[vsnet-alert 3761] Nova Aql 1999 discovery story

[Taichi Kato <tkato>]

Nova Aql 1999 discovery story

   Alfredo Pereira <apereira@fc.ul.pt> has kindly sent the detailed discovery
story of Nova Aql 1999 No. 2.  Congratulations!!

======================================================================

I hunt for novae visually with 9x34 and 14x100 binoculars, and I 
still need to add the totals of my last few months, but the grand 
total is close to 500 hours now.  Nova hunting is in fact my main 
astro-work, more than comets because I fear light pollution will 
sooner or later deter my comet observing, as my NEL is now no 
better than 6.0-6.3 on good nights, and is gradually getting worse. 
Nova hunting takes a lot of time and effort.  I spend about 1h 30m 
each clear night regardless of the Moon.  I scan Sgr (with 14x100's 
to mag 8.5 or so) Sct, Aql.  A bit of Oph, Her, Sge, Vul, Cyg, and 
small parts of Cep, Lac, Cas, And, Aur, and Pup.  All to mag. 
7.5-9.0 depending on locations.  

Memorizing the binocular constellations which one invents for the 
purpose is very easy.  Much more difficult is to keep assiduity.  
In winter/early spring I have to get up at 4am.  My whole hunting 
area is currently about 2000 square degrees, with over 3000 stars 
memorized.  I tried in 1981 with Del and Lyr which were small but 
soon gave up.  I was young (now I'm 35) and very unpatient!  
In 1987 I resumed attempts, but hunted very irregulary and my area 
was still too small.    In 1991 I started what I call serious 
hunting, and since then have logged nearly 500 hours, which is 
reasonable.  In 1994 I did not make any astronomy at all.  In the 
past two years I managed ~100h/year. 

I caught N Aql 99 #2 just a few minutes after I had started another 
evening session.  I had swept Sct, and rising the 14x100's I scanned 
central Aquilae where I go deep to mag 8.5.  I had the intention of 
switching to 9x34's since these areas were higher in the sky, but 
then I saw a bright object that completely disturbed even the main 
"skeleton" of my binocular patterns.  I waited a few seconds, and 
it did not move, then I waited more... no movement!  My heart 
pounded!  I layed the 14x100's on the sofa-chair I was using inside 
to look through an open window (some parts of my hunting are made 
from indoors); and I went to call Catarina.  Then another look and 
no movement.  Of course I had seen the field hundreds of times, and 
knew very well that nothing should be there.  We checked GSC7 for 
variables and asteroids, then we checked photos taken in 1992 that 
act as a home-made photo atlas to check suspects.  Nothing was there 
of course, so we measured an approximate position and prepared a 
report for CBAT.  When I tried to loggin to campus, we found that 
our mail was not going out repeatedly.  Panic!  We re-set the 
computer, and tried a few more times.  Then we decided to give CBAT 
a phone call.  We continued to observe the object until it set.  
In was an anxious evening waiting for confirmation.  I still managed 
to do some more nova hunting, but I'm afraid I missed checking many 
parts of my program this night.

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