SAX J0840.7+2248 Follow-Up Studies

The text of the GCN note #66, submitted on 2 May 1998 PST:

SAX J0840.7+2248 Optical Observations

S. G. Djorgovski, S. R. Kulkarni, J. Kollmeier (Caltech) and D. A. Frail (NRAO) report on behalf of the Caltech GRB collaboration:

We obtained CCD images of the field of x-ray transient SAX J0840.7+2248 ( IAUC 6892 ). While this x-ray transient was not (to our knowledge) associated with a traditional gamma-ray burst, there is a possibility that it represents the same type of a phenomenon, with the gamma-rays undetected because of the sensitivity limits and/or beaming factors.

CCD images in the Gunn i-band were obtained at the Palomar Observatory's 60-inch telescope, on UT 1988 May 02.17. We find no objects within the SAX 3-arcmin error circle which are not also present in the Digital POSS-II catalogs, which reach to the approximate limiting magnitudes of B ~ 22 and R ~ 21. This should be considered as a conservative limit on any optical afterglow associated with this x-ray transient.

Images and charts for the field are available at: http://astro.caltech.edu/~george/grb/sax0840.html

This note may be cited.


CCD image in the i band obtained at the Palomar 60-inch telescope on UT 1998 May 02.17. The field shown is approximately 380 arcsec square, N up E Left. This is a preliminary reduction.


This image available as Postscript , or GIF


DSS image from STScI, field size 10 arcmin, N up, E left, centered on the SAX WFC position (RA = 08h 40m 40s, DEC = +22d 48' 18" [J2000]):


This image available as Postscript , or GIF

DPOSS finding charts (postscript), field size 10 arcmin, centered on the SAX WFC position:

F (red) plate

J (blue/green) plate


(Open symbols = galaxies, solid = stars)


Work on other GRBs