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GCN Circular 21687

Subject
LIGO/Virgo G298048: MASTER Global-Net early optical observations and the Possible KiloNova SSS17a in NGC 4993 photometry and merging rate
Date
2017-08-25T08:48:24Z (7 years ago)
From
Vladimir Lipunov at Moscow State U/Krylov Obs <lipunov2007@gmail.com>
V.M.Lipunov, E. Gorbovskoy, V.G.Kornilov, N.Tyurina, V.Shumkov, D.Kuvshinov, 
P.Balanutsa,  O.Gress, A.Kuznetsov, M.I.Panchenko, A.V.Krylov, I.Gorbunov
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Sternberg Astronomical Institute

R.Podesta, C.Lopez, F.Podesta
Observatorio Astronomico Felix Aguilar (OAFA) , National University of San
Juan, Argentina

H.Levato, C.Saffe
Instituto de Ciencias Astronomicas,de la Tierra y del Espacio (ICATE),
San Juan, Argentina

D.Buckley, S.Potter, M.Kotze,
South African Astronomical Observatory

N.M. Budnev, O. Gress, K. Ivanov, S.Yazev
Irkutsk State University

V.Yurkov, Yu.Sergienko, A.Gabovich
Blagoveschensk Educational State University, Blagoveschensk

R. Rebolo, M. Serra-Ricart, G. Israelian, N.Lodiu
The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

A. Tlatov, V.Sennik
Kislovodsk Solar Station of the Pulkovo Observatory

MASTER Global Robotic Net (http:/ / observ.pereplet.ru/ ) consists of a 
new generation of fast robotic telescopes that
installed on different continents during recent years.

MASTER-II are twin 40 cm wide field (2x4 square degrees, 1 pixel = 2.0 
arcsec) optical robotic telescopes located in the following observatories:
MASTER-Amur (far east of Russia, Blagoveshchensk), MASTER-Tunka (Russia, 
Baykal lake), MASTER-Kislovodsk, MASTER-Tavrida (Russia), MASTER-SAAO (South Africa), 
MASTER-IAC (Spain, Canarias), and MASTER-OAFA (Argentina, MASTER I yet).

MASTER observatories are equipped with their own identical photometers and 
are controlled by identical software (Lipunov et al., "MASTER Global 
Robotic Net",  Advances in Astronomy, 2010, 30L).

  The identical equipment gives us the possibility of having up to  24 
continuous hours observations of optical counterparts of GRBs in identical
photometric systems. Therefore, combining photometric data for different 
GRBs observed from different parts of the MASTER Net is a well-justified 
astronomical process (see last result in Troya, Lipunov, Mundel  et al., 
Nature, 2017, vol.547,425-427)

Taking into account the large field of view of the MASTER II telescopes (8 
square degrees), we can use a large number (1000 - 5,000)
of reference stars for reduction. As a result, the photometric errors of 
large catalogs, Tycho II and   USNO-B1, shouldbe leveled out.

Global MASTER-Net started to observe LIGO/Virgo G298048 error field at 
2017-08-17 17:06:47 UT.

MASTER-SAAO (MASTER II robotic telescope at South Africa Astronomical 
Observatory, Sutherland) automaticaly have imaged the initial BAYESTAR error 
field received by socket connection (LVC GCN 21505) including
common region with Fermi GBM error box  (Connaughton  et al., LVC GCN 21506) 
immediatelly after sunset  at 2017-08-17 17:06:47 = 2017-08-17.71304 (JD = 
2457983.21304398) i.e. 15943 sec after LVC trigger time (12:41:04 UT) .
 	The coaadded (3x180sec) first   unfiltered images limit is 19.8. This 
image  included ICECube candidate N4   (Bartos et al  LVC GCN 21511). No OTs 
found  in this error box.

After that MASTER-SAAO telescope continue to image Fermi and LVC initial common 
error field and all Ice Cube candidates. The unfiltered limits and fields 
one can find at GraceDB. Cover map is available at
http://master.sai.msu.ru/static//ligo/db/G298048/151A//img/MASTER.G298048.180.24.gif

No OTs found at this observations.
The Possible KiloNova SSS17a in NGC 4993 (Coulter et al., LVC GCN 21529) 
is  not covering by MASTER-SAAO at 17 Aug 2017.

MASTER-OAFA  (MASTER I robotic telescope with FOV = 6 square degrees;  at Argentina, Observatorio Astronomico Felix Aguilar 
(OAFA), National University of San Juan,) have imaged the new BAYESTAR-HLV
localization map of  LIGO/Virgo  G298048 (GCN 21513) starting
2017-08-17 22:54:18 =  2017-08-17.954375 from  first field (6 square degrees):

RA, DEC  = 12h 59m 00.00s -19d 59m 38.00s

Unforunatelly the first telescope image not include sss17a.

But fortunally 
there are two MASTER Very Wide Field cameras (FOV = 2x380 square degrees, 
22 arcsec in pixel, see Lipunov et al.,  2010, MASTER Robotic Net, 
Advances in Astronomy, vol. 2010, pp. 1-7)  at same mount.
As the results we have large seria ("video") MASTER VWF cameras images 
exposition and without time gap of the all LIGO/Virgo G298048 error box include 
the NGC 4993 galaxy. We see NGC 4993 galaxy on coadded images. After the 
images substraction with refernce very wide field camera images we see 
some excess (see Table 1) at NGC 4993 position with flux corresponded to ~15.3 
mag.

Starting from 2017-08-17 22:58:48 UT = 2017-08-17 22:58:48 MASTER-OAFA have 
imaged  new BAYESTAR-HLV localization map of  LIGO/Virgo  G298048 (GCN 21513) 
with unfiltered images (150 sec exposition) limit 19-20 magnitudes. The coadded 
images limit grows to 20.5.

At 2017-08-17 23:59:54 UT   i.e. 11 h 18m 50 sec after LVC trigger time 
MASTER-OAFA robotic telescope independently from any optical 
information take second image with NGC 
4993 galaxy where Possible KiloNova SSS17a was published late
Coulter et al., LVC GCN  21529, Allam et  al. (LVC GCN 21530), Yang et al. 
(LVC GCN 21531), Melandri et al.  (LVC GCN 21532),
Lipunov et al., (LVC GCN 21546), Chen et al. (LVC GCN 21608).

On the next 3 days both southern MASTER robotic telescopes at SAAO and OAFA was 
done (and continue now) B,R, Unfiltered monitoring Possible KiloNova SSS17a at 
NGC 4993 galaxy.

The covering video map at first day is available at 
http://master.sai.msu.ru/static//ligo/db/G298048/151//img/MASTER.G298048.180.24.gif

The photometry of sss17a listed at  Table I. This photometry made 
by substracted images and free from galaxy background.

TableI. MASTER Global Robotic Net the sss17a photometry
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Date      UT     T-Ttrig   Exp Filt   Mag  Err  Lim   Instr      SITE
             start   Kilosec   sec

2017-08-17 22:54:18  36.794  225x5  V   15.3* 0.5  15.5 MASTER VWFC OAFA
2017-08-17 23:59:54  40.730   180   W   17.7  0.2  19.5 MASTER I    OAFA
2017-08-18 00:19:05  41.881   180   W   17.3  0.2  19.3 MASTER I    OAFA

2017-08-18 17:06:55 102.352  6x180  W   17.5  0.2  20.0 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-18 17:17:33 102.989  3x180  R   17.2  0.2  19.8 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-18 17:34:02 103.979  3x180  B   18.5  0.1  19.5 MASTER II   SAAO

2017-08-19 17:06:57 188.753  3x180  W   18.6  0.2  20.0 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-19 17:53:34 191.550  3x180  R   18.2  0.3  19.8 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-19 18:04:32 192.208  3x180  B   ----  ---  19.5 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-19 23:13:20 210.736 10x180  W   19.0  0.2  20.7 MASTER I    OAFA

2017-08-20 17:04:36 275.012  3x180  W  >19.3  ---  20.0 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-20 17:25:56 276.292  3x180  R  >18.8  ---  19.5 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-20 17:36:32 276.928  3x180  B  >19.7  ---  20.0 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-21 00:26:31 301.527 10x180  W  >20.0   --- 20.7 MASTER I    OAFA

2017-08-21 17:08:14 361.630  3x180  W  >19.3  ---  20.0 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-21 18:06:12 365.108  3x180  R  >18.8  ---  19.5 MASTER II   SAAO
2017-08-21 19:20:23 369.559  3x180  B  >18.7  ---  19.0 MASTER II   SAAO


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* This is a photometry of some faint excess on substracted image. It is 
possible to be a image substraction noice.

Ttrig - LVC trigger Time
T - is the exposition start time
W - unfiltered
VWFC - Very Wide Field Camera





Table 2. Start and midle times.

---------------------------------------------------------
    Date      UT              JD         UT
            start            start      midle

2017-08-17 22:54:18    2457983.454   23:03:40
2017-08-17 23:59:54    2457983.4999  00:01:24
2017-08-18 00:19:05    2457983.513   00:20:35

2017-08-18 17:06:55    2457984.217   17:11:57
2017-08-18 17:17:33    2457984.226   17:25:27
2017-08-18 17:43:02    2457984.236   17:39:14

2017-08-19 17:06:57    2457985.213   17:11:52
2017-08-19 17:53:34    2457985.246   17:58:29
2017-08-19 18:04:32    2457985.253   18:09:27
2017-08-19 23:13:20    2457985.468   23:30:50

2017-08-20 17:04:36    2457986.212   17:09:31
2017-08-20 17:25:56    2457986.226   17:30:51
2017-08-20 17:36:32    2457986.234   17:41:27
2017-08-21 00:26:31    2457986.518   00:44:01

2017-08-21 17:08:14    2457987.214   17:13:09
2017-08-21 18:06:12    2457987.254   18:11:07
2017-08-21 19:20:23    2457987.306   19:25:18
---------------------------------------------------

There are MASTER-NET 126 arhival images of the NGC 4993 galaxy
since 2015-01-17 00:45:46 till 2017-05-02 22:17:04 .
No optical sss17a activity was found.
The MASTER arhival images table is available at
http://master.sai.msu.ru/static/MASTER_G298048_PREDISCOVERY1.txt .


As the discussion about physical nature GW 170817/G298048 (Lipunov, LVC GCN 
21621; Nichol etal., LVC GCN 21585,  LVC GCN 21592; D'Elia et al.,LVC GCN 21592 
) I (Vladimir Lipunov) would like to point that distance of the binary NS 
merging ~ 40 Mpc is in good agreement with predicted merging rate inside local 
super cluster (Lipunov, Postnov & Prokhorov, 1987, A&A, vol.176, L1-L4.). See 
fig. 1 which is vailable at http://master.sai.msu.ru/static/LPP1987_fig1.jpg .

There was predicted 1 merging NS+NS per year for 20 Mpc radius volume(e-case, 
see capture). This means, that for 40 Mpc  predicted ~ 10 per year!

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