Molonglo reference catalog 1 Jy radio source survey. IV: optical spectroscopy of a complete quasar sample

Abstract

Optical spectroscopic data are presented here for quasars from the Molonglo Quasar Sample (MQS), which forms part of a complete survey of 1 Jy radio sources from the Molonglo Reference Catalog. The combination of low-frequency selection and complete identifications means that the MQS is relatively free from the orientation biases that affect most other quasar samples. To date, the sample includes 105 quasars and six BL Lac objects, 106 of which have now been confirmed spectroscopically. This paper presents a homogenous set of low-resolution optical spectra for 79 MQS quasars, the majority of which have been obtained at the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Full observational details are given and redshifts, continuum, and emission-line data tabulated for all confirmed quasars.