Optical Transient from Palomar-Quest: PQT 080119:091534+081356

ATel #1362; C. Donalek, A. Mahabal, A. J. Drake, S. G. Djorgovski, E. Glikman, R. Williams, M. J. Graham, G. Herczeg (Caltech); C. Baltay, D. Rabinowitz (Yale) and the PQ team
on 21 Jan 2008; 03:42 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Request For Observations
Credential Certification: Ashish Mahabal (aam@astro.caltech.edu)

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We have detected an unresolved optical transient in the Palomar-Quest (PQ) driftscan obtained at the Mt. Palomar 48-inch Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Jan 19 2008 UT:

PQT 080119:091534+081356 detected at UT 2008-01-19 08:15:43
J2000 coordinates: RA=09:15:34.91, Dec=08:13:56.1

For finding charts, etc., please see: http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~aam/science/transients/20080119UT/PQT080119_091534+081356.html

PQ discovery observations consist of images in Gunn g, r, i, z filters spanning 10-12 minutes. The transient was confirmed in the second scan on the same night, and again on the next night (Jan. 20, UT) and had not faded. The transient matches the location of a r=22.99 mag object in SDSS images and was approximately r=17.3 when discovered. Spectra of the object were obtained at Mt. Palomar 200-inch Hale telescope using the Double beam Spectrograph by G. Herczeg. A preliminary analysis shows a relatively featureless continuum, with no obvious line emission. Analysis of the spectra is in progress.

We are also in the process of obtaining follow-up photometry at the Mt. Palomar 60-inch telescope. Further observations are encouraged.

For more details and further information, watch: http://palquest.org/transients/

All PQ optical transients are detected and published as VOEvents in real-time at http://voeventnet.org/feeds/PQ_OT.shtml and here http://voeventnet.caltech.edu/feeds/PQfeedOT.xml (RSS)

Palomar-Quest transients