Nova Vulpeculae 2024.

[JeremyS]

I just put an announcement out to the BAA about this nova. I hope SGL members might be able to observe it……

It is not often that we have a relatively bright nova in the northern hemisphere, so I am sending this BAA Alert of the one recently discovered in the constellation of Vulpecula.

Nova Vul 2024 is currently 9th magnitude. Further details are in Gary Poyner's VSS Alert email below.

Location: RA 19 43 07.50 Dec +21 00 21.4  (J2000.0)

If you wish to observe this nova, you can produce finding charts to the scale and magnitude limit you prefer from the AAVSO chart plotter. Here is an example: 

https://apps.aavso.org/vsp/chart/?star=N+Vul+2024&orientation=visual&type=chart&fov=60.0&maglimit=14.0&resolution=150&north=up&east=left&dss=True&lines=True

It's very early on in the eruption, so we don't know what will happen next. Keep observing! There is a BAA Forum thread that will no doubt be updated as the eruption evolves.

Please submit any observations to the BAA VSS database. Images are also welcome (it is located in a rich field!) - the BAA Gallery is a good place to share them

Jeremy Shears

Director, Variable Star Section

From: baavss-alert@groups.io <baavss-alert@groups.io> on behalf of Gary Poyner 

Sent: 31 July 2024 08:17
To: Baavss Alert <baavss-alert@groups.io>
Subject: [baavss-alert] Nova Vul 2024

 

Discovered by the New MIlky Way survey on July 29.8 and announced on CBAT, ATel#16743  confirms it as a Classical Nova suffering from Galactic extinction. 

No announcements from AAVSO yet, although a chart and sequence are available using the designation PNV J19430751+2100204 or N Vul 2024.

 

Currently at magnitude 9.2CV   (AAVSO IDB)

Gary

 

-- 

------------------------------------------------------
Gary Poyner FRAS

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thanks for the heads up. I will certainly give this one a go in my big binoculars if the skies clear

[Wikiastro]

Fantastic - weather is looking reasonable, so may be able to get out and have a look at this.  I've just spotted your email as I was playing around downloading a bunch of VSS section charts.  I was planning on trying my hand at some visual variable observing.  This is serendipity at it's finest!

[John]

Exciting - I was observing that part of the sky the night before last but was unaware of the nova. Something to have a look at next time out 🙂

[JeremyS]

Image taken by someone today: https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20240731_135808_85400732e67d812d

[robin_astro]

My spectrum from last night

https://britastro.org/specdb/data_graph.php?obs_id=16646

There are the usual P Cygni shaped emission lines characteristic of  a nova and the fact that it is much brighter in the red than the blue indicates that it is very reddened by interstellar dust

Cheers

Robin

[John]

Might have a crack at this one tonight 🙂

 

Edited August 1 by John

[Wikiastro]

Yeah, chucked it down and was horrible here in Wakefield yesterday. Absolutely beautiful so far. Let’s have a go!

[John]

58 minutes ago, John said:

Might have a crack at this one tonight 🙂

 

But the clouds have a different plan apparently ......... 🤨

[John]

1 hour ago, John said:

But the clouds have a different plan apparently ......... 🤨

Clouds have relented. Pretty sure that I have got the nova with the 100mm refractor. If you can find that little kinked line of 4 stars (2 at mag 11 and 2 around mag 9.8) then the fainter pair point at the nova's position.

My estimate tonight for the nova is around magnitude 10.5 but I'm not experienced in these things so I'll wait for estimates from more experienced observers / imagers.

The photo posted by @JeremyS above was helpful in finding it visually as was Stellarium for getting to the little kinked line of stars. Start by finding 9 Vulpecula and then move slowly west to find the 4 stars in a kinked line (which is a small asterism). Not much else in that small part of the sky that will show in a 10cm aperture !

 

Edited August 1 by John

[JeremyS]

Nice job, John.

Btw another cracking image here: https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20240801_030006_4308a682629c00a7

[John]

1 minute ago, JeremyS said:

Nice job, John.

Btw another cracking image here: https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20240801_030006_4308a682629c00a7

That is wonderful !

Needless to say, my view at 150x with my 100mm Tak was "unhindered" by 95% of those fainter stars - which might make zeroing in on the nova easier !

 

[John]

Here are a couple of Stellarium screen shots (refractor view so N = top and E & W reversed) which might help find this nova. The 1st shows 9 and 12 Vulpec for the general location. The 2nd shows the close up view. 

 

 

Edited August 1 by John

[robin_astro]

The H alpha line is dominating the spectrum now. Here is the H alpha line profile radial velocity at high resolution showing the speed of the expanding fireball

[JeremyS]

Here’s an image I took through my Takahashi FS60 last night

[JeremyS]

The nova has now received the official variable star name of V615 Vul.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Just got it with my Celestron C8, from a dark site in southern France. Tried before from home with the 16x80 binoculars, but couldn't definitely be sure I spotted it. Now it was easy, especially with the photos supplied in this thread 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Had another go with the Helios LightQuest 16x80 mm binoculars, and under these conditions the nova was easily visible. That's nova number 6 under my belt.

[John]

Got nova V615 Vul again tonight, with the Tak FC100.

It seems to my eye to have dimmed a little since Thursday evening. I'd estimate around magnitude 11.3 compared to surrounding stars ?

In this crop of @JeremyS's image posted above, this evening I reckon the nova (indicated between the yellow lines by Jeremy) is now a touch fainter than the magnitude 11.10 star that I've indicated with the red arrow. It was clearly brighter than that star on Thursday night, visually as well as photographically.

Who knows what might happen to it next though 🙂

 

 

Edited August 3 by John

[Wyvern]

Seestar image from the early hours of this morning.

Les.

 

Edited August 4 by Wyvern

[Gfamily]

For anyone looking to use their SeeStar, here's the location in Sky Safari 6

 

[MalcolmP]

Thanks @JeremyS for the alert, something interesting to chase while we wait for T CrB to get it's act together

Herewith a 'late on parade' report of my obs. (real-life and a slow win7computer are to blame !)

A remarkably clear sky @11pm bst 1 Aug, enabled a nice constellation portrait of Sagita with Cr399/Coathanger upper right,  using my static DSLR with trusty 135mm lens (1960's vintage)

A pixelpeep/crop on a 2sec sub showed no sign of the nova. At mag9 it should have (just) been there with such a clear sky.
A quick stack of 10x2sec showed a disappointing smudge deep in the noise, position confirmed by a plate solve in astap. Estimated in the region of mag11  

No worry, set the interval timer to 200 and shoot away from time to time until it set into my trees in the west.
Of the 1095 exps obtained 1090 were (eventually! overnight) stacked.
More pixel poking resulted in a positive id  with a nearby m11.1 star (unnamed) in Stellarium as a comparison.
Top row pair in the second pic below.

Fast forward to 11pm bst 3Aug and a stack of only 800subs was obtained in a not-so-clear sky but good enough to show that the nova had already dimmed relative to the 11.1
Bottom row pair.

rclik on pics to open in a new tab to get larger,

 

 

 

 

[John]

Another peek at this nova with the 100mm refractor this evening.

Brightness seems similar to last nights observation. Visually it seems to me to be around mag 11.3 or maybe 11.4.

 

 

[robin_astro]

Even though the overall brightness is dropping, the H alpha emission  is  holding up well  and is dominating the spectrum in these flux calibrated spectra by David Boyd. 

https://britastro.org/specdb/data_graph.php?obs_id=16679%2C16676&multi=yes

A narrow band H alpha filter should show a nice contrast against the surrounding stars.

 

Cheers

Robin

[Mark at Beaufort]

I decided to try and view this Nova with my 90mm SvBony. I used John's recommendations and started with 9 and 12 Vulpec and used my 24mm StellaLyra 65 degree EP.

It was easy to see the small asterism and there it was. I then switch to my SvBony 3-8mm zoom to get a better view and also to try and and make an estimate of its magnification. 

I believe it was slightly less than the 11.1 star and I would put it at around 11.3.