Optical flaring in PKS 0420-014
ATel #4278; S. J. Wagner, G. Cologna, S. Kaufmann, M. Mohamed, S. Schwemmer (LSW Heidelberg)
on 26 Jul 2012; 18:17 UT
Credential Certification: Stefan J. Wagner (swagner@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de)
Subjects: Radio, Optical, Gamma Ray, Request for Observations, AGN, Blazar, Quasar
Referred to by ATel #: 15935
PKS 0420-014, a gamma-bright flat-spectrum radio quasar at redshift 0.915,
has been detected to show a pronounced optical flare. The source is monitored
with the ATOM telescope since August 2008 with R-band magnitudes varying
between 18.0 and 15.0. On 25 July and 26 July 2012 it reached a level of
14.5 and 14.3 mag, respectively, comparable with the historic maximum
reported by Raiteri et al. 1998, A&AS, 127, 445.
Earlier studies provided evidence for correlated outbursts in
the radio, optical and GeV domains (eg Wagner et al., 1995, A&A, 298, 688
and the matching outbursts reported in the optical and gamma-ray regimes
in ATEL #2395 and #2402 by Bach et al. and Sokolovsky et al.).
Multi-frequency follow-up observations are encouraged.
