[vsnet-chat 4254] GK Per

[Patrick Schmeer <extpasc@rz.uni-sb.de>]

>I will waste no more words over this in the future!
>Cheers,
>Eddy

I would like to join in, but since there have now been a few (over)reactions 
(not just by the usual suspects MS and JG) to my GK Per report posted to 
VSNet I feel inclined to make some comments.
 
First of all I do hardly understand the excitement (hysteria?) that has been
caused by my report of a brightening by (at that time) merely 0.2(!!!)
magnitudes - a brightening that may or may not evolve into a full (minor) 
outburst (the most recent - trustworthy - observations suggest that the latter 
case is the more likely one).   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My original report:
Subject: [vsnet-outburst 1980] GK Per going into outburst?
GK PERSEI  (NA+NLDQ+UGSS)
Apr.  7.833 UT,  13.0 ; 12.819,  12.8
Sequence:   AAVSO
Instrument: 203-mm SCT
Unfortunately I could not observe GK Per on Friday (thin clouds in
the Per region) and Saturday evening (overcast, later snow!). 
The last minor outburst of this 1901 nova started on 1999 Feb. 18
and lasted until 1999 May 2.
 
Happy Easter!
Patrick 
 
P.S.:
PERGK 20010407.833 130 Scp
PERGK 20010412.819 128 Scp
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MS wrote:
[vsnet-chat 4203] GK Per in outburst-no kidding
...
>20010405.076   132  (M. Simonsen)
>20010405.817   132  (M. Reszelski)
>**20010407.833 130 Scp**
>**20010412.819 128 Scp**
>20010414.089   127  (M. Simonsen)
>20010414.810   126  (M. Reszelski)
>20010415.103   127  (M. Simonsen)
>
>Why, if he observed GK Per bright on the evening of the 12th, did he wait
>until the morning of the 15th (*after* the brightening had been confirmed by
>other observers) to report it?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I did not see GK Per BRIGHT on the evening of the 12th, just a LITTLE
brighter than usual. After the recent hype about U Gem brightenings I wanted
to be careful with posting an alert, and follow this old nova's behaviour for
one or two more nights. Alas, as my observing report suggests the weather here
was not good enough for further observations, and when Taichi Kato announced
the possible brightening, I thought it would be helpful to add my two most
recent data points. I posted my report to vsnet-outburst and vsnet(-campaign)
-ip and not to vsnet-obs because of the inclusion of information on the last
outburst (what may have been of interest to some readers).
[the very bright readers may have noticed that I wrote "last outburst" and not
"previous outburst" ;-)]
Finally please note that I did not announce my detection of a GK Per outburst
(as suggested by MS). The subject line was just meant as a comment on the most
recent behaviour of the nova as documented in VSNet postings.
(something like "Re: [vsnet-outburst 1957] GK Per brighter than usual?" might
have been less ambiguous, but I am sure it would have caused the same world-
wide outcry ;-))

Regards,
Patrick

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