2008IAUC.8931....1B

Nicholas J. Brown, Quinns Rocks, Western Australia, reports his discovery of a possible nova (mag 9.2) on two T-Max 400 films taken on Apr. 1.73 UT with a 135-mm f/2 camera lens, giving the variable's position approximately as R.A. = 16h18m47s, Decl. = -60o27'57" (equinox 2000.0; uncertainty estimated as about 10"); Brown adds that no star is visible at this position on his film from Mar. 16.76 (limiting mag 11.5), and nothing is visible to mag about 14 in this position on the Digitized Sky Survey. A catalogued star of mag 13.5-14.0 is visible to the northwest of the variable. Brown's visual observation of the variable on Apr. 2.74 yields mag approximately 9.0; he also estimated visual mag 10.1 on Apr. 4.695. Following posting on the Central Bureau's unconfirmed- objects webpage, A. Amorim, Florianopolis, Brazil, reports the following visual magnitude estimates for the variable: Apr. 3.158, 9.3; 4.097, 9.9. W. Liller, Vina del Mar, Chile, reports that a Technical Pan photo (limiting mag about 11.0) taken with an 85-mm camera lens on Mar. 31.33 through an orange filter shows a faint but definite image of the apparent nova at magnitude approximately 10.5; nothing brighter than mag about 11 appears on a photo taken by Liller on Mar. 15. E. Guido and G. Sostero write that their remote imaging with a 0.31-m f/9 reflector of the Remote Astronomical Society (RAS) located near Moorook, Australia, on Apr. 4.86 yields the following precise position for the presumed nova: R.A. = 16h18m48s.21, Decl. = -60o27'48".9 (equinox 2000.0; UCAC-2 catalogue reference stars). C. Jacques, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, also remotely obtained a 10-s unfiltered CCD image on Apr. 4.875 with an RAS 25-cm f/6 reflector at the Moorook Observatory, yielding mag 10.2 and position end figures 48s.20, 49".1. Jacques adds that comparison with a European Southern Observatory red image taken on 1984 Apr. 6 shows nothing at this position (estimated limiting magnitude 19.2), the nearest visible star having position end figures 47s.99, 45".8. N. N. Samus, Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, informs us that this nova is being assigned the variable-star designation NR TrA.