Discovery of an Apparent Nova in M81 and H-alpha Confirmation of PNV J09553488+6910194
ATel #5936; K. Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic), S. Perez-Hoyos (UPV/EHU, Spain) and J. Gorosabel (UPV/EHU and IAA/CSIC, Spain) on behalf of the BEGIRA project
on 28 Feb 2014; 18:05 UT
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (aws@nova.sdsu.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Nova, Transient
We report the discovery of an apparent nova in M81 on a co-added 2340-s
R-band CCD image taken with the 1.23-m telescope at Calar Alto under ~2.3" seeing
on 2014 Feb. 28.217 UT. The new object is well visible on the co-added image
(see the finding chart linked below) as well as on single 180-s frames.
On Feb. 28.238 UT we also obtained narrow-band H-alpha images that helped us
to classify the new object and confirm nova nature of PNV J09553488+6910194
(ATel #5918).
The new object designated PNV J09551100+6906128 is located at R.A. = 9h55m11s.00,
Decl. = +69o06'12".8 (equinox 2000.0), which is 118.7" west and 137.7" north
of the center of M81.
The following magnitudes were obtained using the 1.23-m telescope at Calar Alto
and the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov:
2014 Feb. 24.823 UT, [21.6 (R-band, 0.65-m); 28.217, R = 18.58 ± 0.07 (CAHA);
28.238, H-alpha = 18.56 ± 0.09 (CAHA).
The similarity in brightness of the PNV J09551100+6906128 in narrow-band H-alpha
and the R-band, together with a non-detection of the object down to a limiting
magnitude R = 21.6 four days before, is consistent with a very young nova
discovered shortly after eruption like in a case of PNV J09553488+6910194
(see ATel #5918). For the PNV J09553488+6910194, using the 1.23-m telescope images,
we obtained R = 21.0 ± 0.1 and H-alpha = 19.1 ± 0.1. These values
(together with discovery magnitudes published in ATel #5918) show that strong
H-alpha emission has evolved during six days after the discovery and that the object
is fading moderately fast in the continuum. Both observations support its classification as nova.
Finding chart
