V407 Cyg

Special Notice #201: Outburst of the symbiotic star V407 Cyg

March 12, 2010: Further to Maehara et al. (CBET 2199, D.W.E. Green, editor), the presumed symbiotic star V407 Cyg appears to be undergoing a very bright outburst, well outside of its previous range. This outburst was discovered independently by the team of K. Nishiyama (Fukuoka, Japan) and F. Kabashima (Saga, Japan), and by T. Kojima (Tsumagoi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma-ken, Japan). Nishiyama and Kabashima observed the star at an unfiltered magnitude of 6.8 on 2010 March 10.813 (JD 2455266.313) and magnitude 6.9 on 2010 March 10.814 (2455266.814).

Special Notice #202: Classical nova event in V407 Cyg

March 14, 2010: Further to Munari et al. (CBET 2204, D.W.E. Green, editor), the presumed symbiotic star V407 Cyg is exhibiting spectral features clearly indicating a classical nova of the He/N type. This strongly suggests that the white dwarf component of the system is currently undergoing a nova outburst rather than a symbiotic-type outburst. The spectral evolution of this nova may be very fast given the likely large mass loss rate of the Mira-type donor star. We urgently request observations of V407 Cyg to provide photometric coverage of this unique event.

Alert Notice 419: Nova eruption in V407 Cyg

March 15, 2010: According to CBET 2199, 2204, and 2205, the suspected symbiotic star V407 Cyg has been observed in an anomalously bright outburst, and subsequent spectroscopic observations by multiple observers show clear signs of a classical nova. Observations of this anomalous event are requested immediately, and observers are asked to continue observing this object until it returns to its previous quiescent level.