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IR-brightening of GX339-4

ATel #243; G. L. Israel (INAF OA Roma), S. Covino (INAF OA Brera), Erik Kuulkers (ESA/ESTEC), and F. M.Zerbi, G. Chincarini, M. Rodono', L. A. Antonelli, P. Conconi, G. Cutispoto, E. Molinari, L. Nicastro, G. Tosti, L. Burderi, S. Campana, C. Campeggi, G. Crimi, R. Cunniffe, J. Danzinger, A. Di Paola, A. Fernandez-Soto, F. Fiore, F. Frontera, D. Fugazza, G. Gentile, G. Ghisellini, P. Goldoni, B. Jordan, D. Lazzati, D. Lorenzetti, D. Malesani, E. Martinetti, N. Masetti, R. Mazzoleni, B. Mc Breen, A. Melandri, S. Messina, E. Meurs, A. Monfardini, G. Nucciarelli, M. Orlandini, J. Paul, E. Palazzi, E. Pian, P. Saracco, S. Sardone, A. Simoncelli, M. Stefanon, L. Stella, L. Tagliaferri, M. Tavani, V. Testa, S. Vergani, F. Vitali (REM Team)
on 23 Feb 2004; 20:47 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Request For Observations
Credential Certification: GianLuca Israel (gianluca@mporzio.astro.it)

Subjects: Infra-Red, X-ray, Binary, Black Hole, Transient, Variables

We report on IR observations obtained during the scientific verification phase of REMIR (field of view of 11'x11' and a pixel size of 1") mounted on the Nasmith focus of REM, the 60-cm robotic telescope located at the La Silla Observatory, Chile. Several images of the field including the position of the black hole candidate GX339-4 have been obtained on 19th February 2004 in the J, H, and K bands with an effective exposure time of 300s each.

The IR counterpart of this binary system was found in a bright state when compared with the 2MASS images and catalogue, and with values reported in literature, see Chaty et al. 2002, MNRAS, 331, 1065 and reference therein, confirming that the energy spectrum of GX339-4 is indeed changing from radio up to 200KeV (see also ATEL #230, #231, #236 and #240). A preliminary photometric analysis gives the following magnitudes: J=13.6, H=12.4 and K=12.8 (at this stage uncertainties are of the order of 0.3 magnitudes). As a comparison the magnitudes reported in the 2MASS catalogue are: J=15.91, H=15.40, K=14.97 (uncertainty of about 0.15 magnitudes).