AAVSO Alert Notice

October 19, 2016: Dr. Edward Sion (Villanova University) has requested AAVSO observers' assistance in monitoring the recurrent nova CI Aql in support of observations with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph scheduled for October 31 - November 2, 2016, and November 3 - November 5, 2016. These observations are part of a study on short orbital period recurrent novae as Supernovae Type Ia progenitors.

October 17, 2016

Event: Nova in the Small Magellanic Cloud (Tucana)

Discovered by: the MASTER-OAFA auto-detection system (reported by V. Shumkov (Lomonosov Moscow State University) et al. in ATel #9621)

Discovery magnitude: 10.9 unfiltered CCD

October 4, 2016: Dr. Ashley Pagnotta (Louisiana State University) has requested AAVSO assistance in monitoring the recurrent nova V2487 Oph in order to catch and observe its next outburst.

October 4, 2016: In AAVSO Alert Notice 554 the star was inadvertently referred to as V420 Oph in the sections creating charts and reporting observations.

Charts with a comparison star sequence for V420 Aur may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (VSP).

Please submit observations to the AAVSO International Database using the name V420 AUR.

Coordinates for V420 Aur (2000.0): R.A. 05 22 35.23  Dec. +37 40 33.6

Note added October 4, 2016: In the original version of this Alert Notice, V420 Aur was referred to as V420 Oph in the sections on creating charts and reporting observations. Also, the range was given as V=7.15-7.35  when the correct value is V=7.35-7.51. The text below has been corrected. Apologies to the PI's for the error.

September 27, 2016

Event: Nova in Lupus   [V407 Lup]

Discovered by: All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) (K. Stanek (Ohio State University) et al., ATel #9538; reported to CBAT via J. Strader (Michigan State University))

Discovery magnitude: 9.11 V +/- 0.01, using ASAS-SN robotic 14-cm telescopes

Discovery date: 2016 September 24.010 UT
 
Coordinates (2000.0): R.A. 15 29 01.82  Dec. -44 49 40.9

September 20, 2016 : Dr. Kirill Sokolovsky (National Observatory of Athens and Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University), has requested AAVSO assistance in monitoring the ongoing microlensing event Gaia16aye beginning immediately to catch transient behavior occurring now and continuing through the end of October (or until further notice).

Note added September 27, 2016: Dr. Reynolds adds the following: "Visual observations would be useful in setting a baseline and understanding how variable the source is in a relative sense at the time of our HST observation."

September 20, 2016: Dr. Mark Reynolds (University of Michigan) and colleagues have requested AAVSO assistance in monitoring the cataclysmic variable GDS_J1701281-430612 in support of HST/COS observations scheduled for early October.

September 13, 2016

OJ 287

S. Zola (Jagiellonian University) et al. (ATel #9489) report that the BL Lac object OJ 287 has emerged from conjunction optically very bright and increasing in brightness, according to their observations made at Mt. Suhora Observatory in August and September 2016.

Their observations and recent observations of this blazar in the AAVSO International Database include:

September 9, 2016:

Event: Nova in Scorpius  [V1656 Sco]

Discovered by:  
- Shigehisa Fujikawa (Kan'onji, Kagawa, Japan; reported to CBAT via M. Soma (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo))
- All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) (K. Z. Stanek et al., ATel #9469, published September 7; reported to CBAT via L. Chomiuk (Michigan State University))