Nova
Cygus'01 Nova
Aquila'01 Nova
Aquila'99 [2] Nova
1917 = CI Aql main
spectroscopy page
2001 July 23: First WPO wide-angle image of Nova Sco field <3 degrees above my local southern horizon ! The Nova was not recorded and below the limit of about m11 set by average transparency and 60s exposure - the maximum permissible. How low can you go?
2001 July 14: First
normal
shot of the nova field [without grating] in poorish transparency - deleted
image.
2001
July 8: a short window of opportunity about midnight as Nova Sco'01
emerged from behind a local willow tree to briefly skim my southern horizon!
Moon and haze absent for short effective exposures i.e. 3min better than
12min of a week ago. Planetary nebula PK10+18.1 [17h
05.6m -10o06'; 4"diam; mag 14.7; 3.3kpc] in Oph added
for comparison.
2001
July 2: These observations essentially confirm
the object is nova-like with Ha in emission
by comparison to Nova Aql 01 [=V1548 Aql] taken in the same session.
No star is recorded in Megastar GSC in the 'nova' position. The spectra
[a single emission line for the 'nova'] are curved upwards towards the
blue end due to atmospheric refraction.
A note with the spectrogram by M. Fujii below
quotes "The spectrum shows the weak presence of P Cyg-type profile both
in H-alpha and beta. The Fe II emission series are characteristic
to a Fe II-type nova". [Ha, Hb
identified by MG] . AAVSO
finder chart
These were the most difficult observations undertaken from WPO i.e. a small 15 minute window of opportunity due south barely 3o above my local southern horizon with the 'nova' at -32o Dec! A strong haze and bright gibbous moon near-by illuminated the SCT corrector plate making good flats impossible. Only Antares [used to offset to the 'nova' via M19] visible in 8 x 50 finder.
text & images [unless otherwise noted] copyright - Maurice Gavin 2001