New possible nova in Scorpius, 12 Feb 2015

[Rob_K]

This came up on CBAT's Transient Objects Confirmation Page (TOCP) yesterday, mag 8.2 U. I managed to image the object last night but was unsuccessful in obtaining a spectrum due to moonlight and annoying thin cloud! I made it out mag 9.4 in the green channel of the DSLR image (~V). Good target for IIS spectroscopists!
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/followups/J17032620-3504140.html

Another possible nova (PNV) at mag 10.9 U in Sagittarius has been put up since. The object has been independently confirmed but its nature is not yet known.
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/followups/J18142514-2554343.html

Cheers -

[cometcatcher]

Great stuff Rob! Let us know how it progresses. Not likely to be clear here.

[Rob_K]

Thanks Kevin. No chance here tonight, 100% cloud! :sadeyes:

Cheers -

[astroron]

Thanks Rob, :)
Hopefully next week when the moon is out of the way,and just maybe a clear sky.
Bit of a bummer here as it wont getup above the trees till about 02:30 . :(
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Rob_K]

The Scorpius object has now been spectroscopically confirmed as a nova, awaiting official recognition through a CBET.
http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=7060
http://www.astro.sunysb.edu/fwalter/SMARTS/NovaAtlas/nsco2015/spec/nsco2015.spec.html

Bucketing rain here! :rain:

Cheers -

[Merlin66]

Yeah.....
28mm rain and thunder storms down here in St Leonards.....

[gaa_ian]

Very interesting Rob
How bright is this Nova expected to become ?
Last really good one I saw was visual magnitude & quite orange in color in Cygnus

[Rob_K]

Ian, I gather the Scorpius nova is already dimming off. There aren't many observations for the Sagittarius possible nova but it may have brightened slightly. Which Cygnus nova do you remember? V1500 Cyg (Nova Cygni 1975) was very bright and reached mag 1.7 - there have been none brighter since! Would love to see one like that. In 1992 V1974 Cygni (Nova Cygni 1992) reached naked-eye brightness of mag 4.4.

Cheers -

[Merlin66]

Nov Cen 2013 - 4th mag?
How could we forget!!
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=115048

[Rob_K]

Certainly not forgotten Ken but positively dim compared to mag 1.7! :P And of course in the same year there was the little matter of V339 Del (Nova Delphini 2013) which reached naked eye at around mag 4.3.

Cheers -

[gaa_ian]

That's the one Merlin !
I was at Garma Festival doing my Annual Astronomy tours in August & had to explain to the onlookers how this bright orange star was not normally visible at all ! The skies are quite dark there so it was very prominent :eyepop:

[Rob_K]

Just an update on these. The Sagittarius object has also been spectroscopically confirmed as a nova (FeII type classical nova) but no CBETs have been issued yet. The Sgr nova rose in brightness into the mag 9s but both novae are in decline now according to the latest AAVSO light curves (attached - the Sco nova at top, Sgr at bottom).

Still haven't got a shot yet at the Sgr nova, cloudy skies continue (well, cloudy at the wrong times! :mad2: ).

Cheers -