AGILE detection of enhanced gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula region

AGILE is detecting an increased gamma-ray flux from a source positionally consistent with the Crab Nebula. Integrating during the period 2010-09-19 00 10 UT to 2010-09-21 00 10 UT the AGILE-GRID detected enhanced gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV from a source at Galactic coordinates (l,b) = (184.6, -6.0) +/- 0.4 (stat.) +/- 0.1 (syst.) deg, and flux F > 500 e-8 ph/cm2/sec above 100 MeV, corresponding to an excess with significance above 4.4 sigma with respect to the average flux from the Crab nebula (F = (220 +/- 15)e-8 ph/cm^2/sec, Pittori et al., 2009, A&A, 506, 1563).