[vsnet-chat 687] Possible nova in 1927

["Bjorn H. Granslo" <b.h.granslo@astro.uio.no>]

POSSIBLE NOVA IN CAMELOPARDALIS IN 1927

In 1988 I received a request from Mr. Johan A. Vogt of
Lillehammer, Norway about a possible discovery of a bright
eruptive object (nova?) in October 1927. This possible object appeared
in the constellation Camelopardalis and was found by
the Norwegian amateur astronomer Ola Plassen (1907-1930). I
found that no such object was mentioned in the New Catalogue of
Suspected Variables, nor in the IAU circulars from 1927 and 1928
and the Astronomischer Jahresbericht for 1927 to 1930.

A few years later (in 1991) I came across a obituary notice of
Mr. Plassen in the magazine Nordisk Astronomisk Tidsskrift
(N.A.T., 11, 178, 1930), written by the well-known Norwegian astronomer
and nova discoverer Sigurd Einbu (Enebo). Here he
told that Plassen discovered the nova using a primitive
instrument at Lesja, Gudbrandsdalen, Norway. He also mentioned
that Plassen announced his nova discovery in the 1929 January
issue of the French (S.A.F.) magazine L' Astronomie.

Here (L'Astronomie, 53, 9, 1929) Plassen reported that a new
and stationary object was observed at the approximate position
R.A. = 3h 34m, Decl. = +57 deg. It was a 6th magnitude object
at discovery in 1927 October (the exact date was not given)
and had faded below visibility by mid-November. Based on the small chart
that accompanied the note the 2000.0-position of
this possible object is R.A. = 3h 43m , Decl. = +57.6 deg.
(If the object is plotted correctly on the chart the position
should be accurate to within ~0.3 deg.) The object was
apparently confirmed by French photographers as it appeared
on exposures during the winter 1927-1928. No object was seen during the
spring of 1927.

I beleave that the discovery announcement was delayed due to the
lack of communications of that time. Mr. Plassen was living in
a rural part of Norway. I would be happy if somebody could investigate
this and check any patrol photographs (from Harvard
etc.) and report on their findings.

Yours sincerely,
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Bjorn H. Granslo          Tel: +47 22 85 75 21 / +47 22 85 65 18
Postboks 1029, Blindern             Email: bgranslo@astro.uio.no
N-0315 Oslo, Norway            WWW: http://vsnet.uio.no/~bgranslo/
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