Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3350: NOVALIKE OBJECT IN Vul
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Circular No. 3350
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM Telephone 617-864-5758
NOVALIKE OBJECT IN VULPECULA
S. Mochnacki, Hale Observatories, California Institite of
Technology, reports spectroscopic observations of Kuwano's novalike
object (IAUC 3344). Coude scans at 1-A resolution with the Varo-RETICON
detector on the Mount Wilson 250-cm telescope were taken on
Apr. 13.50 and 13.51 UT (H-alpha and H-beta regions, respectively) and on
Apr. 14.54 UT in the H-alpha region. H-alpha shows a very sharp P-Cyg
profile, with the absorption displaced ~ 50 km/s blueward from the
emission. H-beta resembles a classical Be shell star profile, with a
sharp absorption core in the bottom of a dish 20 A wide and 30
percent deep. Some emission is seen blueward of the core. Other
absorption lines are seen, including the Si II red doublet 6347-6371 A.
The object is tentatively identified with a reddish star on
the Palomar Sky Survey at R.A. = 20h18m59s.3, Decl. = +21o24'59" (+/- 10";
equinox 1950.0) with mv ~ 13. The object may be a slow nova
observed near maximum light.
M. Schmidt and R. Green, Hale Observatories, also report
spectroscopy of the object. On Apr. 19.5 UT the spectrum (resolution
12 A) between 3600 and 6700 A showed sharp hydrogen absorption
lines visible to H11. The visual magnitude was estimated at 8.2 +/-
0.3. They confirm the identification by Mochnacki and the suggestion
that the object may be a recurrent nova or a previously unknown
dwarf nova.
K. Ishida, Y. Yamashita and K. Nariai, Tokyo Astronomical
Observatory, write that this peculiar object may be an exceptionally
slow nova. The precise position measured by T. Noguchi from an
exposure with the 105-cm Schmidt telescope at Kiso is R.A. = 20h19m01s.08,
Decl. = +21o24'43".1 (equinox 1950.0). The brightness was U = 9.6, B =
9.3, V = 9.1 on Apr. 10.77 and U = 9.6, B = 9.2, V = 8.9 on Apr.
10.79 UT. Spectrograms obtained on 103a-O emulsion by Y. Norimoto
with the 91-cm reflector at the Okayama Station show normal A4-type
features without emission lines on Apr. 11.8 and 12.8 UT, while a
spectrogram (4o prism) obtained on IN emulsion (Schott RG695 filter)
by Ishida with the 105-cm Schmidt on 1978 Sept. 6.59 UT shows M4-type
features. The object has recently brightened up as follows:
1951 July 8, B ~ 16, R ~ 15 (Palomar Sky Survey); 1954 Sept. 19, B >
17 (Lick Observatory Atlas); 1968 June 28, B > 13 (Vehrenberg Atlas);
1978 Aug. 2, B > 11.5 (Y. Kuwano); 1978 Aug. 19.59 UT, I ~ 8
(105-cm Schmidt); 1978 Dec. 26.38 UT, V = 9.6 (105-cm Schmidt).
1979 April 24 (3350) Brian G. Marsden
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