ASASSN-20ni: Discovery of a Likely Classical Nova in the Small Magellanic Cloud

ATel #14122; Z. Way, K. Z. Stanek, C. S. Kochanek, P. Vallley, D. Desai, T. A. Thompson (OSU), J. Brimacombe (Coral Towers Observatory), R. Cornect (Moondyne Observatory), B. J. Shappee (Univ. of Hawaii), T. W.-S. Holoien (Carnegie Observatories), J. L. Prieto (Diego Portales; MAS), Subo Dong (KIAA-PKU), M. Stritzinger (Aarhus)
on 27 Oct 2020; 15:54 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, Kochanek et al. 2017), using data from the quadruple 14-cm "Cassius", "Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin", and "Bohdan Paczynski" telescopes, we discovered a bright, new transient source, possibly a classical nova, towards the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Object	RA (J2000)	DEC (J2000)	Disc. UT Date	Disc. g mag
ASASSN-20ni	00:48:44.578	-72:53:53.77	2020-10-26.020	14.1

ASASSN-20ni was discovered in images obtained on UT 2020-10-26.020 at g~14.1, and has since risen to g~12.2 on UT 2020-10-27.26. Presently, the location of ASASSN-20ni has been observed by ASAS-SN more than ~3,600 times, since May 2014. We do not detect (g>16.5) this object in subtracted images taken on UT 2020-10-25.07 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-20ni in the last 20 days, and the resulting light curve can be seen here. The complete ASAS-SN V/g-band light curve detects no previous outbursts starting in May 2014.

Follow-up observations, especially spectroscopy, of this possible nova 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 grants AST-1515927 and AST-1908570, the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation, the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics at OSU, the Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy, and the Villum Fonden (Denmark).