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Sunday, July 08, 2012

Nova in Sagittarius Seen July 7th

A fairly bright nova has been discovered by Japanese observers Koichi Nishiyama (from Kurame) and Fujio Kabashima (Miyaki). The discovery was made on July 7th, 2012, using a 105-mm f/4 camera lens and CCD, describing the nova as magnitude 7.8. The nova is located in the constellation Sagittarius roughly between the "lid" and "spout" of the Teapot stars, coordinates (J2000) R.A. 18h 20.5m, Dec -27d 44m.  A number of other observers in Japan have made confirming sightings.

The discovery was announced from Cambridge Massachusetts by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams in CBET 3166, issued July 7th. This circular assigns the star the official designations Nova Sagittarii 2012 No. 4 and also PNV J18202726-2744263. View recent CEBTs online here: www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/cbet/RecentCBETs.html

The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is requesting observations of this nova. The AAVSO collects magnitude determinations by skilled observers to aid in the study of novae and other variable stars, and their site offers guidance on the techniques involved. Their URL is: http://www.aavso.org/ .

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