CSS233313-155744: an eclipsing dwarf nova with a 61.7-min orbital period
ATel #3705; P. A. Woudt (U. Cape Town), B. Warner (U. Cape Town)
on 24 Oct 2011; 09:58 UT
Credential Certification: Patrick Woudt (pwoudt@ast.uct.ac.za)
Subjects: Optical, Cataclysmic Variable, Transient, Variables
High speed photometry of the recently discovered dwarf nova CSS111019:233313-155744 from the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey (CRTS: Drake et al. 2009, ApJ 696, 870) has revealed that it is an ultra-short period dwarf nova with an orbital period of 61.70 ± 0.02 min.
The photometry obtained with the new Sutherland High-speed Optical Camera (SHOC) on the 1-m reflector of the Sutherland Station of the South African Astronomical Observatory on 19.81-19.86 and 20.73-20.85 Oct 2011 UT has revealed shallow eclipses and distinct superhumps; the superhump period is 63.6 ± 0.1 min.
The CRTS reports the system at V ~ 17.4 mag during its current superoutburst. Spectroscopic observations of this system are strongly encouraged to ascertain the nature of this binary as either a helium-rich system (similar to V485 Cen), or a white dwarf accreting from a substellar mass companion, similar to SDSS J1507+52 (Uthas et al. 2011, MNRAS 414, L85).
