Optical follow-up of AGL J2251-1239
ATel #11136; Roberto Nesci (INAF/IAPS)
on 6 Jan 2018; 19:10 UT
Credential Certification: Roberto Nesci (Roberto.Nesci@iaps.inaf.it)
Subjects: Optical, AGN, Blazar
The AGILE Gamma-ray satellite reported a flaring source (AGL J2251-1239) at RA=342.83, DEC=-12.66 deg. (J2000) in two recent occasions, ATel #11043 (Dec 8, 2017, Lucarelli et al.) and ATel #11127 (Jan 4, 2018, Piano et al.). Within the error circle of the Gamma-ray source more than one Blazar is reported in ATel #11127. The weather conditions allowed me to observe only on Jan 6, 2018 one of these potential optical candidates, PKS 2243-123, with the 30cm telescope of the Foligno Observatory in the V band at airmass 2.1. Due to the already low position of the source in the sky, no other candidate could be observed. This source is reported in the UCAC4 catalog at V=16.95, and in the USNO-B1 at B1=16.92, R1=16.77, B2=16.75 R2=15.99, so it does not seem to be strongly variable. The source is not detected in my image, with a limiting magnitude V=16.0, so it is unlikely that it is undergoing a strong optical flare related to the Gamma-ray one.