Discovery of a Probable Nova in M33
ATel #6373; K. Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic), O. Vaduvescu, V. Tudor (ING, La Palma, Spain)
on 6 Aug 2014; 23:49 UT
Credential Certification: Allen W. Shafter (aws@nova.sdsu.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Nova, Transient
We report the discovery of a probable nova in M33 on co-added 960-s narrow-band H-alpha and 480-s R-band CCD images taken with the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) + WFC at La Palma under ~1.1" seeing on 2014 July 29.206 and 29.222 UT, respectively.
The object designated PNV J01340756+3050413 is located at R.A. = 1h34m07s.56, Decl. = +30o50'41".3 (equinox 2000.0), which is 214.7" east and 665.5" north of the center of M33 (see link to discovery H-alpha image below).
The following magnitudes were obtained using the 2.5-m INT:
2014 Jul. 29.206 UT, H-alpha = 18.31 ± 0.07; 29.222, R = 20.77 ± 0.10.
We searched for a possible counterpart of the PNV J01340756+3050413 using the Survey of Local Group Galaxies Currently Forming Stars: I. UBVRI Photometry of Stars in M31 and M33 by Massey et al. (2006, AJ, 131, 2478), which provided deep comparison images. No counterpart is visible in Massey's images down to ~ 23.5 mag in B, V, R, and I, and down to ~ 23 mag in H-alpha. Taken together with the strong H-alpha emission observed in the INT data, the lack of a pre-existing counterpart strongly suggests that the PNV J01340756+3050413 is an evolved nova in M33, discovered probably well after outburst.
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.
Discovery image
