Liverpool Telescope Spectroscopic Confirmation and Photometric Observations of M31N 2014-11a
ATel #6704; S. C. Williams (LJMU), M. J. Darnley (LJMU), I. A. Steele (LJMU), R. J. Smith (LJMU), M. F. Bode (LJMU), A. S. Piascik (LJMU), A. W. Shafter (SDSU)
on 15 Nov 2014; 21:09 UT
Credential Certification: Matt Darnley (M.J.Darnley@ljmu.ac.uk)
Referred to by ATel #: 6759
We obtained a spectrum of M31N 2014-11a (the discovery of which we reported in ATel #6675) on 2014 November 14.82 UT using the new SPRAT spectrograph (Piascik et al. 2014, see also ATel #6540) on the Liverpool Telescope (LT; Steele et al. 2004). The spectrum shows strong Hα emission, with Hβ emission tentatively detected. We measure the FWHM of the Hα line to be 1,000 ± 100 km/s. This spectrum and the photometry is consistent with M31N 2014-11a being the eruption of a nova within M31. The low line velocity would imply that this nova is more likely to belong to the Fe II spectral class, although this cannot be confirmed by this spectrum.
We also report our latest photometry of this object from data taken with the IO:O CCD camera on the LT at 2014 November 14.93 UT, when it was at B = 19.06 ± 0.02, V = 18.70 ± 0.02, r' = 18.51 ± 0.02 and i' = 18.38 ± 0.02. Based on the information in ATel #6689, the nova now appears to be past maximum light.
