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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2731      2011 Apr 14 13.27UT
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      Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
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T PYXIDIS OUTBURST
An e-mail from Mike Linnolt, USA today reported his observation of T
Pyxidis in outburst and the brightest he has ever seen it. It was
detected by him at visual magnitude 13.0 on 2011 April 14.2931 and,
according to an AAVSO Alert Notice by Matthew Templeton, confirmed by A.
Plummer at visual magnitude 12.2 (JD 2455665.8847) and S. Kerr mv 11.3,
(JD 2455665.9410).  This is the first outburst of T Pyx since December
7, 1966, nearly 45 years.  Observations of this recurrent novae are
clearly desirable.

T Pyx is located at the following coordinates:
        RA 09h 04m 41.5s DEC -32 22' 47.4" (2000)

Charts for T Pyx may be plotted using the AAVSO's VSP
        http://www.aavso.org/vsp
Please use the current chart which has the most up-to-date comparison
star magnitudes.

This object has been the subject of numerous papers, more recently a
lengthy discussion by Bradley Schaefer in 2009. The accretion rate has
been in decline since the 1890 outburst. T Pyx could eventually enter a
state of hibernation, lasting according to Schaefer, for an estimated
2,600,000 years, before gravitational radiation brings the system into
contact again. Thus, T Pyx has an evolutionary cycle going from an
ordinary CV state, to its current RN state, to a future hibernation
state, and then repeating this cycle. The full preprint can be accessed
at:
http://arxiv.org/abs/0906.0933v1

Leavitt studied outbursts on old plates and, coupled with more recent
outbursts, the object has been as bright as magnitude 6.2 and as faint
as magnitude 15.7 (latter measured in 2009).

Images and photometry would be welcomed by the editor.

Guy M Hurst