Nova Puppis 1673

Nova Puppis 1673

Location of Nova Puppis 1673 (circled in red)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Puppis
Right ascension 07h 59m 01.0s[1]
Declination −43° 49′ 06″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 3.0 – 20.0[2]
Characteristics
Variable type Nova?[2]
Other designations
NSV 3846, Zi 816
Database references
SIMBADdata

Nova Puppis 1673, also known as NSV 3846, is a probable nova in the constellation Puppis. It was discovered by French astronomer Jean Richer on January 12, 1673 (and again observed on January 21) during the last year of an expedition Richer made to Cayenne, French Guiana. Richer measured its position on the sky using a mural quadrant, resulting in the most precise position available for a seventeenth-century nova that might be rediscovered by modern observers. At the time of its discovery the nova had a visual magnitude of 3, making it easily visible to the naked eye.[3][4][5]

In 1987, German astronomer Hilmar Duerbeck published an ESO photographic survey image, marked with the position of a 20th magnitude candidate for a modern identification of Nova Puppis 1673.[3] However subsequent spectral observations of that potential remnant of the nova showed narrow Balmer absorption lines against a blue continuum, features which are not typically seen in quiescent novae. Hence, Duerbeck's proposed identification could not be confirmed.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Downes, Ronald; Webbink, Ronald F.; Shara, Michael M. (April 1997). "A Catalog and Atlas of Cataclysmic Variables-Second Edition". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 109: 345–440. Bibcode:1997PASP..109..345D. doi:10.1086/133900. S2CID 120396435.
  2. ^ a b "NSV 3846". The International Variable Star Index. AAVSO. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b Duerbeck, Hilmar W. (March 1987). "A Reference Catalogue and Atlas of Galactic Novae". Space Science Reviews. 45 (1–2): 1–14. Bibcode:1987SSRv...45....1D. doi:10.1007/BF00187826. S2CID 115854775.
  4. ^ Olmsted, John W (1942). "The Scientific Expedition of Jean Richer to Cayenne (1672-1673)". Isis. 34 (2): 117–128. Bibcode:1942Isis...34..117O. doi:10.1086/347762. JSTOR 226212. S2CID 144341198.
  5. ^ a b Shara, Michael M.; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Potter, Michael (August 1990). "Spectroscopic Authentication of Very Old Nova Candidates". Astronomical Journal. 100: 540. Bibcode:1990AJ....100..540S. doi:10.1086/115535.


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