Three Optical Transients From the PQ Survey

A. Mahabal, A.J. Drake, S.G. Djorgovski, E. Glikman, C. Donalek, M.J. Graham, R. Williams (Caltech); C. Baltay, D. Rabinowitz, A. Bauer, R. Scalzo, N. Elman, J. Jerke (Yale), and the PQ Survey Team

Subjects: Optical, Request for Observations, Transients

We have detected three strong optical transient in the Palomar-Quest (PQ) survey drift scans obtained at the Palomar 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope on 19/20/21 July 2007 UT. The transients are unresolved, and at the following J2000 coordinates:

Transient                Date     UT       RA           Dec

PQT070719:151221+123004  19Jul07 05:58:52 15:12:21.38  +12:30:04.0
PQT070721:221303-043900  21Jul07 08:21:22 22:13:03.91  -04:39:00.3
PQT070721:231237-051343  21Jul07 09:20:03 23:12:37.23  -05:13:43.7

Finding charts (more details to be added later):
PQT070719:151221+123004
PQT070721:221303-043900
PQT070721:231237-051343

PQT070719:151221+123004 was present in both scans of the 19th.

PQT070721:221303-043900 was present n the scans on the 19th and the 21st.

PQT070721:231237-051343 is close to a galaxy and has only one scan (three images separated by ~3 minutes each). While no proper motion is seen in these images, a slow moving asteroid can not be ruled out.

All sources were detected and published as VOEvents in near-realtime at PQ Transients VOEventNet page.

Further observations, especially spectroscopy, are strongly encouraged.