Discovery of an Apparent Nova in M81 and H-alpha Confirmation of PNV J09560160+6903126 and PNV J09553945+6905557

ATel #6188; K. Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic), H. Stoev (ING, La Palma and Centro de Astrobiologia INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), V. Tudor, O. Vaduvescu (ING, La Palma, Spain), M. Frigo (Universita di Padova, Padova, Italy)
on 31 May 2014; 03:05 UT
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (aws@nova.sdsu.edu)

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We report the discovery of an apparent nova in M81 galaxy on a co-added 2000-s narrow-band H-alpha CCD image taken with the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) + WFC at La Palma under ~1.2" seeing on 2014 May 26.923 UT. The new object is easily visible on the co-added image (see the finding chart linked below), but is not present on numerous narrow-band H-alpha archival images from the INT down to limiting magnitude as faint as H-alpha = 22.3. On May 26.945 UT we also obtained Sloan r'-band images which helped us to classify the object.

The new object designated PNV J09552936+6905474 = M81N 2014-05b? is located at R.A. = 9h55m29s.36, Decl. = +69o05'47".4 (equinox 2000.0), which is 20.4" west and 112.3" north of the center of M81.

The photometry obtained with the INT + WFC for the PNV J09552936+6905474 and for M81 nova candidates PNV J09560160+6903126 (see ATel #6176) and PNV J09553945+6905557 (see ATel #6050) is summarized in the following table:

 
                         2014 05 26.923    2014 05 26.945 
 
       Object             H-alpha mag       Sloan r' mag 
 
PNV J09552936+6905474    20.4 +/- 0.15     21.0 +/- 0.15 
PNV J09560160+6903126    18.00 +/- 0.08    19.59 +/- 0.08 
PNV J09553945+6905557    21.1 +/- 0.2      22.7 +/- 0.3 

Relatively weak H-alpha emission of the PNV J09552936+6905474 together with a non-detection of the object down to a limiting magnitude 21.7 on May 21.923 UT (on unfiltered co-added image obtained by H. Kucakova using the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov), is consistent with a very young nova discovered shortly after eruption. Strong H-alpha emission together with relative faintness in the Sloan r'-band (both observed in the INT data) of the PNV J09560160+6903126 and the PNV J09553945+6905557 supports their classification as novae.

This work is based on observations made with the Isaac Newton Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the ING in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos. We thank H. Kucakova for getting M81 images at Ondrejov.

Finding chart