Electronic Telegram No. 2003
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 NOVA IN M31:  M31N 2009-11a
     Koichi Nishiyama, Kurume, Fukuoka-ken, Japan; and Fujio Kabashima,
Miyaki-cho, Saga-ken, Japan, report the discovery of an apparent nova (mag
17.8) on seven 40-s unfiltered CCD frames (limiting magnitude 19.3) taken
around Nov. 3.559 UT using a 0.40-m f/9.8 reflector; it brightened to mag
17.6 by Nov. 4.466.  The new object, designated M31N 2009-11a, is located at
R.A. = 0h43m04s.76 +/- 0s.01, Decl. = +41o41'08".2 +/- 0".2 (equinox 2000.0),
which is 231" east and 1499" north of the center of the galaxy M31.  Nothing
is visible at this position on their past frames taken on Oct 29.606 and
30.782 (limiting mag 19.0) or on the Digitized Sky Survey red and infrared
images.
     V. Burwitz, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik and
Observatorio Astronomico de Mallorca (OAM); J. Rodriguez, OAM; S. Holmes,
U. Kolb, and R. Lucas, The Open University (OU), write that fifteen stacked
60-s R-filter images obtained with the 0.35-cm f/11 OU/OAM PIRATE Schmidt-
Cassegrain telescope (+ SBIG STL-1001E CCD camera) at Costitx, Mallorca, on
Nov. 3.865 show the presumed nova at magnitude R = 17.6 (photometric
solution using R magnitudes of the USNO-B 1.0 catalogue).  They also
provide position end figures 04s.79, 08".0.


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2009 CBAT
2009 November 4                  (CBET 2003)              Daniel W. E. Green