2008CBET.1632....1K

M. M. Kasliwal, S. B. Cenko, R. Quimby, A. Rau, E. O. Ofek, and S. R. Kulkarni, California Institute of Technology, report the discovery on a CCD image taken with the Palomar 1.5-m reflector on Dec. 3.303 UT of an optical transient (magnitude g = 20.5 ± 0.1) located at R.A. = 9h55m16s.920, Decl. = +69o02'17".68 (equinox 2000.0), which is 87" west and 97" south of the nucleus of M81. Nothing was visible to limiting g magnitude 22.3 on an image taken in their "Palomar 60-inch Fast Transients In Nearby Galaxies" survey on Nov. 30.410. Follow-up spectroscopy with the Double Beam Spectrograph on the Palomar Hale telescope showed a featureless spectrum on Dec. 4 and 5. Spectroscopy with the Gemini North telescope on Dec. 16 revealed prominent H-alpha and other emission features (e.g., Fe II, O I) resembling an "Fe-class" classical nova. Additional g-band magnitudes: Dec. 6.301, 20.2; 10.280, 21.2.

Kamil Hornoch, Ondrejov Observatory, reports his independent discovery of this apparent nova on a co-added 3690-s unfiltered CCD frame taken with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov on Dec. 9.164 UT; the new object is not visible on single 90-s images used for the co-added image. Hornoch's position for the nova is R.A. = 9h55m16s.79, Decl. = +69o02'17".4, which is 88" west and 98" south of the center of M81. Nothing is visible at this position on numerous archive images taken at Ondrejov, including limiting R-band magnitudes of 21.8-21.9 on Feb. 11.788 and Oct. 31.167.