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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1992      2004 Apr 22 13.25UT
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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V2574 OPHIUCHI = POSSIBLE NOVA IN OPHIUCHUS
Hitoshi Yamaoka, Kyushu University, reports the discovery of a possible 
nova (mag about 11.1) by Akira Takao (Kitakyushu, Japan) on unfiltered 
CCD images taken on Apr. 14.80 UT, the position given as RA 17h 39m 00s, 
DEC -23 28.5' (2000).  Nothing was visible at this location on his 
images taken on 2002 Mar. 18-2004 Mar. 31 (limiting mag 11.9). The 
object is also absent from an ASA-3 image of April 11.38UT to a limit of 
magnitude 13.5.

K Haseda, Japan also reports a pre-discovery on April 14.780UT at 
magnitude 10.9.

K. Itagaki, Japan, reports the following precise position from his 
unfiltered CCD image taken with a 0.60-m reflector on Apr. 15.684 (when 
the new object appeared at mag 10.2):
RA 17h 38m 45.49s DEC -23 28'18.5" (2000).
Nothing obvious appears near this position on the Digitised Sky Survey.

Andrew Pearce, Western Australia has e-mailed a note of his visual 
observation of 2004 April 16.803UT when the magnitude was estimated to 
be 10.7.

N. N. Samus, Institute of Astronomy, Moscow, advises that the 
designation V2574 Oph has been given to this nova.

Editor: The circular (IAUC 8323) did not arrive and a replacement has 
been obtained thus delaying this announcement.

IAUC 8324 carries a note by H. E. Bond, Space Telescope Science 
Institute that spectrograms (range 350-530 nm; resolution 0.4 nm) were 
obtained by A. Pasten with the SMARTS Consortium 1.5-m telescope at 
Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory on Apr. 16.25-16.27 UT.  The 
spectrum resembles that of an F supergiant, with strong absorption lines 
of Fe II and no obvious emission lines. The absorption lines are 
blueshifted by about -410 km/s. The object thus appears to be a slow 
classical nova caught near maximum
light.

Guy M Hurst