August 24, 2005
SUBJECTS:
1. REQUEST TO MONITOR 2035-01 AE AQR FOR MULTIWAVELENGTH CAMPAIGN
2. REMINDER TO MONITOR HT CAS, Z CHA, AND OY CAR
1. REQUEST TO MONITOR 2035-01 AE AQR FOR MULTIWAVELENGTH CAMPAIGN
Dr. Christopher Mauche, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has requested our assistance in monitoring the novalike intermediate polar AE Aquarii in support of multiwavelength observations scheduled for August 28/29 through September 1/2, with most of the observations occurring August 30/31. AE Aqr will be observed in the gamma-ray, X-ray, UV, optical, and radio regions of the spectrum by the satellites and sites given in the timeline below. AAVSO observations, particularly CCD ones, are requested to correlate with these multiwavelength observations; visual observations are also encouraged.
According to observations in the AAVSO International Database, AE Aqr is usually around visual magnitude 11.3, although it can brighten or dim between about magnitudes 10.6 and 12.0 on time scales of less than a day.
Dr. Mauche provides the following nominal timeline of the observations:
Aug 30 Aug 31
010203040506070809101112131415161718192021222324010203040506070809101112 UT
Chandra |-------------------------------------------|
7:13 4:55
GALEX |--------------------------------------| |-------------|
3:52 23:38 4:31 11:34
HESS |---------|
18:00 23:00
MAGIC |---------|
21:00 2:00
VLT^* |-------------|
23:30 6:30
VLA |--------| |-------------|
6:09 10:38 23:41 6:02
^*Plus various other ground-based photometric observations.
Dr. Mauche notes that coverage is particularly critical during the HESS and MAGIC gamma-ray observations, since gamma-rays have been seen only when the source is 'flaring'.
CCD observers are requested to use B filter if available, otherwise V. Please make nightly observations between now and August 27-28. From August 28-29 through September 1-2, please carry out time-series observations whenever you can. After September 1-2, please make nightly observations for a week or so. If you can, offset your image to include one of the marked comparison stars. If your field of view cannot include both AE Aqr and a marked comparison star, find some star with reasonable S/N within your field of view. Keep your images, and we will calibrate the field as soon after the run as we can, so you can then reduce your data.
Visual observers are requested to observe AE Aqr nightly, and if it is at a brightness other than its 'usual' ~11.3, observe it several times during that night.
THE 'd' SCALE CHART FOR AE AQR HAS BEEN REPLACED by a new 'd' scale chart prepared by Aaron Price. Please be sure to use this new chart! It is available at: http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=ae%20aqr [obsolete link; create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]
2. REMINDER TO MONITOR 0103+59 HT CAS, 0809-76 Z CHA, 1004-69 OY CAR
As announced in Alert Notice 317, Drs. Christopher Mauche, Peter Wheatley, and Koji Mukai have obtained time on the ESA XMM-Newton satellite to observe HT Cas, Z Cha, or OY Car in outburst, and they have requested our assistance in monitoring these stars closely so we can inform them promptly when any of them go into outburst.
As noted, very prompt notification is essential because of the time required to trigger the satellite and the shortness of the outbursts of the target stars. The satellite observing windows are:
HT Cas 2005-07-10 to 2005-09-06 and 2006-01-07 to 2006-03-02
Z Cha 2005-04-05 to 2006-03-20
OY Car 2005-05-31 to 2005-09-24 and 2005-12-02 to 2006-03-20
Please monitor HT Cas, OY Car, and Z Cha closely from now through at least a month after the last observing window closes, and notify Headquarters immediately if HT Cas brightens to magnitude 15.5 or brighter, or OY Car or Z Cha brightens to 14.5 or brighter. Both visual and CCD observations are encouraged. Be sure to submit your observations - positive or negative - to the AAVSO quicklook file as soon after you make them as possible.
Thanks to our observers, and especially Tim Cooper, for reporting and covering the outburst of Z Cha July 22-24. As it was not a superoutburst the satellite could not be triggered, but the careful coverage and immediate reporting of observations were exactly what is needed for this campaign. The astronomers were very pleased with how well everything worked and they extend their sincere thanks.
AAVSO charts for HT Cas and OY Car and Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand charts for Z Cha are available from the AAVSO website via the chart search engine (http://www.aavso.org/observing/charts/ [obsolete link, create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]), or may be requested from AAVSO Headquarters.
Many thanks for your valuable astronomical contributions and your efforts.
Good observing!
Elizabeth O. Waagen
Senior Technical Assistant
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