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Solar Observing Guide in Spanish

Thanks to the excellent work of our own Sebastián Otero, we now have a Spanish translation of the AAVSO Solar Observing Guide available for download free-of-charge. In addition to Spanish, this Guide is also available in French and German (and soon Italian).

If you would like to translate the AAVSO Solar Observing Guide or any of the other AAVSO observing manuals or guides into your own native language, please contact AAVSO staff member Sara Beck.

AAVSO Alert Notice 616: Nova Sco 2018 No. 2 = PNV J16484962-4457032

February 13, 2018

Event: Nova in Scorpius: Nova Sco 2018 No. 2 = PNV J16484962-4457032

Discovered by: Hideo Nishimura (Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken, Japan, reported by S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, via CBET 4488)

Discovery magnitude: unfiltered CCD magnitude 11.7 (on five frames using a Canon EOS 6D digital camera+200-mm-f.l. f/3.2 lens)

Discovery date: 2018 February 6.863 UT
 
Coordinates (2000.0): R.A. 16 48 49.62  Decl. -44 57 03.2

Alert Notice 615: ASASSN-18ca = PNV J00423439+4044255 - Probable Nova in M31

February 12, 2018

Event: Probable Nova in M31: ASASSN-18ca = PNV J00423439+4044255

Discovered independently by:
- Koichi Itagaki (Yamagata, Japan; reported via CBAT TOCP)
- All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) (reported by J. Brimacombe et al. in ATel #11275)

Alert Notice 614 : Monitoring of GW Lib to support XMM-Newton observation

February 12, 2018: Dr. Koji Mukai (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and colleagues have requested AAVSO observations of the WZ Sge type dwarf nova GW Lib in support of observations with the ESA XMM-Newton spaceobservatory scheduled for

2018 February 17  05:46:41 - 21:36:41 UT

Alert Notice 613: Nova Cir 2018 - PNV J13532700-6725110 [FM Cir]

January 31, 2018

Event: Nova in Circinus  -  Nova Cir 2018 = PNV J13532700-6725110  [FM Cir]

Discovered by: John Seach (Chatsworth Island, NSW, Australia)

Discovery magnitude: 9.1 unfiltered CCD (on three images, using DSLR with 50 mm f/1.2 lens)

Alert Notice 612: Nova Sco 2018 - PNV J17180658-3204279

January 31, 2018

Event: Nova in Scorpius  -  Nova Sco 2018 = PNV J17180658-3204279

Discovered by: Hideo Nishimura (Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken, Japan), reported by S. Nakano (Sumoto, Japan)

Discovery magnitude: unfiltered CCD magnitude 11.0 (three 10-second images using DSLR with 200-mm f/3.2 lens)

Discovery date: 2018 January 17.869 UT
 
Coordinates (2000.0): R.A. 17 18 06.37  Decl. -32 04 27.7 (from VSX)

LPV of the Month February, 2018

Z Tauri

Z Tau is an interesting Mira that has been observed by AAVSO observers and members since 1904.  Nearly 6,000 observations are in the AID from over 400 different observers as can be seen in the light curve shown below which displays all observations in the AID.  It is not one of the Legacy LPV Program stars, however there is a good reason why it deserves some special attention! 

Alert Notice 611: Flaring of Blazar 3C 279

January 26, 2018: AAVSO member/observer Adolfo Darriba (Madrid, Spain) informs us that Dr. Dave Thompson, Multiwavelength Coordinator for the Large Area Telescope (LAT) of NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Telescope, on behalf of the Fermi LAT Collaboration has called for observations of the blazar 3C 279, which is undergoing a major gamma-ray flare.