June 10, 2005
SUBJECTS:
1. NEW ALERT NOTICE PUBLICATION POLICY
2. POSSIBLE NOVA IN AQUILA
3. NEW POSSIBLE CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE IN NORMA
4. REQUEST TO MONITOR THE CV SDSS 013132 FOR HST OBSERVATIONS
5. V2291 OPH ECLIPSE PEP CAMPAIGN
6. TU CAS VISUAL + PEP + CCD CAMPAIGN
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1. NEW ALERT NOTICE PUBLICATION POLICY
In order to adapt to the changing needs of both our observers and professional community we have decided to simplify our electronic alert publication strategy. A summary of the changes are below:
* Alert Notice: All discoveries, request for observations and campaigns will be announced through the Alert Notice.
* Special Notice: Announcements on interesting and/or rare stellar activity that are not discoveries and do not involve new campaigns will be announced through Special Notices.
* CCD Views & Eyepiece Views: Follow up information and results of previously announced campaigns will be made through CCD Views for CCD/PEP photometric campaigns and Eyepiece Views for visual campaigns.
In the next month we will be adding some new features to the AAVSO web site to accomodate these changes. Subscribers to the Alert Notice will be able to specify whether they want CCD, visual, PEP or all alerts sent to them. The Special Notice replaces our Special MyNewsFlash. So all subscribers to the MyNewsFlash will be subscribed to the Special Notice. You can also subscribe or unsubscribe to any of these publications at the URL below.
http://www.aavso.org/publications/email/ [obsolete link; info on Alert and Special Notices at http://www.aavso.org/alert-and-special-notices ; info on MyNewsFlash at http://www.aavso.org/apps/email/#mynewsflash ]
Please feel free to send any questions to aavso@aavso.org.
Clear skies!
Arne Henden
Director
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2. POSSIBLE NOVA IN AQUILA
A possible nova has been reported by the ASAS-3 survey and confirmed by Arto Oksanen (OAR). Astrometry done by Oksanen based on USNOA2 gives a position of:
RA = 19:05:12.5 Dec.= +05:14:12.0 +/- 0.4".
Available photometry:
Date (UT)
JUN 03.318 <14.0 V ASAS
JUN 09.240 11.0 V ASAS
JUN 10.226 10.5 V ASAS
JUN 10.234 10.8 V ASAS
JUN 10.3606 -0.143 V OAR Relative mags to GSC 470:857 (V=11.0)
JUN 10.3659 -0.152 V OAR "
JUN 10.3629 1.280 B OAR "
JUN 10.3668 1.344 B OAR "
JUN 10.3591 -0.990 Rc OAR "
JUN 10.3649 -0.991 Rc OAR "
No object is seen at this position in the POSS plates meaning that this nova is likely to have an amplitude >10 magnitudes! We will keep you abreast of latest developments of this nova through the AAVSO web site and CCD Views.
An AAVSO chart with B-V photometry from Tycho and V photometry from ASAS-3 is available at this URL:
http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=n%20aql%2005 [obsolete link; create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]
Visual and filtered CCD observations every night are requested as long as it is visible from your location.
A web page for this object has been setup and will be updated as we get more data. It is at http://www.aavso.org/news/n-jun05.shtml . [obsolete link; page is at http://www.aavso.org/n_jun05 ]
Report this object as 1900+05 N AQL 05.
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3. NEW POSSIBLE CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE IN NORMA.
A new possible cataclysmic variable star has been reported by the ASAS-3 survey (IAUC 8539) and confirmed by Berto Monard (MLF). Astrometry by Monard based on UCAC2 give a location of:
RA = 16:00:47.43 Dec.= -48:46:07.6 +/- 0.25"
Available photometry from ASAS-3:
Date (UT)
Jun 04.316 invisible
Jun 09.085 12.567
Jun 09.235 12.660
Jun 09.286 12.845
Jun 09.288 12.818
Jun 09.291 12.747
Jun 09.293 12.834
Jun 09.296 12.667
Jun 09.321 12.806
Monard reports: "Six hours of timeseries unfiltered photometry (until clouds came) showed an initial large hump in the light curve, which gradually was replaced by smaller humps and a general fading trend."
CCD time series photometry is requested. Observe for as long as possibleduring the night. We prefer the use of a V filter but unfiltered is acceptable in this case if your system requires it to get an SNR of 100.
We do not know what type of CV this is yet. In order to determine that we need really good coverage early on. Based on early data we can then make a call as to whether this new CV warrants a full-scale, intensive campaign. So please take data and upload them to the AAVSO ASAP, and post commentary to the AAVSO Photometry discussion group.
An AAVSO chart with BV photometry from Tycho and V photometry from ASAS-3 is available at this URL:
http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=var%20nor%2005 [obsolete link; create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]
A web page for this object has been setup and will be updated as we get more data. It is at http://www.aavso.org/news/nor-cv.shtml. [obsolete link; page is at http://www.aavso.org/cv-nor ]
Report this object as 1553-48 VAR NOR 05.
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4. REQUEST TO MONITOR THE CV SDSS J013132 FOR HST OBSERVATIONS
Dr. Paula Szkody (University of Washington) has requested our help in monitoring SDSS 013132 (Cet) for upcoming Hubble Space Telescope observations. This is a similar campaign to the one recently run on SDSS J2205 (CCD Views #336). ROTSE and PROMPT will also be helping us with the campaign.
SDSS J013132 is at R.A. = 01:31:32 Dec. = -09:01:24 (2000).
This is a suspected UGWZ dwarf nova discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with a quiescent magnitude of around V=18. It has never been observed in outburst and is not expected to be in outburst on this date. However, if it *is* in outburst then its brightness could damage the ACS instrument on HST. As a result, the HST mission planners want to be absolutely sure that SDSS J013132 is not in outburst immediately prior to the scheduled observation.
Note: This is a morning object and difficult to observe from northern latitudes. We really need southern observers to help out!
We are requesting V filtered observations of this field each morning from June 11-18th (UT). We are making an unusual request in that we are asking for the FITS images themselves to be uploaded to the AAVSO's FTP site. So please follow these procedures:
1. Observe SDSS 013132 once daily on June 11-18 (UT). Set your exposure to go at least as faint as 15th mag for S/N=3.
2. Submit your estimate to the AAVSO as "SDSS013132".
3. Send the final, calibrated (stacked if neccessary) FITS image to the AAVSO via FTP:
host: ftp.aavso.org
user: sdss
password: sdss
** IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND THE FITS IMAGE!! **
We cannot forward your observation to the HST planning staff without a FITS image associated with it. We recommend that you also submit a full AAVSO observation on the object because that is the only way to ensure that we have all the data the scientists may need (comp star, date (UT), etc.). We had a number of observations made of SDSS J2205 that were not sent in the correct format or without uploaded FITS files.
An f-scale chart is available at:
http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=SDSS013132 [obsolete link; create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]
The AAVSO Chat Room will be open for the project.
This is second of three objects in this program. An Alert Notice will be sent when the last object has been added to the HST schedule. This campaign will likely begin June 20.
Report this object as 0126-09 SDSS013132.
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5. V2291 OPH ECLIPSE PEP CAMPAIGN
V2291 Oph is a Zeta Aur type eclipsing binary star with a period of 385 days. The next predicted eclipse midpoint is July 11, 2005 (UT). The entire eclipse lasts about 8 days with the totality lasting four days. Eclipse amplitude is about 0.2 mag visually.
V2291 Oph is located at RA = 18:25:38.80 Dec. = +08:01:55.2.
It is a bright star with a GCVS magnitude of U=7.02. It is difficult to find suitable comparison stars in the field of view of the typical CCD. However, PEP observers are well suited for this project.
We ask that PEP observers make at least one observation per night from July 4 - July 18 (UT) in B and V.
An AAVSO PEP chart has been released for V2291 Oph and can be downloaded at this URL:
http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=V2291%20OPH [obsolete link; create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]
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6. TU CAS VISUAL + PEP + CCD CAMPAIGN
The AAVSO would like to ask for observations of the Cepheid variable TU Cas. TU Cas is a rare double mode Cepheid, which means multiple periods can be detected in its light curve. The AAVSO International Database has significant observations of TU Cas. Very few other double Cepheids are as well covered which makes continuing and extending the light curve even more important.
TU Cas' amplitude is >1 magnitude, making it a possible target for experienced visual observers. Since it is bright, it is an ideal target for PEP observations. CCD data are also welcome, just be sure not to saturate on TU Cas. CCD and PEP observers should use BVRI filters and try to get one image per night. When time permits, time series runs with multifilter observation sets separated by 30 minutes would be useful.
TU Cas is located at RA = 00:26:19.45 Dec. = +51:16:49.3.
Latest visual observations of TU Cas:
MAY 26.9181 8.1 PPZ
MAY 20.8882 7.8 KKX
MAY 15.8889 7.8 KKX
PPZ Piotr Plaszczyk Poland
KKX Krzysztof Kida Poland
AAVSO PEP and CCD charts have been released and are available with the existing visual chart at this URL:
http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=TU%20CAS [obsolete link; create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp ]
This Alert Notice was prepared by A. Price.
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