Circular No. 8069

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions) BMARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or DGREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science) URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)

POSSIBLE NOVA IN M81

Weisz and Li also report a possible nova found on unfiltered KAIT images from Feb. 9.4 (mag about 17.8) and 10.4 UT (mag about 17.9), with a hint of the new object on Feb. 6.4. The new object is located at R.A. = 9h55m48s.59, Decl. = +69o03'04".3 (equinox 2000.0), which is 82".6 east and 50".8 south of the nucleus of M81 (= NGC 3031). A KAIT image taken on Jan. 29.4 showed nothing at this position (limiting mag about 19.5). Weisz and Li add: "At the distance of M81 (3.6 Mpc; Freedman et al. 1994, Ap.J. 427, 628), the object has an absolute magnitude of about -10, which is extremely bright for a nova. Spectroscopic observations are thus encouraged for the object."

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