Fermi LAT detection of a possible new extragalactic gamma-ray source in the vicinity of PKS 0646-306
ATel #3878; D. Gasparrini (ASDC/INAF) and S. Ciprini (ASDC/INAF) on behalf of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration
on 23 Jan 2012; 22:54 UT
Credential Certification: Dario Gasparrini (dario.gasparrini@asdc.asi.it)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, >GeV, Request for Observations, AGN, Blazar
Referred to by ATel #: 3894
The Large Area Telescope (LAT), on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed a gamma-ray flare from a new gamma-ray source.
The preliminary best-fit location of the gamma-ray source (RA=102.08 deg, DEC= -30.87 deg, J2000) has a 95% containment radius of 30 arcmin (statistical errors only). The flat spectrum radio source PKS 0646-306 (RA: 06h48m14.0964s Dec: -30d44m19.659s, J2000, Fey et al. 2004, AJ, 127, 6, 3587; Z=1.153 Jackson et al., 2002, A&A, 386, 97) lies at 8.4 arcmin from the gamma-ray position.
Preliminary analysis indicates that the source brightened in gamma rays on January 21, 2012, with a daily flux (E>100MeV) of (0.5 +/- 0.2) x 10^-6 ph cm^-2 s^-1 (errors are statistical only). The source is not present in any of the Fermi LAT catalogs, and there is no reported EGRET gamma-ray detection at this location.
Because Fermi operates in all-sky survey mode, gamma-ray monitoring of this source will continue. In consideration of the activity of this source we strongly encourage multiwavelength observations. The Fermi LAT contact person for this source is D. Gasparrini (gasparrini@asdc.asi.it).
The Fermi LAT is a pair conversion telescope designed to cover the energy band from 20 MeV to greater than 300 GeV. It is the product of an international collaboration between NASA and DOE in the U.S. and many scientific institutions across France, Italy, Japan and Sweden.
