Possible bright nova in Centaurus - PNV J13544700-5909080

[malclocke]

I am setting up to take a low res spectrum while waiting for the sun to set here but we have cloud forecast here this evening so I am not hopeful.

Reported mag 5.5 on CBAT http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/followups/J13544700-5909080.html

AAVSO has a page and finder chart.
http://www.aavso.org/possible-nova-centaurus

Malc

[astroron]

You are lucky Malc, it will be reasonably high for you in the evening sky,We will have to wait till the morning.
I am Sick of early morning observing after ISON so will give it the flick.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[malclocke]

My very dodgy spectrum attached.

Couldn't get a good visual estimate of brightness but I'd say it is between 5 and 5.5.

Malc

[jjjnettie]

Great news.
Sadly I have a whopping great tree in the way.
Though I might set up the polarie and the 550d if I'm up to it. At that hour I'm usually in Zombie mode though.

[mithrandir]

It's less than 2 deg from β Cen so should be easy to locate. Unfortunately it doesn't clear my new roof until about 2am.

[Jon]

Nice work, Malc! First published spectrum. An Astronomers' Telegram has just come out confirming it as consistent with a nova.

Out of interest, I attach some SA 100 spectra I took of Nova Del 2013 on the day of discovery, then again four days later when it was at peak brightness (the Hydrogen lines are weakest at maximum). Looks pretty similar. I'll try for a SA100 spectrum this morning, clouds permitting. If the Ha line starts increasing, we'll know that it's already started to fade.

What are the chances of two naked-eye novae within four months? Crazy. I wish my L200 spectrograph would hurry up ...

[ReaPerMan]

6D and Skytracker set up waiting for 0245 when it climbs high enough above the roof. Weather clear but blowing up to 30 knots at times.

[Merlin66]

No chance here in Melbourne absolutely p*^% down.

[Jon]

Cloudy in Canberra too :-(

[ReaPerMan]

Hope I got this one right.. my charts are a little skewed compared to the pic.
Canon 6D 105mm F7.1 15 sec

Full RAW pic available if anybody wants it.

[ReaPerMan]

Now I have had more time. Here is the annotated pic and a sky view showing it in place.

[Lee]

Cool... another nova.... :)
Might need to get the matchsticks out for this one though!

[malclocke]

Here's my spectrum from tonight (Dec 4th). Some decline in H_alpha and H_beta since 24 hours ago.

Visually it appeared around mag 4.5.

[cometcatcher]

Fairly clear this morning plus it's in a good position for me. A few frames with the ED80 at f5.5. I hope I got the right one lol.

[Jon]

I've written a blog post aimed at the general public who might want to see this "third pointer to the Southern Cross" - http://jonathanpowles.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/an-third-pointer-to-southern-cross.html

[Rob_K]

Nice work Malc! I made it out the same this morning, V=4.5 (04.74 Dec 2013 UT). I've added another spectrum to the Spectroscopy sub-forum, much better than the last. It picks up the H-gamma emission faintly as well as several other lines.

Anyway, here's a link to a gif animation showing the nova this morning & the same field back in May 2013:
http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww271/Rob_Kau/NCen201308May-04Dec2013animation.gif

Attached is a full-frame 200mm shot with inset of crop at actual pixel size (3888 x 2592 px image).


Cheers -

[Merlin66]

Rob/ Malc,
Well done!
I'm pleased to see we were able to get some lo-res data so early.
I hope your successes will encourage others to follow your footsteps.
This Nova cannot be observed by our N Hemisphere colleagues...this is one for southern observers..... this is our opportunity...

[von Tom]

Nice work everyone :)

Here's a shot from Brisbane this morning in thin cloud and light pollution showing a wider view (cropped and resized 40mm EOS 600D) and a closer view (100% crop 200mm EOS 600D).

Cheers,

Tom

[cometcatcher]

It's in such a well known part of the sky. I don't think we could have asked for more.

Any indications of peak brightness and when?

[Suzy]

New reports out this morning have it at mag. 4.1 and spotted naked eye.

This now makes it the brightest Nova in the southern sky since Nova Velorum in 1999 which peaked at mag. 2.6.

If anyone wants help finding it, I have posted great guides with three different charts on the IceInSpace facebook page this morning.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152058970586203&set=a.443095681202.235512.114571796 202&type=1&theater

[Jon]

Hard to be exact on this one! From the obs we have so far its rise could already be slowing. But a lot of novae "pause" in the brightening phase before pushing on for another rise of c. 2 mags.

The average total rise of a fast nova is about 10-12 mags. This one started at 15.5. If it follows this pattern, and if it follows in the footsteps of Nova Del 2013 in terms of what we are seeing in the low-res spectra, I'm betting that it will peak in the next day or so at around 3.8. But that's entirely a guess based on the limited reading I have have done over the past few months.

[MrB]

Confirmed naked eye object.
Was easy to spot from suburban Perth.

Edit:
Have attached an image I took last night. Saved from facebook as I'm at work and don't have access to the original.
60Da, 90sec @ ISO800, 105mm prime @ f4, Astrotrac (roughly aligned)

[malclocke]

Now has an official designation from the IAU - V1369 Cen.

Thick cloud here this evening, I will set an early alarm and keep fingers crossed. I'm away for the next two nights after tonight so hopefully Rob et al can keep the spectra coming in.

The experience of V339 Del earlier in the year has shown how rapid the spectral development is in this early phase. If you have any capability and opportunity to take spectra please try to do so in the coming days.

[Shark Bait]

Nice write up Jon. Thanks for the info - time to seach the web for some more technical data on this one.

If the sky is clear tomorrow morning I will set up the scope and have a look.

[CometGuy]

Now around 3.6-3.7! Can't wait to see this tomorrow morning.

[Mick]

Had a look this morning, just visible to the unaided eye but an easy target with small binoculars. It is Around the reported +4 to +5 magnitude, will be interested to see what happens with it over the coming weeks. Nice images everyone.:)

[RichardJ]

Observed the Nova this morning. Easy naked eye object. I estimate it to be about mag 3.5. Here is one of my images.

RichardJ :)

[von Tom]

Very nice Richard. :)

Cloudy here in Brisbane but managed to photograph it even though the Pointers and Crux were hardly visible to the eye. Hard to tell the brightness as the cloud never cleared totally.

Cheer, Tom

[Lee]

I spotted her from Newcastle this am (can't recall the sky being so nice for ages either)- very easy naked eye object, actually stands out as being out of place in such a familiar area.... I'll have to image this on the weekend....

[kinetic]

Sure does look odd, we're currently driving towards Sydney and just now, outside Wagga Wagga, sky is awesome and the interloper near A and B Cent only a few degrees above a crisp, clear horizon.
Steve

[von Tom]

Low in the SE Brisbane sky now, naked eye visibility, pribably 4th magnitude, not quite as bright as Epsilon Crucis (mag 3.6). Cameras are running

[Shark Bait]

Clear horizon in Brisbane this morning and it is visible to the naked eye from my suburban location. I agree with Tom, it looks to be somewhere between Mag 4 to 4.5 when compared with Epsilon Crucis and Alpha Circini.

[h0ughy]

i am imaging this area now with the 127Ed and the celestron nightscape (yeah i know where is the moravian) will upload the image later today but screen capture of area shows the closeup the camera will give

[RichardJ]

Hi,

Here is my image from this morning. To me it appears significantly fainter than yesterday.

RichardJ :)

[von Tom]

Canon EOS 600D 200mm 100% crop from Brisbane on 7th December 2013

[h0ughy]

here is my shot of the nova from 2am ish this morning.

127ed and a nightscape OSC CCD 10 x 2 min exposures - a bit ordinary but hey i was imaging;)

have to do one of those mapping thingys to see where it is in relation to other stars - i don't have that?

EDIT

PNV J13544700-5909080

PNV J13544700-5909080 2013 12 02.692 * 13 54 47.00 -59 09 08.0 05.5 U Cen 8 9

ok tried something:

Calibration
Center (RA, Dec): (208.405, -59.081)
Center (RA, hms): 13h 53m 37.254s
Center (Dec, dms): -59° 04' 49.852"
Size: 66.2 x 50 arcmin
Radius: 0.692 deg
Pixel scale: 1.06 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: Up is 83.6 degrees E of N
WCS file: wcs.fits
New FITS image: new-image.fits
Reference stars nearby (RA,Dec table): rdls.fits
Stars detected in your images (x,y table): axy.fits
KMZ (Google Sky): image.kmz

[mithrandir]

You mean something like this? astrometry.net roolz.

[lazjen]

Here you go: http://nova.astrometry.net/user_images/156238#annotated

Enjoy! :)

[lazjen]

*snap* :)

[h0ughy]

ah i found it through a search on a thread Lee did and was off with the fairies - thanks so much for the confirmation guys :thumbsup: its an amazing site

[mithrandir]

You submitted it. I ran it locally. :)

[davidseargent]

I made it mag. 4.3 last night (Dec. 6.50) while still at very low altitude. Quite easy with the naked-eye even then, though a little fainter than a nearby star at very slightly higher elevation and marked as 4.1 in the AAVSO Atlas.

[Lee]

Now you're cooking.... :)

[Jon]

I managed some photometry this morning. V Mag 3.924.

[malclocke]

Looks like this is going to put the nova in the top 20 brightest on record!

[lazjen]

My effort from last night. I think I was dew affected by the time I got to it. It cleared my house around 3 am I think. Assuming I haven't messed things up, it seems to have a red/pinkish colour to it? Is this right?

153074

Astrometry results: http://nova.astrometry.net/user_images/156271#annotated

[malclocke]

The pinkish colour is due to the main components of the visible light being from the hydrogen alpha and beta lines, which are red and light blue respectively. The mixture of these two gives the pink colour. I believe it should become stronger over the coming days.

Malc

[lazjen]

Great. Thanks for the explanation. :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

I am imaging the nova again this morning. using the same settings as Saturday morning the images seem to be slightly brighter. will process and put up after I get some sleep. I have exactly the same field of view so I should be able to flick compare the images


EDIT HERE IS AN UNPROCESSED IMAGE

[glenc]

This morning the nova's magnitude is about 4.5.
It is a bit fainter than the mag 4.3 star HD 125288.

[Shark Bait]

Another clear horizon from my suburban Brisbane home and another chance to view this Nova, this time through 7x50 bino's.

To the naked eye, I thought it was a little harder to pick up than yesterday morning. When looking through bino's it becomes a very easy target. It seemed to have a slightly pink hue until morning twilight kicked in and washed out the colour. A very faint Genesis 1 satellite passed between Alpha and Beta Centauri heading East at 3:11 EST and was only visible through the 7x50's.

For me it looked to be at Mag 4.5 and it will be interesting to compare this figure with those who have more experience at comparing star magnitudes.

[h0ughy]

well this is another lesson - always do another set of darks and bias's because of the unpredictability of the nightscapes sensor? though i did set the sensor to be at -1 and it was at the same temperature it obviously didn't have the same hot pixels. it is a stack of 40 x 2min shots, stacked in afx software for the camera and processed in PI. Imaged from the Doghouse Observatory using a 127ED and Celestron Nightscape OSC from 2:30am through to 4am AEDST

[Peter.M]

I saw the nova last night from my house without the aid of a telescope which was a real rush. It was clearly visible in my finder too.

[davidseargent]

Saw it again last evening and thought that it had changed little - if at all - from Dec. 6. At Dec. 7.5, I again made it 4.3.

[BWhitey]

I easily spotted it with naked eye this morning. Camera was little out of focus but it was the best I could get at 4am.

[h0ughy]

at least it shows the star colours:thumbsup: nice one

[Jon]

Photometry yesterday morning Dec 7 17:40 UT: V = 4.276, B = 4.85. B-V increasing; the nova's getting pinker as the hydrogen emissions make more of a contribution to its total flux.

[Merlin66]

No spectra last night - clouded out!!
Look's like the weather will interfere for the next few days.....

[ZeroID]

Think I got it last night through Binos and the 80mm from the back steps. Very low on the horizon so somewhat unstable and some pinkish colour. Clouds dipped for me for a short period then about 20 mins later, solid cloud and rain !
Forecast is not good for the rest of the week but I'll keep checking.

[UK1]

We have just started to get some clear skies in the morning is the nova still visable, ?
and where shoulfd I be looking ? please
many thanks

[Shark Bait]

We are having a string of clear nights, so I am happy to have observed it for a third night in a row. :thumbsup: Visual Observation from suburban Brisbane:

Dec 9th 0319 hrs EST Local Time (Dec 8th 1719 hrs UT)
7x50 binoculars - easy to see
Unaided Eye - not seen due to twilight and city light pollution
Based on nearby stars it still looked to be at Mag 4.5
No colour was observed as twilight was underway


Where can I find some info to help decode the definitions of V and B / B-V ?



Cometcatcher's photo will help you to locate the nova: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=115220

From Cairns, 3:30 am Local Time: approx 18 degrees above your horizon at an azimuth of approx 149 degrees.

[cometcatcher]

I couldn't spot it naked eye but my vision is slightly short sighted these days. Easy in binoculars though.

[SkyViking]

I saw it clearly naked eye on 8th Dec @ 2:30am. Lined up the scope and intended to take a pic + spectrum, then naturally the clouds rolled in just as I had focused... :lol:
I'm hoping to have another go this weekend.

[malclocke]

I'm certainly no expert but I'll explain it as I understand. B and V refers to different types of photometric filters, Blue and Visual (green) respectively. Others are available, for example U (ultraviolet) and R (red). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photometric_system

Photometric magnitudes are generally measured through these filters, so the filter type will be listed with the magnitude reading.

B-V is simply the magnitude from the B filter minus the magnitude from the V filter. The B-V colour index gives a crude measure of the colour of the star, the higher the number the redder the star. So when Jon says 'B-V increasing' he is effectively saying the star is getting redder.

[NJB]

I got up after 3:00 am Qld time and looked at the nova with binoculars from my front driveway. I think I could just see it unaided, but it was on the limits for my eyes and the conditions.

After looking around for a while with the binoculars, I decided to grab the Canon 60D and the iOptron Skytracker. By the time I got set up, waited for some cars to go by, and tweaked the focussing, twilight was starting. Anyway, finally got a short exposure (maybe around 30 seconds - using a manual trigger and counting). Maybe tomorrow I will try again.

Noel

[Shark Bait]

Thanks for the info Malc. Am I correct in saying calibrated photometry can be used to provide an accurate apparent magnitude of the nova when all of the filter (passband) readouts are combined?

I have just been outside to check in on this nova. From my location it is hard to see with the unaided eye but easy in bino's. Observing visually through 7x50's it still appears to be around Mag 4.5 with no obvious colour. Nearby stars HIP64425 apparent Mag 4.56, HIP65271 apparen Mag 4.50 and TYC8661-2282-1 apparent Mag 4.90 were used to compare apparent magnitudes.

[Jon]

The V filter is so called because its passband is centred on that of the human eye, mire or less. So V on its own will give you the best approximation to visual magnitude.

Adding the magnitudes from the whole UBVRI set of photometric filters will actually give a result they varies from the visual mag as you are including light that the eye can't see. For instance, the I (infrared) filter actually appears opaque - the eye can't see these wavelengths. But novae are actually extremely bright in I (this one no exception). The star is surrounded by an expanding shell of dust and gas that blocks a lot of light , but heats up and thus radiates in infrared.

[cometcatcher]

Saw the nova naked eye this morning. Yay! Got better pics also, posted here. http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1040494#post104049 4

[ZeroID]

Got a better view last night, clouds were less intrusive. Still very low on the horizon at 22:00 but good in binos and the 80mm although still a lot of 'soup' affecting the seeing. Unable to discern any dominant colour.
Tick THAT one off !

[Shark Bait]

Thanks Jon. The information you and Malc provided have helped me to gain an understanding of what you do.

It looks like SE QLD's run of clear nights is over for the time being. I hope you get clear skies to continue gathering data on this nova.

[Rob_K]

V1369 Cen (Nova Centauri 2013) tonight, in moonlight. Canon 650D, 55mm lens, 5 x 5 sec, ISO 6400, F/5.6. Flick between the two pics for identification. Have posted another spectrum in the Spectroscopy section.

Cheers -

[AdrianF]

Went to have a look and got rained on.
No luck from Yarraman last night

Adrian

[pixelsaurus]

Completely clagged out here this morning.

[mithrandir]

Midnight perfectly clear but it's not above the roof.
Alarm goes off at 3am and it's 100% clouded.:(
6am perfectly clear. Go figure.

[Curt]

Set the alarm for 3:30 to have a look at it. Rather bright, could not see any color in it. Was observing until 6:00. Got the Argo fixed on it and was seeing it clearer as the sun come up. Well worth getting out of bed early for.

[ZeroID]

Clouds cleared about 11 pm last night but from my preferred location ( back steps ) the dang thing was behind a big Macrocarpa Tree.
Took a few shots through the office window with the 300mm on the SONY at ISO 2500 and 10 secs. It certainly appears but still in the soup, no detail and a bit of trailing. A wider feild might do better but would also pick up all the street lights just below, it's bad enough with all the LP at that dec. By the time it clears the tree and gets some altitude on it it's already dawn.
At least I can say I saw and I shot it

[Tinderboxsky]

Have been waiting patiently this past week for a break in the clouds and at last we had our first cloud free patch to the South just after midnight last night. The nova was an easy naked eye sight under our dark skies. I enjoyed the 7X50 binocular view the best with a nice sprinkling of stars in the field of view.

So success at at last - I was getting worried that I would miss out altogether on logging this one.

Cheers

Steve.

[andyc]

Set the alarm for 3am and got a nice view from the southern Sydney suburbs this morning. Hello thermonuclear explosion! It was pretty easy with the naked eye, and comparison with stars in Musca and near Acrux put it at very approximately 3.9 or 4.0 to my fairly untrained eye. It appeared to me slightly brighter than the stars just south of Acrux (4.0 & 4.1), but definitely fainter than Gamma and Delta Muscae (3.6 & 3.8). It was tricky to estimate because the stars I used were higher than the nova, so my estimate may be quite well off. I didn't note any obvious colour. Also interesting for me is that it's not so far from the position of the first nova I ever saw - it's about 2 deg from the location of a much fainter Centaurus nova in 2012.

Nice binocular views of Jupiter just 1/4 deg from Delta Gem, and my first view of Mars for a while.

[RichardJ]

Got up at 3.30am and even though the sky was hazy I could still see the nova naked eye. I thought it would have faded a lot more by now. Look forward to following it over the next few days.

Also, observed the nova on Saturday at Crago through the 16-inch scope. I thought it had a distinct reddish-pink colour.

RichardJ

[Jon]

It's re brightened significantly. I took some photometry which I'll process later today, but my quick and dirty visual estimate was 3.8.

Cheers

Jonathan

[38degsouth]

I've seen a Holden Nova, and I've even seen a Chevy Nova too -but I'd never seen a stellar one before! It was well worth the early wake up -and I even had enough time before twilight to go in and grab the camera and tripod. I've attached some shots I took from in amongst and between this morning's intermittent Melbourne cloud.
Regards from Dean.

[cometcatcher]

Shows up well in those shots Dean.

I hate to admit it, but I've been doing astronomy on and off for 40 years and this is my first nova. I've seen a few supernova, but not the regular kind before!

[h0ughy]

nice shots - its my first nova too - though i did steer clear of the holden nova :thumbsup:

[Domol]

I don't normally get out of bed unless it's a supernova or better.. ! but, nature called at 4am this morning, so I got out of bed and had a look outside!! Great view in Binoculars too!:eyepop:! It reminded me of Supernova 1987A. The memories......:D

[Shark Bait]

After two days of overcast conditions the night sky is clear again. The nova that was hard to observe with the unaided eye, has brightened and is now fairly easy to spot from my suburban location.

After scanning the nearby stars with 7x50 bino's, i'd say it is close to Mu1 Crucis in magnitude. So that would place it around Mag 4.0 with no obvious colour visible to my eyes.

[Merlin66]

AAVSO current magnitude estimate is 3.9.
It seems to be fluctuating around 4 mag but not dropping significantly...
Ha emission increasing!

[Blue Skies]

I can now say I've seen my second naked-eye nova, but I can see why some people are having trouble with it. If I didn't know where to concentrate on I probably wouldn't have noticed. That said, the seeing has been pretty rubbish here this week.

[glenc]

Nova Cen seems to brighter than the mag 4.5+5.3 wide double star HD 116243 this morning.

[von Tom]

Was looking at it naked eye just now and it is comparable to 3.2 mag Alpha Circini. It also appears brighter on the camera compared to any previous night.

[ChrisM]

Have there been any scientific estimates of the distance to the nova?

Chris

[Merlin66]

Chris,
Based on ATel # 5639:
Quote:
It is interesting to note that from the widths of the Na I doublet, we
have preliminarily estimated an E(B-V) = 0.11 +. 0.08 from Poznanski et
al. (MNRAS, (2012), 426, 1465) and E(B-V) = 0.14 from Munari & Zwitter,
(A&A, (1997), 318, 269), which suggest a low extinction and a not large
distance for the nova.
Unquote

Seems to be the only/ best estimate so far!!

[malclocke]

Nothing concrete, but the following astronomer telegram predicts a 'not large distance'.

http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=5639

[glenc]

The original star seems to be mag 15.23 3UC062-280459.
http://s176.photobucket.com/user/walcom77/media/pnv_cen_animation_T31_3_december_20 13_zps83b608d2.gif.html
http://assa.saao.ac.za/sections/shallow-sky/nova-centauri-2013/
http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR?-source=I/315

[Merlin66]

If that is correct, a 12mag increase is quite a Nova.:eyepop:

[ChrisM]

Thanks Ken. I guess it's all relative!


Thanks Malc, Some might argue: not a small distance, either!


Thanks Glen, the blinking image comparison was brilliant, and the double hump on the light curve is interesting. Yet to have a clear sky here.
Chris

[mithrandir]

Which is also known as 4UC155-128029 and that is listed as mV=14.89

There are 6 stars in UCAC4 mag 24 or brighter within 20 arcsec of the original reported position of PNV J13544700-5909080

[malclocke]

I think the Nova has reached a new maximum. I would put it around mag 3.2 at Dec 14.5 ut, seemed almost identical brightness to alpha cir which is 3.18.

I wonder if the first maximum was a pre maximum halt?

Got another spectrum, will process and post tomorrow. Also saw 4 bright geminids :)

[Astroman]

Managed to get out and take a pic this morning...
31subs @60sec ISO800 Canon 1100D, 80mm f5.6 refractor. Very slightly out of focus, didn't use BackyardEOS to focus..

[Shark Bait]

Great photo of this nova. Worth the effort. Thanks for posting Andrew.

I waited for the clouds to part and was rewarded with mostly clear skies at 0115 hrs AEST, Dec 15 (1515 hrs UT Dec 14). Nova Centauri 2013 has definitely brightened since my last observation. It is now easy to spot with the unaided eye through suburban light pollution and a 93% Moon. I'd say Nova Centauri 2013 was close to Mag 3.0 when compared to Alpha Circini. There was no obvious colour through 7x50 binoculars.

[Jon]

Yes, it's certainly doing unusual things! Either a pre-maximum halt - in which case this is quite a slow nova, from what I've read. Or it's doing a set of slow transition oscillations of unusual intensity. So far, my reading on novae suggest that each is a little individual.

[malclocke]

Magnitude seems to be plummeting now. Just managed to get a peek at it through the clouds tonight, and I'd say it's dropped to between 4.5 and 5.

[Jon]

Wow! I wonder if it will brighten again?

Clouds here now, as for the last three days. I've got the alarm set for 3.30 just in case ...

[Merlin66]

Still under clouds here in Melbourne, latest lo-res spectra infer He emission....

[RichardJ]

First clear morning for a few days. Could only just barely make it out naked eye under my suburban moonlit sky.

Through the binoculars I thought it had a yellowish hue.

RichardJ :)

[Jon]

My photometry of his morning had it as V=4.71. So you nailed it, Malc :-)

[malclocke]

I don't know if an error range of half a mag can be described as nailing it, but thanks :)

[Jon]

The way this baby has been jumping up and down in magnitude, I think it's pretty good. :-)

Before I measured it, I did a visual estimate. I had it as somewhere between mag 4 and mag 6.:lol:

One would have to think it will drop again tonight. Maybe I should open a book on it?

< 4: 10/1
4-4.5 5/1
4.5-5 7/4
5-5.5 2/1 on
5.5-6 2-1
6 <. 3/1

[Rob_K]

Image of the nova from last night attached. Flick from one pic to the other! Also, I've added another spectrum to the other thread.

Cheers -

[Shark Bait]

0145 hrs AEST Wed 18-12-2013 (1545 hrs UT Tue 17-12-2013)

Overcast conditions have not allowed for observations over the last couple of days. Still having to wait for clouds to pass in order to compare it with other stars.

Unaided eye - not seen, but I am under the Brisbane light pollution dome and it is almost Full Moon.

7x50 Binoculars - there is a dramatic drop in the brightness of Nova Cen 2013. When compared to nearby stars it looks to be around Mag 4.8 with no obvious colour.

It will be interesting to see if my estimate agrees with that of others.

[cometcatcher]

I took a peek this morning. It does seem fainter than yesterday. Rough as guts guess around mag 5.

[Shark Bait]

0130 hrs AEST Thurs 19-12-2013 (1530 hrs UT Wed 18-12-2013)

Essentially a clear sky this morning although still having to wait for some thin cloud to pass in order to compare it with other stars.

Unaided eye - thought that I managed to spot it using averted vision but I could not repeat the exercise so it was probably a case of wishful thinking. I am under the Brisbane light pollution dome and we are just past Full Moon.

7x50 Binoculars - Nova Cen 2013 appears to have an apparent magnitude of 5.0 when compared with nearby stars. There is no obvious colour to my eyes.

[Jon]

Measured V Mag at 5.03 this morning. A steady decline.

[Shark Bait]

0300 hrs AEST Fri 20-12-2013 (1700 hrs UT Thurs 19-12-2013)

A clear, still sky this morning making it easy to compare Nova Cen 2013 with other stars. Brisbane's light dome is not obvious due to the 95% Waning Gibbous Moon.

Unaided eye - Not Seen

7x50 Binoculars - Nova Cen 2013 is between Mag 5.3 and Mag 5.4 this morning with no sign of colour to my eyes (yesterday it was at Mag 5.0). At the moment, it looks to be on par in brightness with HIP66849 (Mag 5.37) which is circled in purple on the attached Starry Night screen grab. I am using SN Enthusiast so I cannot plot the location of the Nova itself.

[cometcatcher]

Looks a little pinkish this morning. Strange that the Ha is very strong.

Full spectrum Nikon 70Ds, 7x1 minute subs at ISO 400, Baader UV/IR cut filter and Kson ED80 at f5.5.

[glenc]

Nov Cen is a about mag 5.2 or 5.3 this morning. I compared it to mag 5.4 HD 118978 using 7x50 binoculars.

[cometcatcher]

A little deeper pic with 15x1 minute subs.

[Jon]

This is a stage you expect to see in novae. A whole bunch of hydrogen has been flung into space from the surface of the white dwarf in the initial explosion, streaming out at around 1000 km/s. So by now, this cloud is around 1 AU in radius. It's being energised by intense radiation from the nova, and so is emitting at the Ha wavelength. As well as FeII - rap there are significant amounts of ionised iron in the ejects from the nova.

At this stage, IIRC, we can only see this thick glowing gas cloud - it's obscuring the surface of the star itself.

[cometcatcher]

Ah so we might see a little planetary nebula around it at some stage?

[Merlin66]

A high probability!

[cometcatcher]

Nice and clear this morning, pity about the moon and mossies. :(

A couple of shots this morning through the ED80 posing next to Hadar - Beta Centauri. The first is 25 minutes worth of subs with a full spectrum Nikon D70s + Baader UV/IR cut.

Since the nova is belting out heaps of Ha, here's a comparison through the same scope. This time with a 30nm Ha filter. It's certainly brighter in Ha than visible.

[Jon]

The Firework Nebula (attached) is one of the more famous planetary nebulae that are nova remnants.

Also, novae are recurrent. Maybe every 10,000 years or so (although dwarf novae and other cataclysmic variables can erupt every few years). But each eruption contributes more to the expanding gas cloud.

Type Ia supernovae happen in the same broad type of system as novae - a white dwarf/red main sequence star in close orbit. But the type Ia supernovae blow themselves to bits. That leaves a bit of a mess of a nebula, too :-)

[Shark Bait]

0200 hrs AEST Wed 25-12-2013 (1600 hrs UT Tues 24-12-2013)

A partially clear sky this morning after showers earlier in the evening. It has been five days since I last observed Nova Cen 2013, so I have missed the lastest round of dimming and increase in brightness. Brisbane's light dome is not as obvious tonight and the 59% Waning Gibbous Moon is behind cloud.

Unaided eye - Just visible. If you were casually scanning the sky and did not know the nova was there it would probably be missed by suburban dwellers.

7x50 Binoculars - To my eyes, Nova Cen 2013 is close to Mag 4.3 this morning with just the slightest hint of colour. At the moment, it looks to be on par in brightness with HIP70069 (Mag 4.28) which is marked in red on the attached Starry Night screen grab. I am using SN Enthusiast so I cannot plot the location of the Nova itself.

Edit: At 0250 hrs it is almost clouded out. Lucky to see it when I did.

[cometcatcher]

Christmas Nova. Just visible to my unaided eye.

Piccy, 38 minutes through a Celestron C90 Mak, Pentax K-x.

[Shark Bait]

Your photo appears to have picked up some colour, maybe my visual impression was correct. I find the colour hard to describe.

What colour would you describe it as?

[cometcatcher]

Hi Stu, I'm not very sensitive to colour myself. It appears mostly white to me. The nova has a strong Ha line in it's spectra, which is probably why it has a red tinge to it in the photos, more so in the full spectrum camera than the pentax.

[cometcatcher]

Repo of the above nova pic, cropped and with minimal processing to try and show the colours better. I am getting a bit of CA from the Mak corrector also which is hard to avoid. It's a bit noisy, but it's summer in the tropics and I'm running an uncooled camera. I good mind to put the thing in the freezer before I take pics with it!

[Rob_K]

Here's one I took last night (25 Dec 2013). Short subs, crop from 55mm image with Canon 650D, saturation raised to show colours better. Shows a pinky-red. The bright stars are the Pointers to the Southern Cross.

Cheers -

[Merlin66]

I think it's very subjective.
You really need to use photometric filters to determine BVI mags.

[SkyViking]

I'm imaging the nova right now. It definitely looks pinkish in the RGB frames. Very cool to see a pink star :thumbsup:
I'll post the combined image once it's finished.

[Shark Bait]

0330 hrs AEST Fri 27-12-2013 (1730 hrs UT Thurs 26-12-2013)

It is approx 50% overcast this morning with the heavier cloud cover to the South. It has been two days since I last observed Nova Cen 2013. Moon phase - 38% Waning Crescent.

Unaided eye - Just visible from my suburban sky.

7x50 Binoculars - To my eyes, Nova Cen 2013 seems to have brightened a little since Xmas and looks to be at Mag 4.0 showing a slight pink hue in colour. It appears to be a little brighter than HIP70069 (Mag 4.28) which is marked in red on the attached Starry Night screen grab. I am using SN Enthusiast so I cannot plot the location of the Nova itself.

[Jon]

Definitely a notch or two brighter than lambda Crucis at 4.5. I took a lot of photometry frames through drifting cloud around 4am. I'll sort out some decent ones and report a measurement.

[Jon]

So, V magnitude at 4am this morning (17:00 UT 26 December) was bang on 4.2. B was around 4.35. Will this continue to brighten to become a third-magnitude star for the third time in a month?

[Merlin66]

Hmmmm
Yes, why not!
These fluctuations in my readings don't seem to fit the established criteria (AAVSO write-up etc)...maybe it still has to reach max???:eyepop:

[Jon]

I know what you mean, Ken. Nova Del 2013 may have been a "classic" FeII nova. I suspect this one is anything but ...

[Rob_K]

There are lots of strange ones. V5588 Sgr a couple of years ago had a series of amazing BIG spikes in brightness, short lived, well spaced out and very unlike the variations in V1369 Cen. The AAVSO database doesn't show it too well as coverage at the critical times was lacking, but this adaptation of their light curve shows what it was like. There was some pro monitoring of some of these spikes, particularly from Japan - those obs aren't in the AAVSO database but complement the lines I've drawn in.

Cheers -

[Shark Bait]

0400 to 0435 hrs AEST Sun 29-12-2013 (1800 to 1835 hrs UT Sat 28-12-2013)

A clear sky this morning which was unexpected considering the overcast conditions from earlier in the night. The current Moon phase is at 18% Waning Crescent.

Unaided eye - Just visible from my suburban sky with twilight well underway.

7x50 Binoculars - Nova Cen 2013 is currently at Mag 4.0 to 4.1 with no obvious colour, probably due to the brightening sky.

This morning I tried something different to get an accurate gauge on the magnitude of Nova Cen 2013. I waited for the morning twilight to wash out the sky and let the stars used for comparison fade from sight. The nova was definetely brighter than HIP70069 (Mag 4.28) and Lamda Crucis (Mag 4.59). Nova Cen 2013 was still visible along with Mu1 Crucis (Mag 4.0) at 0435 hrs local time when the fainter stars were washed out and lost from sight. Mu1 Crucis is circled in red on the attached Starry Night screen grab. I am using SN Enthusiast so I cannot plot the location of the Nova itself.

[h0ughy]

while I am not in the league of gentlemen taking spectra I was lucky enough this morning to have obtained some images of the nova before the southerly change moved in - it was a race with clouds coming in from the south. managed to get 3 3min shots.:question:

pushing the colour I do get a pink hue, ok wasn't much data but i take what i can get :D and its no "Rolf" effort that's for sure

[Shark Bait]

0130 hrs AEST Mon 30-12-2013 (1530 hrs UT Sun 29-12-2013)

A mostly clear sky this morning after the thunderstorms from earlier in the night. The current Moon phase is at 11% Waning Crescent although it will not rise for another hour. Some low lying cloud on the Southern Horizon is reflecting the light pollution from Brisbane's CBD.

Unaided eye - Just visible / hard to pick up due to Brisbane's light pollution dome.

7x50 Binoculars - Nova Cen 2013 appears to be around Mag 4.2 - not quite as bright as last night. No colour was observed. The closest star that appeared to match Nova Cen 2013 in brightness was HIP70069 which is circled in red on the exported Starry Night image. The location for Nova Cen 2013 is marked with a green circle.

[Shark Bait]

0430 hrs AEST Mon 30-12-2013 (1830 hrs UT Sun 29-12-2013)

A clear sky as twilight takes hold. The current Moon phase is at 11% Waning Crescent and it is 24deg above the horizon.

Unaided eye - Not seen due to the brightening sky.

7x50 Binoculars - Nova Cen 2013 (V1369 Cen) is at Mag 4.2 - not quite as bright as last night. I watched as the stars faded from view to get a more accurate gauge of its magnitude. Nova Cen 2013 is a touch brighter than HIP70069 (at Mag 4.28) and circled in red. I've worked out how to get SN Enthusiast V6.4.3 to show the location for Nova Cen 2013 - it is marked with a green circle.

[Astroman]

Managed to shoot V1369 Cen (Nova Centauri 2013) lastnight. conditions were better than the night before.

15 x 60sec subs ISO800, Canon 1100D unmodded, 80mm f5.6 refractor. Unguided. Battery died in camera so no Flats or Bias frames were taken.

Not sure if the red is due to the optics or natural.

[cometcatcher]

That's a nice shot Andrew.

[RichardJ]

Observed the Nova again this morning. Just visible to the naked eye with averted vision. Still a lovely sight in binoculars. Looked more whitish to my eye. It is certainly putting on a good show for us.

RichardJ

[Shark Bait]

0405 to 0425 hrs AEST Fri 3-1-2014 (1805 to 1825 hrs UT Sun 2-1-2014)

Mostly cloudy as twilight brightened the sky. Due to overcast conditions this has been the first chance to observe V1369 Cen since Monday. We are just past New Moon at the moment.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) is at Mag 4.8 - it was difficult to assess with the passing clouds. There was no obvious colour when viewed through binoculars. I watched as the stars faded from view to get a more accurate gauge of its magnitude. Nova Cen 2013 is almost on par with HIP70264 (at Mag 4.75) and circled in red. I've worked out how to get SN Enthusiast V6.4.3 to show the location for Nova Cen 2013 - it is marked with a green circle.

[cometcatcher]

Not visible to the unaided eye for me either this morning. In this pic looks reddish compared to Hadar, Beta Centauri. FS Nikon D70s, CLS filter, ED80, single frame.

[Shark Bait]

0430 hrs AEST Sat 4-1-2014 (1830 hrs UT Fri 3-1-2014)

A completely clear sky with slightly cooler and less humid conditions. We are just past New Moon (8%) at the moment.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) is at Mag 4.3 with no obvious colour when viewed through binoculars. Nova Cen 2013 is very close to HIP70069 (at Mag 4.28) in brightness. My earlier assessment (see below) was incorrect as highlighted by watching the stars fade with the morning twilight.

Earlier this morning, I found it hard to gauge V1369 Cen's apparent magnitude against the triangle of stars formed HIP70069, HIP69618 and HIP70264. I put it down to a lack of sleep.


Assessment of Apparent Magnitude was incorrect

0235 hrs AEST Sat 4-1-2014 (1625 hrs UT Fri 3-1-2014)

A mostly clear sky after a early evening thunderstorm. It is very warm and humid this morning with Brisbane expecting its hottest day on record when the Sun rises. We are just past New Moon at the moment.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) is at Mag 4.8. There was no obvious colour when viewed through binoculars. Nova Cen 2013 is almost on par with HIP70264 (at Mag 4.75) and circled in red.

[mithrandir]

Jan 3 was first light for my 127ED and G11 at the new location.

V1369 Cen with surrounding stars labelled. 2014:01:03 14:18Z

[Shark Bait]

0415 hrs AEST Sun 5-1-2014 (1815 hrs UT Sat 4-1-2014)

95% cloud cover this morning with some patches of clear sky to the South.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) is at least on par but possibly a little brighter than HIP70069 / HD125288 (at Mag 4.28) in apparent magnitude. I only had a very short chance to observe V1369 Cen in the same 7 degree FOV as HIP70069 / HD125288, HIP 69618 / HD124367 and HIP70264 / HD 125628. The cloud cover did not allow me to watch the stars fade into the twilight for a more accurate gauge of magnitude.

[cometcatcher]

Transparency was good this morning making the nova just visible to the unaided eye.

Image is a single 3 minute frame, Nikon D70s, CLS filter, ED80 at F5.5. Still redish compared to Hadar.

[Shark Bait]

0130 hrs AEST Sun 12-1-2014 (1530 hrs UT Sat 11-1-2014)

A clear sky tonight. Great to get some perfect weather after the recent cloudy nights. The Moon phase is at 82% Waxing Gibbous although it had just set when this observation was made so its impact was not noticed.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - To my eyes V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) is at App Mag 5.1 with it being between HIP69618 (at Mag 5.00) and HIP70035 (at Mag 5.21) in apparent magnitude. No colour was observed.

[Shark Bait]

0330 hrs AEST Mon 13-1-2014 (1730 hrs UT Sun 12-1-2014)

A mostly clear sky this morning. The Moon phase is at 89% Waxing Gibbous although it had already set when this observation was made so its impact was not noticed.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - To my eyes V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) is at App Mag 5.0 with it being between on par with HIP69618 (at Mag 5.00) in brightness. No colour was observed.

[Rob_K]

Got up early yesterday morning to see the nova in moon-free skies. I was very well dark-adapted as I stumbled out into the backyard and was amazed to see that the nova was still a little gem naked-eye. The skies were very dark and the stars were brilliant! Then I ruined it all by fiddling with the camera - after that I could barely see it! :lol:

Anyway, I made it out at mag 4.9 naked-eye (4.8, 5.1 - AAVSO comp stars). I've added another spectrum to the spectroscopy thread, but here's a saturation-enhanced widefield view of the nova, cropped & reduced size. Looking quite reddish. Bright stars are the Pointers, V1369 Cen is marked with lines. Canon 650D, 55mm lens, 4 x 10 sec, ISO 6400, F/5.6.

Cheers -

[dutch2]

Great photos, guys.
Well done.:thumbsup:
Unfortunately I have a horrible orange street light in the wrong place, so my pics are not so good.:mad2:

[cometcatcher]

I like that shot Rob. It really shows the colours well.

[Shark Bait]

0100 hrs AEST Sat 18-1-2014 (1500 hrs UT Fri 17-1-2014)

25% cloud cover this morning with a clear sky to the South and a 98% Waning Gibbous Moon. The light dome from Brisbane was very noticeable tonight.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) was at App Mag 4.9 this morning. It was a little brighter than HIP 69618 / HD124367 (at Mag 5.0) but not quite as bright as HIP70264 / HD 125628 (at Mag 4.75). There was no obvious colour when observed through binoculars. I resorted to viewing with out of focus binoculars as I found it easier to compare the brightness of 'fuzzy' stars as opposed to points of light.

I have just checked my assessment against the AAVSO light curve. Visual observations of apparent magnitude for this nova appear to be less consistant than they have in the recent past. http://www.aavso.org/lcg/plot?auid=000-BLF-802&starname=V1369+CEN&lastdays=14&start=&stop=&obscode=&obscode_symbol=2&obstotals=yes&calendar=calendar&forcetics=&grid=on&visual=on&uband=on&bband=on&v=on&pointsize=1&width=800&height=450&mag1=&mag2=&mean=&vmean=

This seems to highlight the subjective nature of each persons visual observations than a genuine daily shift in apparent magnitude. As the nova dims it must become harder for visual observers to agree on a figure.

The images attached to this post are from Starry Night Enthusiast V 6.4.3 planetarium software.

[Jon]

Yes, this is how it is done in photometry too. Points aren't very helpful - defocusing gets more consistent results.


You could be right. On the other hand there is a possibility that the nova is entering a new phase of oscillations of around 1/2 a mag every 1.5 days. There's the hint of that in the light curve this week.

[von Tom]

The Nova on the 17th. 50x10s exposures, ISO 6400, f/4.0, 200mm, Canon EOS 600D on Vixen Polarie.

[Jon]

Nice image, Tom.

Stu, here's what I was talking about when I was speculating about more rapid oscillations. Using the polynomial fit tool of VStar on the AAVSO visual and V data you can see the pattern to what might seem random leaps.

[Shark Bait]

0020 hrs AEST Mon 20-1-2014 (1420 hrs UT Sun 19-1-2014)

There was a haze over the entire sky this morning. Along with the poor transparency, the fainter stars were lost to visual observation. The hazy conditions had scattered the light from Brisbane's LP dome higher into the sky. Along with the scattered light from the Moon it made viewing a little more challenging. On the other hand there was less to distract the eye when comparing the nova to other stars of similar brightness. The Moon phase was at 90% Waning Gibbous.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - To my eyes V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) was at App Mag 5.3 this morning. It appeared to be a little brighter than HIP 66849 (at Mag 5.37) but not quite as bright as HIP70035 (at Mag 5.21). There was no obvious colour when observed through binoculars. Due to the poor transparency, I decided to split the difference in making my visual assessment of the apparent magnitude.

The images attached to this post are from Starry Night Enthusiast V 6.4.3 planetarium software.

Thanks for your feedback Jon. Your comments and chart regarding oscillations in V1369's magnitude were helpful. It has been an interesting ride keeping tabs on the nova (my first). My wording regarding inconsistant visual observations could have been better chosen. I should have typed 'Could this indicate', instead of 'This seems to highlight'. That is what happens when posting a report at silly times in the morning.

Thanks to RobK and Von Tom for sharing your images. It is good to see some colour in images taken with longer exposure times. I have to be content with Starry Night for records of my observations.

[Shark Bait]

0315 hrs AEST Tue 21-1-2014 (1715 hrs UT Mon 20-1-2014)

50% cloud cover tonight with good sized gaps between the clouds to the South. The altitude of the nova at 0315 hrs was high enough to be above the worst of Brisbane's light pollution dome. The transparency of this mornings sky was much better than yesterday with a lot less light scatter. The Moon phase was at 83% Waning Gibbous.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) was at App Mag 5.2 this morning. It was on par with HIP70035 (at Mag 5.21) in brightness. There was no obvious colour when observed through binoculars.

The images attached to this post are from Starry Night Enthusiast V6.4.3 planetarium software.

Edit: Just had another look at 0400 to 0405 hrs. The sky was cloud free and a satellite passed from the East travelling to the West through my 7 degree field of view when I had another look at V1369 Cen. It was spinning on its own axis and brightening approx every 10 seconds. There were a couple of bright flashes from its reflective surfaces. This satellite doesn't show up in Starry Night V6.4.3 but it is probably a safe bet to call it an Iridium. A very nice object to follow with binoculars even it was a distraction from my goal.

[cometcatcher]

Took some wide shots with the lens at 28mm while there's still a 3/4 moon in the sky. Maybe this would be a good finder for those that haven't seen it yet?

Nikon full spectrum D70s, 2 minutes at ISO400, Tamron 28-105mm lens at 28mm.

[Shark Bait]

0250 hrs AEST Thu 23-1-2014 (1650 hrs UT Wed 22-1-2014)

60% cloud cover with large gaps between the clouds to the South. Brisbane's LP dome was not as intrusive this morning although the 65% Waning Gibbous Moon was. Tonight, light reflecting from the Moon was washing out the light pollution form Brisbane City.

Unaided eye - Not seen.

7x50 Binoculars - To my eyes V1369 Cen (Nova Cen 2013) was at App Mag 5.2 this morning. It was closer to HIP70035 (at Mag 5.21) in brightness than other nearby comparison stars. There was no obvious colour when observed through binoculars.

Another satellite passed from the East travelling to the West through my 7 degree field of view while observing V1369 Cen. Once again, this satellite doesn't show up in Starry Night Enthusiast. I will have to try to find better satellite software so I can give these objects a name.

The images attached to this post are from Starry Night Enthusiast V6.4.3 planetarium software.

[von Tom]

Nova Cen 1st Feb from Brisbane. Beta Cen is the bright star.

[cometcatcher]

She's starting to blend in with the background stars now.

Just a quick 30 second shot between rain showers this morning. Unmodified Pentax K-x, 6" F5 newt. It's the middle one.

[von Tom]

2 months' images of Nova Cen 2013 with a light curve from AAVSO.org
Canon EOS 600D, 200mm f/4, ISO 6400, 10sec exposures.

[von Tom]

Good one Kevin - the weather hasn't been too kind hey?

Definitely getting fainter. Soon we'll be able to compare magnitudes with the stars in the same field.

[von Tom]

On the 18th Feb:

[h0ughy]

wow what a result - the picture sure does tell a story:thanx: