Swift follow-up of the optical transient MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0

K.V. Sokolovsky (MPIfR/ASC Lebedev)

Text of ATel #3265

Following the report in ATel #3255 on the discovery and spectroscopy of the optical transient MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0, observations were performed in ultraviolet and X-ray bands by the Swift satellite. The observations had a total exposure time of 2.1ks and were conducted on 2011-04-06 during two visits of the source separated by 97.8 minutes (one orbit).

The transient is clearly visible in W2 band Swift/UVOT ultraviolet images at a position of 08:27:52.81 +70:46:07.8 (+/-0.5", J2000), 1.8" away from the position reported in ATel #3255. Variability of the source is detected between the two visits:
JD(TT)W2err.
2455657.5378918.390.06
2455657.6058018.140.05
This variation is confirmed through comparison with magnitude differences of field stars of similar brightness between the two visits.

No X-ray counterpart of the optical transient is detected by Swift/XRT. The only X-ray source in the field of view at the position of 08:28:57.35 +70:44:38.0 (+/-6", J2000; XRT count rate 0.011 +/-0.002cts) is 5.5' away from the transient and can be firmly identified with the QSO candidate GALEX 2682502750548263862 (Atlee & Gould, 2007, ApJ, 664, 53).

The absence of an X-ray counterpart and fast ultraviolet variability question, but cannot rule out, the AGN nature of the flaring object MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0.

We thank the Swift Team for their rapid scheduling of this observation.


Finding chart for MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0 constructed from ultraviolet (W2 band) Swift/UVOT images obtained on 2011-04-06. The field of view is 10', North is up, East is to the left.

Swift/UVOT W2 band images in FITS format: 1st visit, 2nd visit, combined image.


Magnitude difference between sources detected on two W2 band images obtained by Swift/UVOT 97.8 minutes apart as a function of their average magnitude on the two images. The transient (marked with the arrow) shows larger magnitude difference compared to other sources of similar brightness in the field, which is an indication of its variability.


X-ray detection of the supernova candidate MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0

K.V. Sokolovsky (MPIfR/ASC Lebedev/SAI MASU)

Text of ATel #3367

The optical transient MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0 (ATel #3255, #3265) was observed by Swift on 2011 May 14 for the total exposure time of 4ks. A weak X-ray source has been detected by Swift/XRT at the position 08:27:53.31 +70:46:10.07 (+/-6.2", J2000) only 3.4" from the optical transient (ATel #3265). The source is detected at the 3.5 sigma level with the XRT count rate of 0.005 +/-0.001 counts/sec. Good positional coincidence together with the absence of other detections of comparable significance in the field (apart from the brighter source GALEX 2682502750548263862 reported in ATel #3265) indicate that the X-ray detection of MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0 is real. No X-ray source was seen at this position during the previous Swift/XRT observations on 2011 April 06 (2.1ks) and 14 (0.6ks).

Simultaneous Swift/UVOT data show only marginal changes in the ultraviolet brightness of the transient compared to previous observations:

   JD     filter mag. err. 
2455696.31  W2  18.26 0.05 
2455696.31  M2  18.16 0.07 
2455696.30  W1  18.06 0.06 
2455696.30  U   18.41 0.08 
2455696.30  B   19.58 0.14 
2455696.31  V   19.40 0.16 
              
2455665.82  W2  17.94 0.14 
2455665.76  W1  18.11 0.13 
2455665.89  U  >19.0 
2455665.82  B  >19.0 

2455657.57  W2  18.24 0.13 (ATel #3265) 

The optical spectrum of the transient reported in ATel #3255, its ultraviolet brightness and the initial lack of X-ray detection resemble the properties of ROTSE3 J115649.1+542726 = SN 2008es (Miller et al. 2009, ApJ, 690, 1303; Gezari et al. 2009, ApJ, 690, 1313) which was initially classified as an AGN flare (ATel #1515) or possible tidal disruption event (ATel #1524), but has later developed spectral features indicating that it was in fact an extremely luminous Type II supernova at z=0.21 (ATel #1644). The emission feature in the optical spectrum of MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0 (ATel #3255) may be attributed to the HeII 4686 emission in analogy to SN 2008es (Adam Miller, private communication). MASTER OT 082752.77+704606.0 is likely a luminous Type II supernova at z=0.135. New spectroscopic observations which could trace the expected evolution of the optical spectrum are necessary to confirm this interpretation.

Questions or comments? Please write me!
ksokolov [at] mpifr-bonn.mpg.de