Circular No. 7794

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
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NOVAE IN M31

Independent discoveries of three apparent novae in M31 have been received from M. Fiaschi,
F. Di Mille, and R. Cariolato, Astronomical Observatory 'G. Colombo', Padua, and from B. Swift
and W. D. Li, University of California at Berkeley. The Padua images were taken with a 0.41-m
reflector through H-alpha and R filters, while the unfiltered Berkeley images were taken in the
course of the LOTOSS (cf. IAUC 7514) with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT).
The table gives the Padua positions, offsets, and discovery magnitudes:

2002 UT            R.A. (2000.0) Decl.   H_alpha      R          Offset
Jan. 13.77     0 42 33.79    +41 18 23.7    15.7        18.4    157" W, 135" N
Jan. 13.77     0 42 41.38    +41 16 24.6    14.6        17.3    43" W, 16" N
Jan. 13.77     0 42 52.83    +41 15 10.6    15.9        18.3    128" E, 58" S

On Jan. 14.78 UT, the H-alpha magnitudes for the respective apparent novae were 16.0, 14.7,
and 16.1; nothing was visible at these locations in Padua H-alpha images (FWHM 6.3 nm) taken
on 2001 Sept. 15 (limiting mag 17.5). KAIT position end figures (with offsets) and magnitudes for
each of the three apparent supernovae on 2002 Jan. 12.1 and 13.1 are: 33s.94, 24".0 (118" west,
135" north), about 17.5; 41s.26, 24".2 (33" west, 16" north), about 18.0; 52s.75, 10".8 (97" east,
58" south) about 17.5. None of the three new stars was visible on KAIT images taken on 2001
Dec. 19.2 (limiting mag about 19.0).

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