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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 3125      2015 Nov 25 06:00UT
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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APPARENT NOVA IN M31 (PNV J00433852+4128026)
On 2015 November 23 we received a report from George Carey,
Bromsgrove, UK, of an optical transient detected in M31 at
RA 00h 43m 38.46s, Dec +41d 28' 03.13". The transient was visible on
two 600s patrol images obtained using a 0.20-m, f/6 Newtonian and QSI
683 camera on 2015 November 22.7562. Nothing was visible in this position
on similar images taken on November 20, 13 and October 7 and October 2.

The TA team confirmed that no objects were visible in this location on
DSS and SDSS images and that there were no candidates in SIMBAD. We
then contacted Kamil Hornoch (Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech
Republic) to ask for confirmation. On the evening on November 23 we
received confirmation that this object had been independently detected
by Hornoch and Kucakova (Astronomical Institute, Charles U., Prague,
Czech Republic) using the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov. The object was
visible in a co-added 900-s R-band CCD frame taken on 2015 Nov. 22.718 UT.

The object designated PNV J00433852+4128026 is located at R.A. = 0h43m38s.52,
Decl. = +41o28'02".6 (equinox 2000.0), which is 610.1" east and 714.1"
north of the centre of M31.

Hornoch reports the following R-band magnitudes on ATEL #8327:

2015 Nov. 16.691 UT, [20.4; 22.718, 17.6 +/- 0.1; 22.756, 17.1 +/- 0.15
(unfiltered, R-band magnitudes used from comparison stars).

Congratulations to George on this first discovery.

Nick James