Discovery of a Possible Nova in M31
ATel #16371; K. Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic), A. W. Shafter (SDSU), A. Luo, I. Yousuf (Westview HS)
on 7 Dec 2023; 20:28 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Novae
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (ashafter@sdsu.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Nova, Transient
We report the discovery of a possible nova found during our survey of the central region of M31. The object was discovered on a co-added 1800-s R-band CCD frame taken on 2023 Dec. 7.188 UT with the 40-in reflector at SDSU's Mount Laguna Observatory.
The object was designated by us as PNV J00423816+4110248 = M31N 2023-12c and is located at R.A. = 0h42m38s.16, Decl. = +41o10'24".8 (equinox 2000.0), which is 69.5" west and 343.7" south of the center of M31 (see link to discovery image below).
The following R-band magnitudes were obtained using the 40-in reflector at SDSU's Mount Laguna Observatory (MLO) and the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov (D65):
Date [UT] | Mag | Err | Filter | Telescope
2023-12-05.711 | >20.3 | | R | D65
2023-12-07.188 | 19.1 | 0.1 | R | MLO
As with all extragalactic novae, follow-up spectroscopic and photometric observations to confirm the nova's nature and determine its spectroscopic class and rate of decline (speed class) are encouraged.
Discovery image
