2002IAUC.7970....2H

K. Hornoch, Lelekovice, Czech Republic, reports his discovery, on R-band CCD images taken on Aug. 4.013 UT, of an apparent nova (mag 17.0) located at R.A. = 0h42m30s.9, Decl. = +41o06'13" (equinox 2000.0). Nothing is present at this position to mag 20.5 on red Digitized Sky Survey images from 1986 and 1989. Additional R magnitudes from Hornoch ('K' denotes photometry from exposures by P. Kusnirak at Ondrejov): 2001 Aug. 16.958, 17.9? (hint or flaw at the limit); 2002 Aug. 17.952, 17.1; 25.859, 18.1; 26.850, 18.0 (K); 30.007, 18.5 (K); 30.867, 18.6; 31.061, 18.6 (K); Sept. 2.951, 18.7. R. J. Foley, S. Jha, M. Papenkova, and A. V. Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley, report that CCD spectra (range 310-1000 nm), obtained on Sept. 14 UT with the Shane 3-m reflector at Lick Observatory, show that this object is indeed a nova, with prominent hydrogen Balmer emission lines and some evidence for weak Fe II emission. Most striking, however, is the unusually strong O I 844.6-nm emission (generally a fluorescence line); its intensity is about 50 percent that of H-alpha.