26 May 2012: IAU CBET 3124 (Daniel W. E. Green, ed.) announces the discovery by John Seach (Chatsworth Island, NSW, Australia) of a nova in Ophiuchus [V2677 Oph] on 2012 May 19.484 UT at magnitude 10.5 (digital SLR camera + 50-mm f/1.0 lens). Seach reports nothing is visible at this position on the Digitized Sky Survey. The object was designated PNV J17395600-2447420 when it was posted on the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage (http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/tocp.html).
The object is a highly reddened classical nova, as indicated by spectra from several sources: Terry Bohlsen (Armidale, NSW, Australia); Hermann Koberger (Vilaflor, Tenerife), reported by Wolfgang Vollmann (Vienna, Austria); Kazuyoshi Imamura, Okayama University of Science team; F. M. Walter (Stony Brook University); and Christian Buil (Castanet, France). Details are in CBET 3124.
Coordinates: RA = 17 39 56 Decl. = -24 47 42 (2000.0)
Magnitudes reported in CBET 3124 and to the AAVSO include:
2012 May 17.525 UT, <12.5: (R. Kaufman, Bright, VIC, Australia, digital SLR camera, CBET 3124);
18.488, <11.0 (J. Seach, Chatsworth Island, NSW, Australia);
18.614, <14: Ic (S. Kiyota, Tsukuba, Japan, CBET 3124);
18.735, <13.2 (A. Takao, Kitakyushu, Japan, 100-mm f/4 camera lens + STL-6303E camera, CBET 3124);
19.679, 10.6 (Kaufman, digital SLR camera, CBET 3124);
20.3, 9.5 CCD (E. Guido, G. Sostero, and N. Howes, remotely at RAS Observatory, Mayhill, NM, CBET 3124);
21.1326, 10.9 (A. Amorim, Florianopolis, Brazil);
21.4062, 11.177 V +/-0.007 (C. Hergenrother, Lunar and Planetary Lab., remotely at Sierra Stars Obs., Carson Valley, CA, V mag derived from AAVSO VPHOT);
21.4068, 10.02 R +/-0.10 (Hergenrother, R mag derived from CMC-14 catalogue, CBET 3124);
21.4071, 12.607 B +/-0.180 (Hergenrother, B mag derived from AAVSO VPHOT);
22.2199, 11.634 V +/-0.007 (J. Hambsch, Mol, Belgium, data representative of 90+ obs from this night);
22.2201, 9.240 I +/-0.005 (Hambsch);
22.3361, <11.0 (B. Manske, Waunakee, WI);
22.3437, 9.216 I +/-0.006 (Hambsch);
22.3477, 11.653 V +/-0.007 (Hambsch);
22.67, 10.4 CCD (Takao);
23.98, 10.3 CCD (L. Buzzi and F. Luppi, Varese, Italy, CBET 3124);
24.3981, 12.207 V +/-0.027 (Hergenrother);
24.3990, 13.552 B +/-0.318 (Hergenrother);
24.3999, 10.81 R +/-0.10 (Hergenrother, CBET 3124);
Images:
Guido, Sostero, and Howes, animation comparing their image and a 1996 red DSS image (http://bit.ly/KCYwpB)
Buzzi and Luppi (http://www.astrogeo.va.it/pub/TOCP/PNV_J17395600-2447420.jpg)
Charts for N OPH 2012 NO. 2 may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (http://www.aavso.org/vsp).
Until an official (GCVS) name is announced, please report observations to the AAVSO International Database using the name N OPH 2012 NO. 2 or PNV J17395600-2447420.
An AAVSO Alert Notice with complete details will be issued when the official (GCVS) name for N Oph 2012 No.2 is announced.
Congratulations to John Seach on his latest discovery!
This AAVSO Special Notice was prepared by Elizabeth O. Waagen.
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