Discovery and H-alpha Confirmation of a Nova in M81
ATel #5197; K. Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic), R. Corradi, J. Casares (IAC, Spain)
on 6 Jul 2013; 06:09 UT
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (aws@nova.sdsu.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Nova, Transient
We report the discovery of a nova in M81 at unfiltered magnitude 20.1 +/- 0.2
(R-band magnitudes used from comparison stars) on a co-added 1260-s unfiltered
CCD frame taken on 2013 July 2.875 UT with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov.
The new object designated PNV J09552908+6859279 is located at R.A. = 9h55m29s.08,
Decl. = +68o59'27".9 (equinox 2000.0), which is 22.0" west and 267.2" south
of the center of M81 (see link to discovery image below).
The PNV J09552908+6859279 is not present on images taken by O. Vaduvescu and
A. Gonzalez with the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) + WFC at La Palma
on June 26.930 UT and 26.936 UT down to limiting magnitudes as faint
as H-alpha = 21.5 and R = 21.8, respectively.
To confirm and classify the object, narrow-band H-alpha and Sloan r'-band CCD
images of M81 were taken using the INT on July 3.905 UT. We obtained
H-alpha = 19.9 +/- 0.1 and Sloan r' = 20.5 +/- 0.15 for the nova.
Significant, but not very strong excess in H-alpha emission is typical for young
nova, which is consistent with its time of outburst.
We thank O. Vaduvescu and A. Gonzalez for getting M81 images used for
prediscovery magnitude limits. This work is based (in part) on observations made
with the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) operated on the island of La Palma by
the Isaac Newton Group (ING) in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos
of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC).
Discovery image
