Observations of OJ 287 between 0.36 and 3.4 µm

Abstract

THE radio source OJ 287 was identified with a quasi-stellar optical object by Blake1. The optical object was shown to be variable by Smith and Folsom2 and the radio source was shown to vary at a wavelength of 3.75 cm by Brandie and Stull3. More recently, observations at the Algonquin Radio Observatory at 2.8 and 4.5 cm by Andrew, Harvey and Medd4 showed that the object varies unusually rapidly with a time scale of a few days. Observations at the same time by Kinman and Conklin5 at 3.4 mm and optical wavelengths showed that variations with the same time scale were also occurring at these wavelengths; strong and variable optical polarization was also found and the optical spectrum was found to be blue and featureless. This communication reports measurements of the energy distribution of this object in the optical and infrared regions and further measurements of polarization.