What is the redshift of the gamma- ray BL Lac source S4 0954+65?

High signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic observations of the BL Lac object S4 0954+65 at the alleged redshift z = 0.367 are presented. This source was detected at gamma frequencies by MAGIC (TeV) and FERMI (GeV) telescopes during a remarkable outburst that occurred in February 2015, making the determination of its distance particularly relevant for our understanding of the properties of the Extragalactic Background Light. Contrary to previous reports on the redshift, we found that the optical spectrum is featureless at an equivalent width limit of \sim 0.1 Ang. A critical analysis of the existing observations indicates that the redshift is still unknown. Based on the new data we estimate a lower limit to the redshift at z \geq 0.45.Comment: Minor comment and accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

-band photometry of 17 WINGS clusters

Context. This paper belongs to a series presenting the WIde Field Nearby Galaxy-cluster Survey (WINGS). The WINGS project has collected wide-field, optical (B, V), and near-infrared (J, K) imaging as well as medium resolution spectroscopy of galaxies in a sample of 76 X-ray selected nearby clusters (0.04 <z< 0.07) with the aim of establishing a reference sample for evolutionary studies of galaxies and galaxy clusters. Aims. We present the U-band photometry of galaxies and stars in the fields of 17 clusters of the WINGS sample. We also extend the original B- and V-band photometry (WINGS-OPT) for 9 and 6 WINGS clusters to a larger field of view. Methods. We used both the new and already existing B-band photometry to obtain reliable (U − B) colors of galaxies within three fixed apertures in kpc. To this aim, we took particular care with the astrometric precision in the reduction procedure. Since not all the observations were taken in good transparency conditions, the photometric calibration was partly obtained by relying on the SDSS and WINGS-OPT photometry for the U- and optical bands, respectively. Results. We provide U-band (also B- and V-band, where possible) total magnitudes of stars and galaxies in the fields of clusters. For galaxies only, the catalogs also provide geometrical parameters and carefully centered aperture magnitudes. The internal consistency of magnitudes was checked for clusters imaged with different cameras, while the external photometric consistency was obtained by comparison with the WINGS-OPT and SDSS surveys. Conclusions. The photometric catalogs presented here add the U-band information to the WINGS database for extending the spectral energy distribution of the galaxies, in particular in the ultraviolet wavelengths which are fundamental for deriving the star formation rate properties