EP240414a: Pan-STARRS detects re-brightening of the candidate counterpart AT2024gsa
Abstract
We report optical follow-up observations of AT2024gsa (Aryan et al., GCN 36094; Chen et al. TNS Astronomical Transient Report No. 207843), the candidate optical counterpart to the fast X-ray transient EP240414a (Lian et al., GCN 36091; Guan et al., GCN 36129). AT2024gsa was reported to be decaying in the optical (Xu et al., GCN 36105). We observed AT2024gsa with the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS1 telescope in iz-bands on 2 epochs, with observations starting on MJDs 60416.4 and 60417.4, corresponding to ~2.0 and ~3.0 days post-discovery of the X-ray transient. Our PS1 photometry shows the transient has brightened from 22.2 +/- 0.3 (on MJD 60416.4) to 20.9 +/- 0.06 (on MJD 60417.4) in the i-band, suggesting a rise of ~1.3 mag/day. A similar rise was also seen in the z-band. Assuming AT2024gsa is associated with the potential host galaxy SDSS J124601.99-094309.3 at z=0.41 (Jonker et al., GCN 36110), the transient currently has an absolute rest-frame r-band magnitude of ~ -21. Further followup observations are encouraged.
- Publication:
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GRB Coordinates Network
- Pub Date:
- April 2024
- Bibcode:
- 2024GCN.36150....1S