Discovery of a Probable Nova in M81

ATel #13659; K. Hornoch, H. Kucakova (Ondrejov), S. C. Williams (Lancaster), G. Sala, J. Jose (UPC-IEEC), B. Stecklum (TLS), M. J. Darnley (LJMU), A. Kaur (PSU), D. H. Hartmann (Clemson), A. W. Shafter (SDSU)
on 24 Apr 2020; 01:31 UT
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (ashafter@sdsu.edu)

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The M81 nova monitoring collaboration reports the discovery of a probable nova in M81 on a co-added 2340-s unfiltered CCD frame taken on 2020 Apr. 23.818 UT with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov.

The object designated PNV J09555057+6903533 is located at R.A. = 9h55m50s.57, Decl. = +69o03'53".3 (equinox 2000.0), which is 93.2" east and 1.8" south of the center of M81 (see link to discovery image below).

Here we list the observing dates and corresponding photometry:

 
  Date [UT]    |  Mag  | Err  | Filter  | Telescope> 
 
2020-04-09.823 | <21.7  |      | C       | OND  
2020-04-22.809 | <20.5  |      | C       | OND  
2020-04-23.818 |  20.4  | 0.2  | C       | OND  
 

The OND 0.65-m is a reflecting telescope at the Ondrejov observatory operated jointly by the Astronomical Institute of ASCR and the Astronomical Institute of the Charles University of Prague, Czech Republic. It uses a Moravian Instruments G2-3200 CCD camera (with a Kodak KAF-3200ME sensor and standard BVRI photometric filters) mounted at the prime focus. The unfiltered OND photometry was calibrated against R-band comparison stars from Perelmuter & Racine (1995).

Discovery image