Rapid intensity variability in the jets of SS 433

The 'moving' emission lines in the spectrum of SS 433 can disappear entirely on a time scale of less than 1 day, remain absent for at least a few days, and reappear equally rapidly. Examples of both disappearance and reappearance episodes are presented. While the majority of SS 433 spectra clearly do show the moving features, isolated spectra lacking the Doppler-shifted lines must now not be regarded as highly unusual. The extreme intensity variability is found to be synchronized in both the red- and blueshifted emission systems, providing an upper limit of 100 AU to the separation of the two relativistic emitting regions. On some occasions the intensity and profile of emission lines from these two separate regions can be identical to very high accuracy, again suggesting that the majority of the relativistic gas originates in a common, compact region.