ASAS-SN Discovery of a Possible Galactic Nova ASASSN-18ix

ATel #11561; K. Z. Stanek, C. S. Kochanek, J. V. Shields, T. A. Thompson (OSU), L. Chomiuk, J. Strader (MSU), B. J. Shappee (IfA-Hawaii), T. W.-S. Holoien (Carnegie Observatories), J. L. Prieto (Diego Portales; MAS), Subo Dong (KIAA-PKU), M. Stritzinger (Aarhus)
on 22 Apr 2018; 17:17 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Novae
Credential Certification: Krzysztof Stanek (stanek.32@osu.edu)

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During the ongoing All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN, Shappee et al. 2014), using data from multiple ASAS-SN telescopes, we detect a new bright transient source, possibly a classical nova, but it might also be a young, large amplitude outburst of a cataclysmic variable

 
Object       RA (J2000)    DEC (J2000)    Gal l (deg)   Gal b (deg)    Disc. UT Date   Disc. V mag  
ASASSN-18ix  18:26:31.10   -46:53:03.3     347.756       -15.482       2018-04-22.35     12.6 

ASASSN-18ix was discovered in images obtained on UT 2018-04-22.35 at V~12.6. It is also detected in g-band images taken at 2018-04-22.05 at g~12.9 and UT 2018-04-22.24 at g~12.5, indicating a rapid brightening of this transient. We do not detect (V>16.7) this object in subtracted images taken on UT 2018-04-21.39 and before.

We have retrieved image subtraction photometry time series at the location of ASASSN-18ix. No previous outbursts or variability are detected at the position of ASASSN-18ix since ASAS-SN started observing this location in May 2014 (there are artifacts present in some images from one of the cameras due to shutter issues).

Follow-up observations, especially spectroscopy, are strongly encouraged.

We would like to thank Las Cumbres Observatory and its staff for their continued support of ASAS-SN. ASAS-SN is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through grant GBMF5490 to the Ohio State University, NSF grant AST-1515927, the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation, the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP) at OSU, the Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy (CASSACA), and the Villum Fonden (Denmark).