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=0...2=&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.