DE Cir = Nova in Cir 2003

Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 14:42:40 -0400
From: "W.Liller" 
Subject: Poss. nova in in Cir

On a pair of exposures of 1.75 and 2.75 minutes (85mm Nikon + red filter +Tech Pan film) taken at October 9.008 UT (average), I found a new stellar object in Circinus at (2000) RA = 15h 17.8m, Dec = -61d 58', approximate magnitude 8.2. No star brighter than magnitude 11.5 was seen on the most recent exposure taken at September 26.004 UT.

Tonight, if it clears, I will try to get an improved position and, possibly, a spectrum. But the weather forecast is not rosy, so please confirm if you can.

All the best to all, Bill (William) Liller

(vsnet-discovery-nova 282)

Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 17:47:41 -0400
From: "W.Liller" 
Subject: More on nova suspect

Further to my report on a nova suspect in Circinus, I have found images of the star on the overlap portion of a pair of photographs taken 5.5 minutes before the discovery photographs, at October 9.004 UT (average).

Curiously, the star appears decidedly brighter at approximate magnitude 7.7.

Also, I have now found a pair of photographs of the region taken on October 4.010 UT. Nothing is visible at the position of the star down to magnitude 11.0.

Finally, I should note that the nearest good comparison stars are either quite blue with B-V near 0, or rather reddish with B-V near +1.2. Until we know the color of the nova suspect, we cannot estimate a reliable V magnitude for it from my red photographs. Note that very approximately, (V-R) = (B-V)/2 at these colos.

All the best to all -- especially Jan Mattei. B ill Liller

(vsnet-discovery-nova 284)

Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:37:03 +0800
From: nicholas brown 
Subject: nova circinus 2003

ASAS-3 data

(Nova Cir 2003 pre-outburst and outburst: ASAS-3 images, by courtesy of G. Pojmanski)

Spectroscopy and Astrometry

(vsnet-discovery-nova 288)

Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 11:49:00 -0400
From: "W.Liller" 
Subject: Nova Cir

With a CCD + Schmidt camera + an objective transmission diffraction grating (75 g/mm measuring 100 x 100 mm), I was able to image the red spectrum of the nova candidate in Circinus at October 11.002 UT. It shows an exceedingly strong and broad H-alpha emission line; its FWHM is at least 5100 km/s. (Part of the line may have been cut off by the red filter that I used.) The brightness of its flat maximum was approximately 7.7 times that of the surrounding continuum.

BVR photometry * at October 10.991 UT: V = 10.27 +/- 0.03; B-V = +0.39 +/- 0.05.

The R magnitude at October 11.037, assuming that V-R = 0.60 (B-V), was 8.48 +/- 0.07. It is clear that the strong H-alpha emission has caused R to be unusually bright.

My position for the star is

    R.A.= 15h 17m 52.20s +/- 0.14s,  Decl. = -61o 57' 13.77" +/- 0.41"

All the best to all, Bill Liller

(vsnet-discovery-nova 289)

From: "B Monard" 
Subject: Re: Nova Cir
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 20:23:21 +0200

there was some sky clearance just after sunset, enough to allow some unfiltered CCD observations of the reported nova.

CIRnova2003 031011.704 9.5CR MLF

the position vs UCAC1

15 17 52.48 -61 57 16.4 with uncertainties around 0.1" in RA and 0.2" in DE.

Regards,
Berto Monard
Bronberg Observatory / CBA Pretoria

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