Electronic Telegram No. 1281 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions) CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science) URL http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html POSSIBLE NOVA IN M81 K. Hornoch, Ondrejov Observatory, reports his discovery of an apparent nova in the galaxy M81 from co-added 2160-s unfiltered CCD frames taken with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov on Mar. 2.775 UT. The new object is located at R.A. = 9h55m58s.31, Decl. = +69o06'07".9 (equinox 2000.0), which is 135" east and 133" north of the center of M81. The variable is barely visible on about half of the single 90-s images used for the co-added image, but it was confirmed on a co-added 3060-s unfiltered CCD frame taken with the same instrumentation on Mar. 4.083 and on a co-added 3600-s R-band CCD frame taken on Mar. 4.123. Available magnitudes for the apparent nova from his images (unfiltered unless otherwise noted): Feb. 11.788, [21.8; Mar. 2.775, 20.3; 4.083, 20.1; 4.123, 19.9 (R band). NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT 2008 March 4 (CBET 1281) Daniel W. E. Green