MASTER Optical Detection of the First LIGO/Virgo Neutron Star Binary Merger GW170817

LIPUNOV, V. M.; GORBOVSKOY, E.; KORNILOV, V. G.; TYURINA, N .; BALANUTSA, P.; SAFFE, C.; BUDNEV, N. M.

The Astrophysical Journal

American Astronomical Society

Año: 2017 vol. 850

Following the discovery of the gravitational-wave source GW170817 by three Laser Interferometer Gravitational- wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo antennae (Abbott et al., 2017a), the MASTER Global Robotic Net telescopes obtained the first image of the NGC 4993 host galaxy. An optical transient, MASTER OTJ130948.10-232253.3/SSS17a was later found, which appears to be a kilonova resulting from the merger of two neutron stars (NSs). Here we describe this independent detection and photometry of the kilonova made in white light, and in B, V, and Rfilters. We note that the luminosity of this kilonova in NGC 4993 is very close to those measured for other kilonovae possibly associated with gamma-ray burst (GRB) 130603 and GRB 080503.