Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3641: N IN LMC
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Circular No. 3641
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM Telephone 617-864-5758
NOVA IN LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD
A telex received on Oct. 6 from J. Maza, Department of
Astronomy, University of Chile, reported the possible discovery by
M. Wischnjewsky of a nova in the Large Magellanic Cloud as follows:
1981 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. mpg
Sept.30.371 5 32 39.6 -70 24 00 ~12
The object had been found on an exposure by L. E. Gonzalez with
the Maksutov telescope at Cerro El Roble, but no confirmation was
immediately available.
In response to requests from the Central Bureau the nova was
confirmed by P. Jekabsons at Perth on Oct. 6.85 UT and by A. A.
Page at Aspley, Queensland, on Oct. 7.64 UT, the latter observer
giving the photographic magnitude as 11.8. J. Maza was also able
to make a confirmation on Oct. 6.238 UT with the Gautier telescope
at Cerro Calan, and the object had faded 0.7 mag since discovery.
H. W. Duerbeck, European Southern Observatory, reports: "An ids
spectrogram was obtained on Oct. 7.32 UT with the 3.6-m telescope
by R. Barbier, P. Bouchet and A. le van Suu. In the range 500-700
nm, superimposed on a continuum, the following emission lines are
seen: very strong H-alpha (fwhm 3800 km/s); Fe II 501.8, 516.9 nm; blend
of N II 566.7, 568.0 and [N II] 574.7 nm; He I 587.6 nm; blend of
[O I] and Si II 630.0-637.1 nm; and He I 667.8 nm. Fe II 516.9 and
He I 587.6 nm show two absorption components with displacements of
~ -2000 and -2900 km/s. The spectrum closely resembles that of
V1500 Cyg and of CP Pup 4.5 mag below maximum. The present brightness
of the nova is mv = 12.6 (estimated from the spectrum). It
could have been at maximum mv = 8.1 around the middle of September.
Its absolute magnitude at maximum, Mv = -10.5, would then lie near
the upper limit of very fast novae."
A report from the Anglo-Australian Observatory refines the
position of the nova to R.A. = 5h32m41s.7, Decl. = -70o24'12" (equinox
1950.0) and gives a red magnitude of ~ 11.9 on Oct. 7 UT. A spectrogram
obtained by M. S. Bessell and P. R. Wood shows H-alpha at some
14 times the continuum intensity and with a halfwidth of some 10 nm.
Other emission lines observed were O I 777.2 and 844.6 nm and the
O I-N I blend at ~ 822 nm.
1981 October 8 (3641) Brian G. Marsden
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