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Lulin Optical Observations of MAXI J1659-152

ATel #3524; A. K.H. Kong (NTHU, Taiwan), Y. J. Yang, R. Wijnands (Amsterdam)
on 2 Aug 2011; 18:12 UT
Credential Certification: Albert Kong (akong@phys.nthu.edu.tw)

Subjects: Optical, X-ray, Binary, Black Hole, Transient

We report recent optical follow-up observations of the X-ray binary and black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152 currently on its way to the quiescent state (ATel #3506, #3517). Using the 1-m telescope at the Lulin Observatory in Taiwan, we observed the source on 2011 July 30 with the R filter. The source is clearly detected in 10-min exposures and by comparing with the USNO B1.0 catalog, the R magnitude is ~21. It is about 1 magnitude fainter than the observations taken on July 27 (ATel #3517). It strongly indicates that the source is approaching the quiescent state for which previous observations suggest r~22.4 (ATel #2976). During the observations, the R magnitude ranges between 20.9 and 21.3 and it may suggest that accretion is still going on.

We thank the supporting staffs at the Lulin Observatory to arrange the service observations. The Lulin Observatory is operated by the Graduate Institute of Astronomy in National Central University, Taiwan.