Electronic Telegram No. 348 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://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html V838 MONOCEROTIS A. Henden, AAVSO; and U. Munari and H. Navasardyan, Astronomical Observatory, Padova, write: "Our photometric and optical spectroscopic monitoring shows V838 Mon to be smoothly continuing along its slow evolution path. UBV(RI)c CCD photometry obtained on Dec 25.33 UT with the U.S. Naval Observatory 1.0-m telescope at Flagstaff Station gives V = 15.44 (+0.03), U-B = +0.07 (+0.02), B-V = +1.17 (-0.03), V-Rc = +1.96 (-0.18), Rc-Ic = +2.71 (+0.02), with quantities in parentheses being the difference compared with values obtained with the same instrumentation one year ago. Near-infrared photometry secured with the Flagstaff Station 1.55-m telescope on Dec. 18.3 gives J = 7.51, H = 6.45, K' = 5.70, continuing a steady, slow decline that has been in progress since November 2003. Spectra (range 420-780 nm; dispersion 0.4 nm) obtained with the Asiago 1.82-m telescope (+ AFOSC) on various dates in December 2005 closely resemble those of the last two years, dominated by extremely strong VO and TiO absorption bands of the L-type supergiant in the red and the continuum of the B3V companion in the blue. This seems to be in contradiction to the dramatic fading and spectral changes mentioned by Lynch et al. on IAUC 8645." NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2006 CBAT 2006 January 2 (CBET 348) Daniel W. E. Green