Further spectrophotometry of the transient X-ray source A0620-00

Observations of the transient X-ray source A0620-00 in November 1976 show that the optical object had an apparent visual magnitude of 18.35. The spectrum is cool and shows that one component of the light comes from a K5 V to K7 V star. The distance is estimated to be 870 pc if the cool star is normal. Some support for the 7.8-day X-ray period recently found is provided by observations made in 1975 during the outburst. In addition to the cool K star, there is a second radiation source which has a flat spectrum. This source can be modeled by a 10,000-K blackbody with a radius (if spherical) of 17,000 km plus a 4000-K blackbody with a radius of 13,400 km and is probably a residual accretion disk. It is very unlikely that the K star can fill its Roche lobe, so that mass transfer to a neutron-star companion by this mechanism is unlikely. It is possible that the K star is losing mass by processes such as those that occur in T Tauri stars.