Multiwavelength observations of Mrk 501 in 2008

Mrk 501 is one of the brightest blazars at TeV energies and has been extensively studied since its first VHE detection in 1996. However, most of the {gamma}-ray studies performed on Mrk 501 during the past years relate to flaring activity, when the source detection and characterization with the available {gamma}-ray instrumentation was easier to perform.

Our goal is to characterize in detail the source {gamma}-ray emission, together with the radio-to-X-ray emission, during the non-flaring (low) activity, which is less often studied than the occasional flaring (high) activity. We organized a multiwavelength (MW) campaign on Mrk 501 between March and May 2008. This multi-instrument effort included the most sensitive VHE {gamma}-ray instruments in the northern hemisphere, namely the imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopesMAGIC and VERITAS, as well as Swift, RXTE, the F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, and other collaborations and instruments.