Detection of T[CLC]e[/CLC]V Gamma Rays from the BL Lacertae Object 1ES 1959+650 with the Whipple 10 Meter Telescope

J. Holder, I. H. Bond, P. J. Boyle, S. M. Bradbury, J. H. Buckley, D. A. Carter‐Lewis, Wei Cui, C. Dowdall, C. Duke, I. de la Calle Pérez

Abstract

We present the first strong detection of very high energy gamma-rays from the close (z=0.048) X-ray selected BL Lacertae object 1ES1959+650. Observations were made with the Whipple 10m telescope on Mt. Hopkins, Arizona, using the atmospheric Cherenkov imaging technique. The flux between May and July 2002 was highly variable, with a mean of 0.64 +/- 0.03 times the steady flux from the Crab Nebula and reaching a maximum of five Crab, with variability on timescales as short as seven hours.

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