Monitoring of Blazars requested for VERITAS/XMM TOO
Active Dates: July 11, 2007 – May 31, 2008
Abstract:
Our assistance has been requested by Dr. Markus Boettcher, Ohio University, in a study he and colleagues are making of several blazars. The targets are being intermittently monitored by VERITAS (the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System), a four-telescope collection designed to detect astrophysical sources of very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays that is located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona. If a VHE gamma-ray outburst is detected by VERITAS, target-of-opportunity observations with the Newton X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) telescope will be triggered. Since VERITAS is not regularly monitoring the targets, optical monitoring is crucial to alert the VERITAS collaboration to a high state of any one of the blazars on the list in order to initiate VERITAS observations.
Justification:
The XMM observing season has begun, so AAVSO observers are requested to monitor the target blazars from now through at least May 2008, when the current XMM observing cycle ends. Dr. Boettcher and colleagues have submitted a Chandra proposal along the same lines that, if funded, would extend the study throughout most of 2008.
Requested Data Types:
Photometry
Targets
| Name | Magnitude | Variability Type | Photometry Notes | Spectroscopy Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSVS J0112111+595728 | 12.65 | SR |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| NSV 524 | 9.50 | None |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| MRK 1218 | 14.60 | BLLAC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| NSV 4021 | 11.50 | EC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| 3C 66A | 13.70 | BLLAC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| BL Lac | 11.90 | BLLAC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| W Com | 11.50 | BLLAC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| NSV 340 | 12.95 | RRC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| NSV 2500 | 14.70 | RS |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
| 1H 0323+342 | 15.40 | BLLAC |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Not Requested |
Spectroscopy Lines:
No spectroscopy lines provided
Photometry Filters:
No photometry filters provided
Comparison Stars:
No comparison stars provided
Co-Authorship
Observers are not eligible for co-authorship.
Additional Observer Input:
Not provided
Additional Submission Location:
Not provided
Forum URL
N/A
Notes:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Markus Boettcher; Imported Campaign (Alert Notice #353)