- Nova Aql'99 [2] page 1 1999 Dec 3 - 2000 Jan 9
- Nova Aql'99 [1]
- Nova 1917 = CI Aql
- main spectroscopy page.
- my homepage
2000 July 16/17: Nova recorded in hazy skies above a full moon via 30cm LX200 and MX5C colour CCD. When deliberately defocused the star mimics M57 [the 'hole' is the LX2000 secondary shadow!] - a distinct bluish hue from OIII now dominating the spectrum [first observed from WPO 2000 May 30]. Other field stars appear yellowish.
2000
July 14: Tested MX9 camera with Rainbow grating slightly nearer
the opti
cal window [without touching its surface] to give an even lower dispersion
of 5nm/pixel [ie 50A/pixel instead of 40A/pixel]. This gives a slightly
brighter spectrum in this 60s exposure shown full frame via the 30cm Meade
LX200 @ f/6.3. Comparison star Altair had 0.01s exposure. Nova
Aql'99[2] continues to fade visually but OIII still dominates the spectrum
with Ha continuing to weaken.
Cloud [yet again this so-called summer] intervened to end observations.
2000 May 30/31: Rare clear evening/early
morning this month with even the Milky Way visible in Cygnus and Aquila.
Targeted the Nova now ~mag 10 but unmistakable in the starfield for its
emission spectrum in a few seconds exposure. The spectrum has changed dramatically
since the last observation in 2000 January [ran into evening twilight]
and appears more like a planetary nebulae with OIII [doubly ionized oxygen]
dominating and Ha only a third of its former
strength.
The lines are now much sharper - at outburst the lines were wider [Doppler broadening] even at this low resolution. The nova should now be quite blue in colour - has this been observed? It was a pinkish hue at the end of last year with Ha dominating. PK51+9.1 in Hercules is faint starlike planetary nebula used for comparison - the match is nearly perfect!
