[vsnet-chat 604] About nova search

["S. Kiyota" <skiyota@abr.affrc.go.jp>]

Fraser Farrell <fraserf@dove.net.au> wrote:
>Speaking as someone who receives dozens of such reports every year - often
>from less experienced observers or members of the public - I regard it as
>part of my job as the local variable star expert to check out such reports.
>Even though 19 out of 20 turn out to be planets, asteroids, known
>variables, or the "discoverer" couldn't read a chart properly.  I am sure
>that many of you get similar reports.
>
>It is my job - and every vsnetter's job in my opinion - to provide this
>service because I _have_ the ephemerides, the charts, the contacts, a
>good (small) telescope; and the observing experience to confirm (or deny)
>these discoveries.
>
>The majority of observers do not have access to the latest catalogues,
>news, software, online services, and other goodies most of us old hands
>take for granted nowadays.  The new chums may not be aware of the need for
>a precise and accurate position, a magnitude, and some basic checks for
>known objects and any movement of the target.  I reckon I have saved dozens
>of inexperienced observers from acute and public embarrassment; without
>me even having to go outside.

Follwing is not direct reply to Mr. Farrel's post.
It is just my opinion and suggestion about this subject.


Experienced nova searchers know how to check whether nova candidate they found
is really nova or not.
Yes, they have many experience to check their candidates. 
They learn how to check them during their nova search.

New comers don't have experience and materials (charts etc.) to check.
(But they know where to notice their discovery? :-)
 sorry, only just Joke.) 

But experienced observers had been novice observers when they begun to search.

We need to teach novice nova hunters - sometimes not novice amateur astronomers 
-
techniques to check apparent new objects.
The articles in popular astronomy magazines may be helpful to them.

There are already many article about nova search or nova searchers in popular 
astronomy magazines, I know.

But situation - a little bit - change after CCD era as many Vsneters already 
mentioned.

- They can detect more fainter stars than limiting magnitude 
  of star atlas we have. 
 (Not all of them know that they can check DSS via Internet.)
- It is not popular to new comers that red stars are brighter
  they expected in unfilterd CCD frame.
- Sometimes a noise in CCD frame looks like a faint star.
- Sometimes photographic atlas of galaxies is not good to check
  supernovae because they are saturated near nucleus.

etc.

I think that Vsneters already know such things well.

Guy Hurst - editor of The Astronomer magazine of U.K. and he received many nova 
(candidate) alerts from European amateurs - already wrote about them in TA 
magazine.

But I think it is not popular among most amateur astronomers.


We need to write again in popular astronomy magazines about how to search novae 
and supernovae in CCD era.
Don't you think?

Seiichiro Kiyota
 
CBA, Tsukuba
VSOLJ

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