2008CBET.1591....1L

W. Liller, Vina del Mar, Chile, reports his discovery of an apparent nova (mag approximately 8.0) on two photographs taken with Tech Pan film and an orange filter on Nov. 29.040 UT; the variable was also present on Nov. 23.037 at approximate magnitude 10.3 but was not visible (mag > 11.0) on Nov. 20.035. The new object is located at R.A. = 18h22m.0, Decl. = -28d03' (equinox 2000.0). Liller adds that a pair of objective-grating spectrograms (yielding 44.0 nm/mm at H-alpha) taken on Nov. 30.013 clearly shows that the variable has a very strong H-alpha emission with a FWHM of approximately 2500 km/s, quite typical of a classical nova several days after peak brightness. Because of the low altitude (about 17 degrees) of the variable suspect at the time of observation, the extinction in the blue-green portion of the spectra amounted to an estimated two magnitudes; for this reason, as well as to eliminate overlapping orders, an orange filter was used (with Tech Pan film). No other lines were visible. A direct photograph (orange filter, Tech Pan film) taken at Nov. 29.999 shows that the apparent nova's approximate magnitude was 7.8, virtually unchanged from that of the discovery image. Note that the new object is located 1.4 arcminutes south-southeast of the tenth-magnitude star GSC 6852-3160.