Observations of the Geminga optical candidate

Abstract

The present spectroscopy and photometry for the proposed optical counterpart of the X-ray source IE 0630 + 178, which is also a candidate for identification with the gamma-ray source 'Geminga', yields a spectrum that is featureless at the current S/N ratio and resists classification. The properties of the X-ray and optical objects, and the statistical circumstances of the identification process, do not support the association of optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray sources. The uniqueness of the X-ray source nevertheless suggests that its X-rays are thermal emission from the surface of a neutron star whose optical counterpart is an undetected blue star of B magnitude approximately 26.