IUE observations of the highly luminous Seyfert galaxy ESO 113-IG45 (Fairall 9).

Abstract

Ultraviolet variations of the continuum in ESO 113-IG45 with a doubling time of 50 days indicate a maximum size of 1×10¹⁷cm to the emitting region. Power law and blackbody fits to the continuum are both possible. The power-law fit is preferred because of the observed correlation between flux and spectral index which is similar to that found in other Seyferts. The rapid variability is hard to explain with an accretion disc since the variation time-scale is faster than the orbit time in disc models.