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ASAS-SN Discovery of a Possible LMC Nova ASASSN-18pf

ATel #11857; 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 15 Jul 2018; 15:49 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Novae
Credential Certification: Krzysztof Stanek (stanek.32@osu.edu)

Subjects: Optical, Nova

Referred to by ATel #: 11959

During the ongoing All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN, Shappee et al. 2014), using data from the quadruple 14-cm "Cassius" telescope in CTIO, Chile, we detect a bright, new transient source, possibly a classical nova, towards the Large Magellanic Cloud

 
Object       RA (J2000)    DEC (J2000)    Disc. UT Date   Disc. V mag  
ASASSN-18pf  05:41:46.461  -71:48:37.59   2018-07-13.44    13.3 

ASASSN-18pf was discovered in images obtained on UT 2018-07-13.44 at V~13.3, and it is also detected in several earlier epochs, starting on UT 2018-07-11.44 at V~12.8. This transient is clearly fading, with V~13.6 on UT 2018-07-15.43. This field was not observed by ASAS-SN between UT 2018-05-28 and 2018-07-11 due to seasonal gap. We do not detect (g>16.5) this object in subtracted images taken on UT 2018-05-27.94 and before.

Using ASAS-SN Sky Patrol light curve interface (Kochanek et al. 2017), we have retrieved aperture photometry time series at the location of ASASSN-18pf in the last 20 days, and the resulting light curve can be seen here. No previous outbursts are detected at the position of ASASSN-18pf since ASAS-SN started observing this location in May 2014.

Follow-up observations, especially spectroscopy, are strongly encouraged. Also, due to its location in the LMC, there might be images of this position taken during the gap in ASAS-SN coverage, which could help to establish the evolution of this bright transient.

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).