typically shows a compact core with extended emission that may form jets or lobes, patterns characteristic of radio galaxies and related active galactic nuclei. Optical follow-up has localized a host galaxy corresponding to the radio source, and spectroscopy has yielded a redshift enabling distance estimates and further physical interpretation of the source’s emission.

3C 8 has contributed to broader studies of radio-loud active galactic nuclei, including investigations into jet structures, radio morphology, and the unified models used to describe different classes of AGN. As with other 3C sources, it has served as a reference point in discussions of how powerful radio emission relates to the properties of the host galaxy and its central supermassive black hole.

Notes: 3C 8 is part of a larger catalog of radio sources; the designation is typically written with a space (3C 8) in formal astronomical references, but variations without a space appear in some contexts. See also the Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources and lists of radio galaxies.