  SLX 1737-282 is a persistent moderately bright X-ray source 1.2 deg from the
Galactic center. X-ray observations with the Wide Field Cameras on BeppoSAX
have for the first time revealed the true nature of SLX 1737-282: a 15-min long
thermonuclear flash was detected exposing the source as a neutron star in a
binary system. The flash was Eddington-limited constraining the distance to
between 5 and 8 kpc. We analyze BeppoSAX, ROSAT, and RXTE data on SLX 1737-282.
The persistent 0.5-200 keV luminosity is close to or less than 1% of the
Eddington limit which implies a rarely-seen circumstance for thermonuclear
flash activity.
