PS17and : a nearby, intrinsically faint transient discovered by PSST
ATel #10057; K. W. Smith, D. Wright, S. J. Smartt, D. R. Young (Queen's University Belfast), M. Huber, K. C. Chambers, H. Flewelling, M. Willman, N. Primak, A. Schultz, B. Gibson, E. Magnier, C. Waters, J. Tonry, R. J. Wainscoat (IfA, Hawaii), R. J. Foley, C Kilpatrick (UCSC)
on 8 Feb 2017; 16:11 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Supernovae
Credential Certification: Stephen Smartt (s.smartt@qub.ac.uk)
Subjects: Optical, Supernovae, Transient
Referred to by ATel #: 10064
We report the discovery of the following nearby transient as part of the Pan-STARRS
Survey for Transients (PSST). Information on all objects discovered by the
Pan-STARRS Survey for Transients is available at http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/ps1threepi/ (see Chambers et al. arXiv:1612.05560,
Huber et al. ATel #7153).
Name | PS Name | RA (J2000) | Dec (J2000) | Disc. Date | Disc Mag |
AT2017acq | PS17and | 05:00:18.53 | +71:12:09.9 | 20170204 | 18.93 i |
The transient rose to i=18.70 over two nights. It is offset (8.5 arcsec) from the
likely host galaxy PGC2741481 (2MASXJ05001677+7112086, from NED/LEDA)
which has a velocity of 1225 km/s (z=0.004086).
Assuming association between the transient and host galaxy, at this distance
(20 kpc, mu=31.55), the transient is now M_i = -13.1 (including foreground
extinction A_i = 0.261). The absolute magnitude implies the object could be
an LBV/SN impostor, luminous red nova, intermediate luminosity transient,
or faint SN. A very young SN is unlikely given the relatively slow rise.
The host is a compact early-type Sa. A chance coincidence is still possible,
but less likely than association.
Spectroscopic observations of this unusual source are encouraged.