OPTICAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE NEARBY ISOLATED PULSAR PSR-0656-METER TELESCOPE(14 AT THE SAO 6)

BVR data for the middle-aged radio pulsar PSR 0656+14 obtained on Janu ary 20-21, 1996 at the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Obse rvatory are presented. The brightness of a star-like object coincident with the position of the VLA radio source in the Cousins B filter is B approximate to 25.1, with lambda(eff) = 4448 Angstrom, adjacent to t he HST F130LP long-pass filter. The relatively large V and R fluxes (l ess than or similar to 3 sigma or > 10(-30) ergs cm(-2) s(-2) Hz(-1)) provide evidence that the optical emission of this pulsar is non-therm al up to lambda approximate to 6600 Angstrom. Most probably, in the UV -optical (BVR) spectral range, a power-law spectrum is superimposed on the thermal-like emission of the neutron star surface, which could be related to the mechanism of the pulsar activity itself.