May 5, 2008: Dr. Paula Szkody (University of Washington) and collaborators have requested our help in monitoring the cataclysmic variable RE J1255+266 for upcoming Hubble Space Telescope observations. Dr. Szkody requests nightly monitoring of this source beginning immediately, and continuing through 2008 May 15 UT.
RE J1255+266 is located at RA 12:55:10.80, Dec +26:42:27.0 (J2000)
May 16, 2008 : Dr. Steve Howell (NOAO) requests monitoring of a subset of the known and suspected tremendous outburst amplitude dwarf novae (TOADs) in support of Spitzer Space Telescope observations of these objects. Observers are asked to increase their monitoring of the objects in the table below in support of this campaign. We note that several of these objects -- notably the WZ Sge stars WZ Sge, GW Lib, and V455 And -- are not expected to superoutburst during the next year, but observations are still encouraged in case they exhibit unexpected behavior.
May 27, 2008
Event: Nova in Ophiuchus
Discovered By: independently by several Japanese observers using unfiltered CCDs:
-- K. Nishiyama, Kurume, Fukuoka-ken, and F. Kabashima, Miyaki-cho, Saga-ken
-- H. Nishimura, Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken
-- K. Haseda, Toyohashi, Aichi; via H. Yamaoka, Kyushu University
Discovery Date: 2008 May 25 (JD 2454612)
Discovery Magnitude: approximately 10.2 (visual estimate)
June 2, 2008
Event: Second (Possible) Nova in Ophiuchus in 2008 - N OPH 2008 NO. 2
Discovered By: K. Nishiyama, Kurume, Fukuoka-ken, Japan, and F. Kabashima, Miyaki-cho, Saga-ken, Japan
Discovery Date: May 31.608 and 31.609 UT
Discovery Magnitude: unfiltered CCD magnitude 11.3 (two 30-s CCD frames using a 105-mm f/5.6 camera lens)
August 31, 2008 : Further to AAVSO Special Notice #121, we urgently request visual
observations and instrumental photometry of the outbursting symbiotic variable star CI Cygni, beginning immediately (2008 August 31; JD 2454710) and continuing for at least the next several weeks as the outburst evolves.
September 6, 2008
Event: Nova in Scorpius
Discovered By: K. Nishiyama (Kurume, Fukuoka-ken, Japan) and F. Kabashima (Miyaki-cho, Saga-ken, Japan); Y. Sakurai (Mito, Ibaraki-ken, Japan); and Guoyou Sun (Qufu, Shandong, China) and Xing Gao (Urumqi, Xinjiang, China)
Discovery Date: 2008 September 02.4594 UTC (JD 2454711.9594)
Discovery Magnitude: m = 9.5 (unfiltered)
Position: RA = 17h 57m 32.93s , Dec = -30d 43m 10.1s (from Nishiyama and Kabashima)
