Photometric Follow-up of the Cataclysmic Variable AT 2021aaxp = J00444033+4113068
ATel #14969; D. D. Balam (DAO/NRC), C. E. Spratt (Ret), P. Langill (U of Calgary) and D. W. E. Green (CBAT)
on 13 Oct 2021; 22:16 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Transients
Credential Certification: David D. Balam (cosmos@uvic.ca)
Subjects: Optical, Cataclysmic Variable, Transient, Variables
We report follow-up photometry of 2021aaxp = J00444033+4113068, discovered by K. Itagaki on 2021-10-09.4579 then independently by the above authors on 2021-10-09.6125. Spectroscopic classification by K. Taguchi and H. Maehara (ATel #14962) showed the object to be a foreground cataclysmic variable star in the field of M31. Our observations were obtained during the course of a systematic survey for optical transients in local group galaxies using the 0.76-m (f/1) Baker-Nun Schmidt telescope at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (University of Calgary, Canada). The detector is located at the prime focus and is a FLI Microline CCD (4096 x 4096) with 16803 chip with plate scale of 3".92/pixel that covers an area of nearly 20 degrees squared. The CCD is un-filtered, however, the CCD QE function is similar to the response curve of the Gaia G band filter.
Differential magnitudes of 2021aaxp were measured, using the nearby star 2MASS J00444678+4112226 (G (Gaia) = 14.66, Gaia DR2) as a secondary standard star. Using a 43 second of arc diameter aperture we find the following magnitudes:
UT 2021 Oct. 9.261 (exposure 900 seconds) G = 17.68 (+/- 0.07), UT Oct. 12.311 (exposure 1200 seconds) G = 16.71 (+/- 0.06) and UT Oct. 13.306 (exposure 1200 seconds) G = 16.94 (+/- 0.05).
