Optical photometric monitoring of γ-ray loud blazars^*

II. Observations from November 1995 to June 1996

¹ Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, Strada Osservatorio 20, I-10025 Pino Torinese (TO), Italy
² Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-22055 Merate, Italy
³ Istituto di Fisica Generale dell'Università, Via Pietro Giuria 1, I-10125 Torino, Italy

Send offprint request to: C.M. Raiteri

Received: 5 February 1997
Accepted: 5 June 1997

Abstract

New data from the optical monitoring of γ-ray loud blazars at the Torino Astronomical Observatory are presented. Observations have been taken in the Johnson's B, V, and Cousins' R bands with the REOSC telescope equipped with a pixel CCD camera. Many of the 22 monitored sources presented here show noticeable magnitude variations. Periods corresponding to pointings of the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) satellite are indicated on the light curves. The comparison of our data with those taken by CGRO in the γ-ray band will contribute to better understand the mechanism of the γ-ray emission. We finally show intranight light curves of 3C 66A and OJ 287, where microvariability was detected.