Prediscovery Detection and Photometry of AT 2024zaq, a Probable Nova in M31
ATel #16878; K. Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic), A. W. Shafter (SDSU)
on 25 Oct 2024; 17:27 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Novae
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (ashafter@sdsu.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Nova, Transient
We report the prediscovery detection of a probable M31 nova AT 2024zaq discovered by R. Fidrich on 2024 Oct. 24.337 UT. During our survey of the central region of M31 we detected the probable nova first on a co-added 900-s R-band CCD frame taken on Oct. 24.151 UT with the 40-in reflector at SDSU's Mount Laguna Observatory and also on additional images taken with the same instrument as well as with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov.
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
2024-10-23.146 | >19.7 | | R | MLO
2024-10-24.151 | 16.56 | 0.03 | R | MLO
2024-10-24.738 | 16.09 | 0.08 | R | D65
2024-10-24.752 | 15.94 | 0.09 | R | D65
2024-10-25.173 | 16.24 | 0.03 | 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.
