Recurrent bursts in GBS0526-66, the source of the 5 March 1979 γ-ray burst

The results of the observations of GBS0526-66 during 1979^1-3 have been reviewed⁴ recently primarily in the context of its possible identification with the N49 supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Observations in 1981 and 1982, however, reveal a still more complex pattern of behaviour and show both that the nature of this source of the 5 March 1979 event and its true position in space are far from being clear. Observations from Veneras 13 and 14 reveal that GBS0526-66 continues to generate weak recurrent γ-ray bursts. Thus the transient object which during the 5 March burst behaved for several minutes as a flaring X-ray pulsar¹ has since then been exhibiting a peculiar similarity with a hard X-ray burster.