Broadband Optical Observations of BL Lacertae during the 1997 Outburst

June 1998 • 1998AJ....115.2244W

Authors • Webb, James R. • Freedman, Ian • Howard, Emily • Ma, Feng • Belfort, Michelle • Rave, Heather • Rumstay, Ken • Nicol, Susan • Krick, Jessica • Oswalt, Terry D. • Marshall, Daniel • Robishaw, Tim

Abstract • We present BVRI observations of BL Lacertae during its recent outburst. These observations, made during a 3 month period, cover a significant portion of the optical flare. The reduced data are displayed as light curves and broadband spectra. Changes in the spectral index are analyzed, and the results are compared with previous BL Lac observations. We find that the variations are simultaneous in the optical bands, but the higher frequency bands show a higher amplitude of variability. The spectral index is variable during the active period, and there is marginal evidence that the spectrum flattens as the source gets brighter.

Links

• SIMBAD http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbo.pl?bibcode=1998AJ....115.2244W
• PDF https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/300357/pdf
• NED https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/uri/NED::InRefcode/1998AJ....115.2244W
• ELECTR https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/300357