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New disk nova candidate in M 31

ATel #3932; M. Henze (Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik, MPE), W. Pietsch (MPE), V. Burwitz (MPE, Observatorio Astronomico de Mallorca, OAM), J. Rodriguez (OAM), J. Bochinski, R. Busuttil, C. A. Haswell, S. Holmes, U. Kolb (The Open University, OU)
on 16 Feb 2012; 18:50 UT
Credential Certification: Martin Henze (mhenze@mpe.mpg.de)

Subjects: Optical, Nova

We report the discovery of a possible nova in the south-western disk of M 31 on a 5x120s dithered stacked CCD image obtained with the Open University PIRATE Planewave CDK17 0.43m Dall-Kirkham f/6.7 telescope at the Observatorio Astronomico de Mallorca (Costitx, Spain), using an SBIG STX 16803 CCD Camera (with a Kodak 4k x 4k chip with 9 microns sq. pixels) and Baader clear filter, on 2012 Feb 15.803 UT with a R magnitude of 17.5 (accuracy of 0.2 mag). The object is faintly visible on each of the five individual images. The position of the nova candidate is RA = 00h40m07.67s, Dec = +40d46'12.5" (J2000, accuracy of 0.5"), which is 29'40" west and 29'57" south of the core of M 31. We did not detect this object on a 7x120s dithered stacked CCD image taken with the same instrument on Feb 13.796 UT. However, this observation was less deep, with a limiting magnitude of about 17.5, and therefore additional data is needed to constrain the possible outburst more reliably.

There is no entry in VizieR/CDS for this object and no minor planet could be found on this position using the MPC/IAU Minor Planet Checker (see http://scully.harvard.edu/~cgi/CheckMP ). All magnitudes given are obtained from a photometric solution using R magnitudes of the Local Group Survey M 31 catalogue (Massey et al. 2006, AJ, 131, 2478).