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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2810      2012 Mar 28 09.06UT
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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NOVA OPHIUCHI 2012
Hideo Nishimura, Japan reports on CBET 3072 a possible nova (mag 12.1) 
on three 13-s frames (limiting mag 13.5) taken on 2012 Mar. 25.789 UT 
with a Canon 200-mm f/3.2 lens and a Canon EOS 5D at Gomyo, Kakegawa, 
Japan.  Nishimura notes that nothing is visible at this position on 
Digitized Sky Survey images or in the 2MASS catalogue.

The variable was designated PNV J17260708-2551454 when it was posted at 
the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage.  Additional reports:

  2012 UT            R.A. (2000.0) Decl.         Mag.    Observer(s)
  Mar. 20.784                                   [13.0    Kojima
       24.785                                    12.2    Kojima
       25.758                                    12.2    Kojima
       25.789     17h26m07s.08  -25d51'45".4     12.1    Nishimura
       26.752                                    12.7    Takao
       26.796                                    12.6    Nishimura
       27.421     17 26 07.02   -25 51 42.6      12.37V  Kiyota
       27.459     17 26 07.02   -25 51 42.5      12.6    Yusa
       27.5       17 26 07.02   -25 51 42.1      10.9    Guido et al.

Akira Arai and Mizuki Isogai, Koyama Astronomical Observatory report 
that they obtained low-resolution spectrograms with the
1.3-m Araki telescope at KAO on Mar. 27.74 UT.  The spectra show 
prominent emission in H_alpha with P-Cyg profiles on a highly reddened 
continuum.  H_beta, Fe II, and O I 777.4-nm are also visible.  The FWHM 
of the H_alpha emission is about 600 km/s.  These features suggest that 
the object is an "Fe II-type" classical nova.  The spectra are posted at 
the following website URL:
http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/~kao/blog/index.php/view/165.

Kazuyoshi Imamura, Okayama University of Science (OUS), reports that a 
spectrum of Mar. 27.836 UT using the 0.28-m Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope 
(+ DSS-7 spectrometer) suggests that the variable is a classical nova.

MASTER 161812.44+362852.8
In response to the discovery announcement on TA E-Circular 2809, Nick 
James, Chelmsford, England reports that he successfully imaged this 
object on March 27.92561 with a Celestron 11 (unfiltered) and derived a 
magnitude of R=16.1.

Andrea Pastorello et. al., Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Istituto 
Nazionale di Astrofisica reports on 'The Astronomer's Telegram 4005 
confirmation by obtaining a spectrum on Mar 27.13. This indicates it is 
a type Ia supernova and by adopting for the host galaxy a redshift z = 
0.02829 the comparison with a library of supernovae spectra via GELATO 
shows it similar to SN 2003du (Stanishev et al. 2007, A&A, 469, 645) 
close to the B-band maximum light. The expansion velocity deduced from 
the Si-II 635.5 nm minimum is about 10800 km/s.

SUPERNOVA 2012ak IN PGC 29010 (BRIGGS ET AL)
2012ak  Feb 21.20   10 01 27.20  +36 40 12.0  17.7   8.1"E,   4.0"S
L. Tomasella: spectrum Feb 25 young type-II supernova.

Guy M Hurst