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October 30, 2015: Dr. Peter Kuin (Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London) and colleagues in the Swift Nova group have requested AAVSO observers' assistance in multicolor monitoring of V5668 Sgr (Nova Sgr 2015 No. 2, see AAVSO Alert Notices 512, 519) in support of an upcoming spectroscopic observation with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).

A Greek translation of The AAVSO DSLR Observing Manual is now available for download.

Many thanks to Mr. Stelios Kleidis for his tremendous volunteer effort in creating this excellent translation.

October 20, 2015: The AAVSO requests time-series observations of the enigmatic variable object KIC 8462852 beginning immediately and continuing through at least the end of the current observing season. The star is relatively bright (V=11.88) and shows aperiodic dips of a few tenths of a magnitude, the causes of which are unknown. The object is not known to be a close binary or a young stellar object, and there are no other typical indicators of circumstellar material such as infrared emission.

The planets are gathering on Friday, October 23rd to remind you that early registration for the AAVSO Annual meeting gathering in November ENDS the same day!

Also, if you are planning to give a talk or present a poster, please send your abstracts by Friday as well.

Everything you need to know about the meeting being held November 12-14 as well as registration and abstract submission forms can be found on this page:

https://www.aavso.org/apps/meetings/Fall2015/

Thanks to the hard work of volunteer Stelios Kleidis, the Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars is now available in Greek!

You can download individual chapters or the entire Manual here.

If you know of anyone who may benefit from this translation, please spread the word!

The September Solar Bulletin is now available. Please visit the Solar Bulletin web page to download your copy:

http://www.aavso.org/solar-bulletin

The September SID Data report is available here: www.aavso.org/sid-database

October 14, 2015

Event: Nova Oph 2015 No. 2 = TCP J17344775-2409042

Independent discovery by:  
 - Koichi Nishiyama (Kurume, Japan) and Fujio Kabashima (Miyaki, Japan)
 - Shigehisa Fujikawa (Kan'onji, Kagawa, Japan)

Discovery magnitude:
 - Nishiyama and Kabashima: 11.8 unfiltered (CCD, using a 135-mm f/4 camera lens (+FLI 09000 camera))
 - Fujikawa: 12.1 unfiltered (CCD using a MINOLTA F 3.5 f 120mm lens)

October 8, 2015

Event: Nova Aquilae 2015 = ASASSN 15-qd = PNV J19215012+1509248

Independent discovery by:  
 - Koichi Itagaki (Teppo-cho, Yamagata, Japan), reported by S. Nakano (Sumoto, Japan) (via CBET 4147)
 - All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), reported by B. J. Shappee (Hubble Fellow, Carnegie Observatories) et al.

October 2, 2015:  Further to AAVSO Alert Notice 511, issued in March 2015, Dr. George Rieke (University of Arizona) and colleagues' campaign to monitor planetary debris disks for variability using the Spitzer Space Telescope continues. AAVSO observations are requested to rule out variability of the stars themselves.

The second segment of observations of the four targets takes place from now into January 2016 according to the schedule below.