2003IAUC.8204....1B

N. J. Brown, Quinns Rocks, W. Australia, reports his discovery of a possible nova (mag 9.2) on T-Max 400 film exposed with a 135-mm f/2 camera lens on Sept. 17.52 UT, providing a position of R.A. = 18h10m13s, Decl. = -27o45'39" (equinox 2000.0). On Sept. 18.43, Brown estimated visual mag 8.8. H. Yamaoka, Kyushu University, reports that the new star appears at V about 10.7 on an ASAS-3 CCD frame taken on Sept. 16.07 (though its image is merged with that of two neighboring stars). J. D. West, Mulvane, KS, reports the following precise position from four CCD V images (which yielded V = 8.98 ± 0.03, R_c = 8.49 ± 0.05, and [H_alpha] = 1.80 ± 0.03 for the nova on Sept. 19.085): R.A. = 18h10m10s.42, Decl. = -27o45'35".2 (± 0".17). West adds that nothing is located at this position on a SERC V plate taken in 1987. W. Liller, Vina del Mar, Chile, reports that a grating spectrum (dispersion 0.78 nm/pixel) shows a prominent H_alpha emission (FWHM = 550 km/s) with a peak approximately 2.3 times brighter than the surrounding continuum; a narrow P-Cyg absorption appears to be present and shifted 590 km/s towards the blue. CCD magnitudes from Liller (through thin cirrus): Sept. 19.104, V = 8.91 ± 0.05; 19.106, B = 9.79 ± 0.15. Nothing is visible to mag 11.5 on a red film taken by Liller on Sept. 13.12.