Swift observations of the 2024 eruption of recurrent nova M31N 2008-12a
ATel #16947; K. L. Page (U. Leicester) and M. J. Darnley (LJMU)
on 14 Dec 2024; 13:29 UT
Credential Certification: Kim Page (kpa@star.le.ac.uk)
Subjects: Ultra-Violet, X-ray, Nova
Following the discovery of the 2024 eruption of the yearly recurrent nova
M31N 2008-12a (ATel #16942), a Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Target of
Opportunity monitoring campaign was approved, and the first observation
obtained starting at 20:30 on December 13, 0.87 days after the earliest
detection announced so far (2024 December 12.9875; ATel #16946). In 1.1 ks
of data, the nova is clearly detected in the UVOT data at a magnitude of
w2 = 17.23 +/- 0.05 (Vega; central wavelength 1928 Å). No X-ray
source was detected, to a 3-sigma upper limit of 8 x 10-3 count
s-1 (0.3-10 keV).
We thank the Swift PIs, duty scientists and science planners for their prompt approval and implementation of the observations.
