The CSS transient CSS080623:142206+334546 is a Galactic Star
ATel #1636; J. M. Silverman, C. V. Griffith, M. Ganeshalingam, R. Chornock, W. Li, and A. V. Filippenko (University of California, Berkeley)
on 29 Jul 2008; 20:52 UT
Credential Certification: Weidong Li (weidong@astron.berkeley.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Star, Transient, Variables
We report on further observations of the CSS transient CSS080623:142206+334546
first announced by Mahabal et al. (ATEL #1604). Photometry obtained at the Lick
Observatory 40-inch telescope on 2008 July 25 UT reveals that the object is
still present at an approximate R magnitude of 18.2.
We obtained an optical spectrum (range 3300 - 10500 Angstroms) on July 26.29 UT
using the Kast spectrograph on the Lick 3-m telescope. Our previous
observations (Ganeshalingam et al., ATEL #1606) showed a blue, featureless
continuum. The new spectrum is significantly redder, with the flux peaking near
6000 Angstroms. In addition, the object has developed narrow absorption lines
characteristic of stellar photospheres (H-alpha, Na I D, Mg I b, etc.) near
their rest wavelengths. We conclude that the source is a variable star in our
Galaxy, although the exact nature of the variable is uncertain.
