Optical Nova Candidate in M 31
ATel #1380; M. Henze, W. Pietsch, V. Burwitz (Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik, MPE), A. Updike, D. Hartmann (Clemson University), P. Milne, G. Williams (University of Arizona)
on 7 Feb 2008; 13:46 UT
Credential Certification: Wolfgang Pietsch (wnp@mpe.mpg.de)
We report the discovery of an optical nova candidate in M 31 on a
12x60 s stacked R filter CCD image obtained with the robotic 60cm
telescope with an E2V CCD (2kx2k) of the Livermore Optical Transient
Imaging System (Super-LOTIS, located at Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak,
Arizona, USA).
The object was first detected on 2008 Feb 07.17 UT with a magnitude of 18.2
and is clearly visible on several of the individual 60 s images. The
position for the nova candidate is RA = 00h42m30.40s, Dec = 41d09'53.9"
(J2000, accuracy of 0.3"), which is 2'37" west and 6'16" south of the
core of M 31.
All magnitudes given are obtained from a photometric solution using R
magnitudes of the Local Group Survey M 31 catalogue (Massey et al. 2006,
AJ, 131, 2478). No object is visible (limiting R magnitude of ~19.0) at
the position of the nova candidate on Super-LOTIS images of 2008 Feb
06.17 UT and before. There is no entry in VizieR/CDS for this object and no
minor planet could be found on this position using the MPC/IAU Minor
Planet Checker (see http://scully.harvard.edu/~cgi/CheckMP ).
Erratum: In ATel #1364 the nova candidate is located 2'41" east from the core of M
31 instead of 2'41" west.
