Optical spectroscopic follow-up of the EP X-ray transients, EP240809a and EP240709a, with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)
ATel #16801; I. M. Monageng (UCT/SAAO), D. A.H. Buckley (SAAO/UCT/UFS), W. Yuan (NAOC/CAS), N. Sun (UCAS)
on 4 Sep 2024; 14:10 UT
Credential Certification: Itumeleng Monageng (itu@saao.ac.za)
Subjects: Optical, X-ray, Transient
On 29 August 2024, we performed follow-up observations of candidate optical counterparts of newly-discovered Einstein Probe X-ray transients, EP240809a (ATel #16765) and EP240709a (ATel #16704), with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). The observations were executed using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) in low-resolution mode (R ~ 1000). EP240709a was observed with a total exposure time of 2400 secs (starting at UT 21:50:36) with a grating angle of 14.75o, covering a wavelength range of ~4000 - 7000 Angstroms. The extracted 1D spectrum is devoid of any prominent lines. EP240809a was observed with a total exposure time of 3200 secs (starting at UT 20:41:37) and a grating angle of 15.125o, covering a wavelength region of ~4100-7200 Angstroms. The 1D spectrum reveals no significant lines and a steep rising red continuum.
