Categories: AstronomyObserving

Observing Alert: Possible New Dwarf Nova In Andromeda

[/caption]According to AAVSO Special Notice #122 prepared by M. Templeton, there’s a possible new WZ Sge-type dwarf nova located in Andromeda. The alert was posted yesterday and intial observations were sent in within the last 48 hours. For more information, read on…

AAVSO Special Notice #122

Multiple observers have confirmed the detection of an optical transient in Andromeda whose photometric behavior is thus far consistent with its classification as a WZ Sge-type dwarf nova system. The object was submitted to the CBAT unconfirmed objects list (D. Green, editor) by an unidentified observer on 2008 September 01.6.

A comprehensive list of the numerous follow-up observations made in Russia was published and an announcement of apparent very short period superhumps (P ~ 0.055 days) was made in vsnet-alert 10478. A comparison of the field with archival POSSII plates by D. Denisenko et al suggests the progenitor is very faint, with a blue magnitude of 21 or fainter. The reported outburst magnitudes of approximately V=12.5 then suggest an amplitude of at least 8 magnitudes.

M. Andreev (Terskol, Russia) obtained the following coordinates for the object using a 28-cm telescope:

RA: 02h 00m 25.42s , Dec: +44d 10m 18.4s (J2000)

Finder Chart

Several other sets of coordinates have been published by Russian observers on the page noted above, and most are within a few tenths of an arcsecond.

Observations of this new object, including time-series photometry, are encouraged. The object has not been formally named, and the WZ Sge classification has not been definitively confirmed. Observers are asked to follow the object during the next several weeks. The object may fade and rebrighten, so please submit all observations including “fainter-than” estimates. Instrumental time-series observations are also encouraged to confirm the presence of superhumps and (if possible) define the period.

Please submit all data to the AAVSO using the name and/or AUID pair VSX J020025.4+441018 , AUID 000-BFT-799.

Nova Andromeda Photo courtesy of AstroAlert.

Tammy Plotner

Tammy was a professional astronomy author, President Emeritus of Warren Rupp Observatory and retired Astronomical League Executive Secretary. She’s received a vast number of astronomy achievement and observing awards, including the Great Lakes Astronomy Achievement Award, RG Wright Service Award and the first woman astronomer to achieve Comet Hunter's Gold Status. (Tammy passed away in early 2015... she will be missed)

Recent Posts

Flowing Martian Water was Protected by Sheets of Carbon Dioxide

Mars' ancient climate is one of our Solar System's most perplexing mysteries. The planet was…

16 hours ago

Japan Launches the First Wooden Satellite to Space

Space debris, which consists of pieces of spent rocket stages, satellites, and other objects launched…

17 hours ago

You Can Build a Home Radio Telescope to Detect Clouds of Hydrogen in the Milky Way

If I ask you to picture a radio telescope, you probably imagine a large dish…

20 hours ago

A Space Walking Robot Could Build a Giant Telescope in Space

The Hubble Space Telescope was carried to space inside the space shuttle Discovery and then…

2 days ago

New Report Details What Happened to the Arecibo Observatory

In 1963, the Arecibo Observatory became operational on the island of Puerto Rico. Measuring 305…

3 days ago

We Understand Rotating Black Holes Even Less Than We Thought

The theory of black holes has several mathematical oddities. Recent research shows our understanding of…

3 days ago