OGLE2002BLG36

OGLE2002BLG36 is the designation for a microlensing event detected in 2002. The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) survey identified this event as a star in the Galactic bulge was being gravitationally lensed by another celestial object. Microlensing occurs when a foreground object passes in front of a background star, and its gravity bends the light from the background star, causing it to temporarily brighten.

The light curve of OGLE2002BLG36 showed a characteristic brightening and then fading over time, consistent with a microlensing event. The duration and shape of this light curve provide information about the mass of the lensing object and its relative motion. Analyzing such events allows astronomers to detect objects that are otherwise difficult to observe, including exoplanets, free-floating planets, and compact stellar remnants like white dwarfs and neutron stars.

By studying the precise parameters of the OGLE2002BLG36 microlensing event, astronomers can infer properties of the lensing object. While the specific nature of the object causing the lensing in OGLE2002BLG36 may not have been definitively determined without further observations or follow-up studies, it contributes to the broader statistical understanding of objects in our galaxy. Microlensing surveys like OGLE are crucial for probing the Galactic population of stellar and substellar objects.