Liverpool Telescope spectroscopic observation of the Fe II-type nova TCP J05210763+2338194

ATel #17960; Jingyuan Zhao (Shandong Astronomical Society), Jiashuo Zhang (Walton International School), Yaozhang Ou (Wuyi University), Ezhar Elijan (Wuhan University)
on 12 Aug 2026; 08:00 UT
Credential Certification: Kirill Sokolovsky (kirx@scan.sai.msu.ru)

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The 11.2 mag optical transient TCP J05210763+2338194 (Nova Tau 2026) was discovered using the New Milky Way (NMW) - TexasTech survey (Rokinon 135-mm telephoto lenses + QHY600PH-M CMOS camera) on 2026 Aug 06.4109 UTC and reported via the CBAT Transient Objects Confirmation Page: http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/followups/J05210763+2338194.html . Continued photometry with the NMW survey camera (135-mm f/2.0 telephoto lens + unfiltered ST-8300M CCD) indicated that the transient brightened to 10.96 mag on 2026 Aug 06.95178 UTC.

We obtained a single 30-s Johnson V image with the 0.43-m f/6.8 Corrected Dall-Kirkham robotic telescope at the Alnitak Remote Observatories in Nerpio, Spain. The image was calibrated against the APASS DR10 catalog, yielding a V-band magnitude of 9.92 +/-0.03 on 2026 Aug 09.16146 UTC.

As part of the PATAG proposal AL26A01, we obtained a spectrum (stacked from 15x30-s exposures) of the transient using the SPRAT spectrograph (R~350; Piascik et al. 2014) on the 2-m Liverpool Telescope (Steele et al. 2004) on 2026 Aug 10.22652 UTC.

The spectrum is that of a Fe II-type nova (Williams 1992), showing narrow Balmer emission lines (H_alpha, H_beta, H_gamma, H_delta) with shallow P-Cygni profiles, along with O I 7773 with a relatively deeper P-Cygni profile, Fe II (multiplets 42, 48, 49, etc.), and some interstellar absorption lines. These results are overall similar to ATel #17950.

Further observations are strongly encouraged.

Observations were made using Alnitak Remote Observatories robotic telescope network, Alnitak Research Telescope Access (ARTA) Program. Based on observations made with the Liverpool Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by Liverpool John Moores University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Liverpool Telescope spectrum of TCP J05210763+2338194