------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1958 2004 Jan 01 19.58UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- POSSIBLE NOVA IN MESSIER 31 Martin Mobberley, Cockfield, England (IAU 480) e-mailed us on 2003 Dec 19 to report the discovery of an apparent nova (magnitude 16.7) on unfiltered CCD images taken on 2003 Dec 18.767UT with a 0.35-m reflector in the course of the U.K. Nova/ Supernova Patrol. The new object is located at RA 00h 43m 04.99s DEC +41 12'21.67" (2000), which is approximately 240" east and 215" south of the centre of Messier 31. It is close to the nova mentioned on TA E-Circular 1952 and found by M. Fiaschi but a different object. Indeed the image by Martin shows both objects. Mark Armstrong, Rolvenden, England reports a pre-discovery image on Dec 17.895 with a 0.35-m reflector. The suspect appears as a magnitude 18 object in Mark's image. The object is absent from M31 master images by Tom Boles, Coddenham, England, with a 0.35-m reflector, taken on 2002 September 28 (limiting mag 20.0) and, more recently, on Mark's master of 2003 Aug 8 (also limiting mag 20.0). It is not present on POSS 2 UKSTU red or blue plates. The editor notes that the object is not included in the listing of extra-galactic variables of M31 in GCVS V. It is also noted to be absent from an image in the famous paper by Hubble and Sandage in Astrophysical Journal Vol 118 p353-361 of November 1953 which discussed the super-luminous variables in M31. By coincidence the plate they published to discuss variable 19 (later designated AF And) also covers the field of the latest suspect. There are stars shown on the earlier published image which are fainter than in the discovery picture by Martin. We offer congratulations to Martin on this discovery. If spectroscopically confirmed, it will be the seventh nova found by members of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol and the second (after Tom Boles' discovery announced on E-Circular 1924) to be discovered in another galaxy. Guy M Hurst