1713-27 NOVA OPHIUCHI 2003
The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
(Central Bureau Electronic Telegram 29, preliminary announcement from
forthcoming IAU Circular) informed us that Akira Takao, Kitakyushu, Japan, discovered
a nova in Ophiuchus on unfiltered CCD images taken July 10.598 and July
16.523 UT at magnitudes 11.4 and 11.2, respectively, using a 120-mm f/4
telephoto lens. This nova is past maximum and has appeared in images taken
by various observers since at least March 21, 2003 (see below).
For more details, please consult AAVSO Newsflash #1200.
The following AAVSO charts are now available for observing this nova. Thank you to Mike Simonsen and Mati Morel for creating these 'd' and 'e' scale charts.
'd' scale
Reversed 'd' scale
'd' scale with north up
'e' scale
Reversed 'e' scale
'e' scale with north up
Please use these charts to observe the nova, and report your observations
of 1713-27 N Oph 03 to AAVSO Headquarters. Be sure to indicate which chart(s)
and comparison stars you used to make your estimates.
Here is a link to a web page of spectra by André Rondi, Sylvain Rondi, Valérie Desnoux, and Christian Buil.
Images and spectrum of N Oph 03
 |
Click image to enlarge.
Nova Oph 2003. CCDV image by Doug West taken July 18.115 |
Description of N Oph 03 Spectrum
The low-resolution spectrum of Nova Oph 2003 was taken by Doug West in
Mulvane, KS on 07/18/2003 3:00 UT. The spectrum was extracted from a stack
of four 30 second exposures. The equipment forming the low-resolution
spectrometer consists of a 0.2 m SCT + SBIG ST-9E CCD camera + Rainbow
Optics Grating. MIRA and custom software are used to reduce the spectrum.
The wavelength accuracy is approximately +/- 21 Angstrom. The
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the spectrum is greater than 2 and peaks
at 6500 Angstrom with SNR = 12. The low SNR is a result of the faintness
of the nova, V=11.42. The only discernable feature in the spectrum is the
H alpha emission. This is the classical signature of a nova. The broad H
alpha peak is probably a combination of H alpha emission at 6562.8 and N
II at 6583.4 and 6548.1 Angstrom.
Additional information about low-resolution spectroscopy can be found in
the April 2002 edition of CCD Views or at
http://members.aol.com/dwest61506/page50.html.
Images of N Oph 03
Spectrum of N Oph 03
