XTE J1652-453
IRSF K' band image of the field containing XTE J1652-453. The most recent X-ray source position (see ATEL #2120) is indicated by the circle.
The marked stars have been calibrated relative to 2MASS.
| J band | H band | K' band | |
| Star 1 | 15.22 +/- 0.07 | 14.73 +/- 0.07 | 14.5 +/- 0.1 |
| Star 2 | 17.5 +/- 0.1 | 15.91 +/- 0.1 | 15.12 +/- 0.12 |
| Star 3 | 16.95 +/- 0.08 | 16.26 +/- 0.1 | 15.9 +/- 0.13 |
| Star A | na | na | 17.0 +/- 0.3 |
| Star B | na | na | 16.9 +/- 0.3 |
Astronomers Telegram (#2125)
NIR imaging of the candidate black hole transient XTE J1653-453
We obtained a series of 300s exposures in the J, H & K' bands of the
field of the candidate black hole transient XTE J1653-453 (Atel 2107) using
the Sirius simultaneous 3 channel NIR imager mounted on the Infrared Survey
Facility 1.4m telescope at SAAO. Within the Swift error circle (Atel 2120),
there are at least two objects visible in the K' image:
Star A: 16 52 20.4 -45 20 38.4, K' = 17.0 +/- 0.3
and the other at
Star B: 16 52 20.3 -45 20 39.9, K' = 16.9 +/- 0.3
where the positional error is 0.5. Neither of these objects are present in
either the J or H-band images.
It is not clear if either of these is the NIR counterpart, as both are below the 2MASS sensitivity limit. However, it is clear that the NIR counterpart to XTE J1652-453 in outburst must be no brighter than the limits given above.
If the absolute K band magnitude of XTE J1652-453 is comparable to that of Sco X-1 (M_K' ∼ -0.5), and if A_K' ∼ 3 (N_H ∼ 4e22 Atel 2120) then these measurements would suggest a conservative lower limit to the distance of approximately 5 kpc.