The light curve of blazar 3C 66A

Session 110 -- Blazars and BL Lacs
Display presentation, Thursday, 12, 1995, 9:20am - 6:30pm

[110.08] The light curve of blazar 3C 66A

L.O. Takalo, T. Pursimo, A. Sillanp\"a\"a, H. Lehto, K. Nilsson $^1$, M. Kidger,J.A. de Diego, J.N. Gonzales-Perez, J.-M. Rodriguez-Espinoza, T. Mahoney $^2$, P. Boltwood $^4$, D. Dultzin-Hacyan, E. Benitez $^3$, G.W. Turner, J.W. Robertson, R.K. Honeycutt $^5$, Yu.S. Efimov, N. Shakhovskoy(6), P. A. Charles $^7$, K. J. Schramm, U. Borgeest, J.V. Linde $^8$, A. Sadun $^9$, and R. Grashuis $^10$ ( 1. Tuorla Observatory, Finland 2. IAC, Spain 3. Stittsville, Ontario 4. UNAM, Mexico 5. Indiana Univ. 6. Crimean Observatory, Ukraine 7. Oxford, UK 8. Hamburg Observatory, Germany 9. Bradley Observatory, GA 10. Capilla Peak Observatory )

During the international OJ-94 campaign we have also monitored blazar 3C 66A. Since fall 1993 we have collected over 500 V-band observations. This constitutes more data than all the previous observations put together. During this monitoring the blazar was in outburst reaching V-magnitude 13.7 (JD 9414). This is the brightest it has ever been observed. The light curve shows continuous activity in time scales from tens of minutes to days and weeks. The largest observed variations are of the order of one magnitude in a few days. Overall the light curve shows small amplitude flickering (0.2 mag) in timescales from hour to days and six separate outbursts of 0.5 mag, each lasting about one week. This fall the light curve has shown strong brightening from early September, until mid October , with the small amplitude flickering. Here we present the observed V-band light curve with preliminary analysis.

Thursday program listing