Alert Notice 779: Recurrent nova U Sco in surprise eruption needs long time series for the next month
Abstract:
The recurrent nova U Sco is undergoing an eruption. The eruption was discovered by Masayuki Moriyama, who observed U Sco at <17.3 C on June 6.56664 UT and then at 11.4 C on June 6.72030. Confirmation was reported by numerous observers from several countries within a very short time. U Sco continued to brighten rapidly and reached a maximum magnitude of ~7.8 V on June 7.1 UT and by June 7.92 UT it is visual magnitude ~9.0. The eruption is expected to proceed until around 11 August.
Justification:
Coverage is requested from AAVSO observers to capture the fast and dynamic changes in U Sco's light curve during the eruption. This includes long time series photometry to capture critical and mysterious fine structure, and to observe new phenomena such as randomly placed hours-long flares and light curve dips seen only late in the tail of the eruption.
Requested Data Types:
Photometry, Spectroscopy
Targets
| Name | Magnitude | Variability Type | Photometry Notes | Spectroscopy Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U Sco | 7.50 | NR+E |
Cadence: Not Specified Precision: 100 |
Cadence: Not Specified Resolution: 250 Desired SNR: 100 |
Spectroscopy Lines:
No spectroscopy lines provided
Photometry Filters:
No photometry filters provided
Comparison Stars:
No comparison stars provided
Co-Authorship
Observers are not eligible for co-authorship.
Additional Observer Input:
Not provided
Additional Submission Location:
Not provided
Forum URL
N/A
Notes:
Principal Investigator: Brad Schaefer; Imported Campaign (Alert Notice #779)