Open AccessObservations of the extreme‐ultraviolet transient RE J1255+266: a short outburst of a WZ Sge system?
Author(s) -
Wheatley Peter J.,
Burleigh Matthew R.,
Watson Michael G.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03569.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , rosat , dwarf nova , luminosity , limiting , astronomy , transient (computer programming) , light curve , white dwarf , stars , galaxy , mechanical engineering , computer science , operating system , engineering
We present a previously unpublished ROSAT Wide Field Camera observation of the transient source RE J1255+266 made just 4 d before the discovery observations. The source is not detected, limiting the duration of the outburst to be less than expected for a superoutburst of a WZ Sge system. We also present a marginal detection of X‐ray emission from RE J1255+266 using ASCA . The most probable luminosity is 6×10 29 erg s −1 , which is very similar to WZ Sge itself. We discuss the nature of the source in the light of these observations, and conclude that it is most probably a WZ Sge system, but that the observed outburst must have been a normal dwarf nova outburst.