SOAR spectroscopic classification of ASASSN-24ck (AT 2024fjh) as a nova in the LMC
ATel #16583; E. Aydi, J. Strader, I. Molina, R. Kyer, L. Chomiuk, R. Urquhart (MSU), K. C. Dage (Wayne State University), K. V. Sokolovsky (U. Illinois UC), K. Z. Stanek, C. S. Kochanek (OSU), B. J. Shappee (U. Hawaii)
on 11 Apr 2024; 15:02 UT
Credential Certification: Elias Aydi (aydielia@msu.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Cataclysmic Variable, Nova, Transient, Variables
We report on optical spectroscopic follow-up of the optical transient ASASSN-24ck (AT 2024fjh), which was discovered by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN; Shappee et al. 2014, ApJ, 788, 48; Kochanek et al. 2017PASP, 129, 4502) on 2024-04-01.1UT at g = 11.48 in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
On 2024-04-06.4 we obtained low- and medium-resolution spectra of ASASSN-24ck using the Goodman spectrograph (Clemens et al. 2004, SPIE, 5492, 331) on the 4.1m SOAR telescope. The spectra show broad, double-peaked emission lines of Balmer, He I, N II, N III, and O I. The FWZI of Halpha is around 10,000 km/s. The spectra are that of a very fast classical nova after visible peak. The high velocities are consistent with the rapid evolution of the optical light curve, which showed a decline by 2 magnitudes from peak in just 4 days (t2 = 4 days). Follow up observations are encouraged.
The ASAS-SN sky patrol light curve can be found here: https://asas-sn.osu.edu/sky-patrol/coordinate/c6a888f7-7635-4d75-b166-60e5100c2597
This ATel is based on observations obtained at the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, which is a joint project of the Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia, Inovacoes e Comunicacoes do Brasil (MCTIC/LNA), the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and Michigan State University (MSU).
