SRG/ART-XC discovery of new bright Galactic X-ray transient SRGA J144459.2-604207
ATel #16464; I. A. Mereminskiy, A. N. Semena, S. V. Molkov, A. A. Lutovinov, A. Yu. Tkachenko, V. A. Arefiev (IKI RAS, Moscow)
on 21 Feb 2024; 15:39 UT
Credential Certification: Andrey Semena (san@iki.rssi.ru)
Subjects: X-ray, Request for Observations, Transient
Referred to by ATel #: 16469, 16470, 16471, 16474, 16475, 16476, 16477, 16480, 16483, 16485, 16487, 16489, 16493, 16495, 16499, 16507, 16510, 16511, 16548, 16551
During the on-going all-sky survey the Mikhail Pavlinsky ART-XC telescope onboard the SRG observatory discovered a new, bright X-ray transient SRGA J144459.2-604207 located at RA, Dec = 221.2467,-60.7020 (J2000, positional uncertainty is 10â, 68%). The source is very bright: the 4-12 keV band flux is 1.9(+/-0.1)x10^-9 erg/cm2/s, and was detected in two consequent scans separated by 4 hours. No prominent flux evolution is seen.
There are no known historical X-ray sources inside the localization region. Given the proximity of the transient to the Galactic plane (l,b = 316.39, -0.83) we tentatively propose that SRGA J144459.2-604207 is a new Galactic X-ray binary in outburst.
Multiwavelength observations are urged to localize and study this new source.
ART-XC is the X-ray telescope on board the SRG observatory which was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome on 13 July 2019 by the Proton rocket. ART-XC has been renamed 'Mikhail Pavlinsky ART-XC telescope' in honor of its first PI, Dr. Mikhail Pavlinsky.
