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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1685      2001 Sep 07 19.21UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise,  Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074
INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK             GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
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NOVA SAGITTARII 2001 No. 3
Independent discoveries of an apparent new nova have been received
from A. J. S. Pereira, Carnaxide, Portugal, and from W.Liller, Vina
del Mar, Chile.  Pereira's visual discovery was made on Sept. 5.846
UT with 14x100 binoculars, when he estimated the object's magnitude
as 7.0 and noted its strong orange color; Liller found the object
at mag 10.0 on a pair of Kodak Technical Pan photographs taken
through an orange filter on Sept. 3.979, with a confirming CCD
image on Sept. 6.039 showing the star at broadband V = 7.27
(through clouds).  Liller provides the following position for the
nova:  R.A. = 18h11m45s.82 +/- 0s.06, Decl. = -30o30'49".9
+/- 2".1 (2000).  Pereira notes that nothing was seen at this
position to m_v about 8.5 on Sept. 4.8, and to mag 8.0-8.5 on Sept.
1.8 and 2.8.  Liller adds that a low-dispersion CCD prism
spectrogram obtained of the new nova through clouds shows a strong
continuum and only weak H-alpha emission estimated to be 20 percent
brighter than the surrounding continuum.  A. Hale, Cloudcroft, NM,
reports that a CCD image taken on Sept. 6.1 yields position end
figures 46s.01, 50".9.  Additional visual magnitude estimates:
Sept. 5.868, 7.0 (Pereira); 5.880, 6.9 (Pereira); 5.898, 7.0
(Pereira); 5.904, 6.8 (Pereira); 5.928, 6.9 (Pereira); 6.026, 6.9
(D. W. E. Green, Carlisle, MA); 6.13, 7.0 (Hale).
IAUC 7706

Guy M Hurst