Electronic Telegram No. 931 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 APPARENT NEW NOVA IN SAGITTARIUS S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Yukio Sakurai (Mito, Ibaraki-ken) of a possible nova (mag 10.3) on two 20-s CCD exposures taken on Apr. 14.777 UT with a Fuji FinePix S2 Pro Digital camera (+ Nikon 180-mm f/2.8 lens), giving the position for the new object as R.A. = 18h10m18s.4, Decl. = -18o46'51" (equinox 2000.0). Sakurai adds that nothing is visible at this location on an image taken on Apr. 9.8 (limiting magnitude 11.4). Nakano provides the following position end figures for his own measurement of Sakurai's discovery 'jpeg' image (uncertainty perhaps +/- 2"): 18s.47, 52".0. On Apr. 19.712, Nakano obtained his own unfiltered CCD frames of the new object (at mag 10.2) with a 0.25-m f/4.8 reflector, providing the position end figures 18s.19, 50".9 (but apparently involved with a nearby 12th-magnitude star). Nakano adds that K. Itagaki (Yamagata, Japan) obtained an unfiltered CCD image on Apr. 19.745 showing the new object at mag 9.8 and providing position, with Itagaki measuring position end figures 18s.27, 52".1; Itagaki adds that the closest star on the same frame has position end figures 18s.03, 46".1 (mag 12.1). Neither the USNO catalogue nor the Digitized Sky Survey indicates any precursor at the position of the new star. H. Yamaoka, Kyushu University, writes that, following posting of this object on the Central Bureau's unconfirmed-objects webpage, K. Haseda (Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan) has located several prediscovery images of the new star with a Canon EOS-5D digital camera (+ 120-mm-f.l. f/3.5 lens), providing the following estimated magnitudes: Apr. 7.780, [11.8; 12.792, 11.2; 13.793, 10.8; 14.777, 10.4. NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2007 CBAT 2007 April 19 (CBET 931) Gareth V. Williams