Abstract
DURING an extended observation with the Ariel V Sky Survey Instrument (SSI) a flare has been detected from the X-ray source 3U 0833–45, generally associated with the Vela pulsar. Details of the SSI, which covers the energy range 2.4–18 keV, are given elsewhere1. The flare occurred during the first part of 24 July 1976, reaching a peak intensity at ∼0300UT of 11.9±1.7 counts s−1, a factor of three above its normal (Ariel V) level, and lasting ∼0.5 d. Figure 1 shows the light curve of the event, and it is interesting to note a possible precursor to the main flare, occurring approximately 2 d earlier. No similar event or measurable variability has been seen in observations of 3U 0833–45 with the SSI over the previous 20 months. A typical run of data from August 1975 with 3U 0833–45 in its normal (quiescent) state is shown in Fig. 2. These lower flux values have been summed in 0.7 d bins for clarity in the figure.
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SMITH, A., POUNDS, K. X-ray flare in 3U 0833–45 the Vela pulsar. Nature 265, 121–123 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265121a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265121a0
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