V603 Aquilae

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V603 Aquilae or Nova Aquilae 1918
V603AqlLocation.png
Location of V603 Aquilae (circled in red)
Observation data
Epoch J2000       Equinox J2000
Constellation Aquila
Right ascension 18h 48m 54.637s [1]
Declination 00° 35 02.86 [1]
Apparent magnitude  (V)11.64
Characteristics
Spectral type sd:Be+
B−V color index -0.2 ± 0.5
Variable type Nova
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−23 km/s
Proper motion (μ)RA: 10.81  mas/yr
Dec.: −8.86  mas/yr
Distance 1,020+23
23
  ly
(314+7
−7
[2]   pc)
Absolute magnitude  (MV)11.65
Other designations
Nova Aql 1918, Nova Aquilae 1918, EM* CDS 1028, HD 174107, 1RXS J184854.7+003501, ALS 9992, 1ES 1846+00.5, SBC7 706, AN 7.1918, FASTT 1189, HIP 92316, UBV M 51004, CSI+00-18463, GCRV 68659, KPD 1846+0031, 2E 1846.3+0031, LS IV +00 3, 2E 4138, GSC 00448-00423, 2MASS J18485464+0035030, EM* RJHA 116, HBHA 202-05, PLX 4341, AAVSO 1843+00.
Database references
SIMBAD data
The light curve of V603 Aquilae, from AAVSO visual band data V603AqlLightCurve.png
The light curve of V603 Aquilae, from AAVSO visual band data

V603 Aquilae (or Nova Aquilae 1918) was a bright nova first observed (from Earth) in the constellation Aquila in 1918. It was the brightest "new star" to appear in the sky since Kepler's Supernova in 1604. Like all novae, it is a binary system, comprising a white dwarf and donor low-mass star in close orbit to the point of being only semidetached. The white dwarf sucks matter off its companion, which has filled its Roche lobe, [3] onto its accretion disk and surface until the excess material is blown off in a thermonuclear event. [4] This material then forms an expanding shell, which eventually thins out and disappears. [3]

First seen by Zygmunt Laskowski, a medical professor and amateur astronomer, [5] and then confirmed on the night of 8 June 1918 by the UK amateur astronomer Grace Cook, [6] Nova Aquilae reached a peak magnitude of −0.5; it was the brightest nova recorded in the era of the telescope. [4] It was brighter than all stars but Sirius and Canopus. [7] Tycho's and Kepler's supernovae were brighter, but both occurred before the invention of the telescope. [8] Originally a star system with a magnitude of 11.43, it took twelve days to fade three magnitudes and then 18.6 years to fade to quiescence. [4] In 1964 Robert P. Kraft ascertained that it was a binary system, recently[ when? ] determined to be true for several other novae at the time. [9]

The star system has settled to an average apparent magnitude of 11.4 since the 1940s, fading by around 1/100 of a magnitude per decade. The nova's parallax, 3.191±0.069 milliarcseconds, was measured by the Gaia spacecraft which implies a distance of 1020±23 light years. [2] Spectroscopic analysis conducted by Arenas and colleagues indicated the system consisted of a white dwarf of about 1.2 times as massive as the sun, with an accretion disk, and a companion star with about 20% of the Sun's mass. [10] This second star is most likely a red dwarf. [3] The two stars orbit each other approximately every 3 hours 20 minutes. [10]

In 1983 VLA observations detected radio emission from this nova at 5 GHz. [11] The upgraded JVLA detected 8.9 GHz emission in 2013, [12] and MeerKAT detected 1.3 GHz emission in 2019. [13] The radio emission is consistent with gyrosynchrotron, cyclotron maser and optically thick synchrotron emission. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquila (constellation)</span> Constellation near the celestial equator

Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird that carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greek-Roman mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GK Persei</span> Star in the constellation Perseus

GK Persei was a bright nova first observed on Earth in 1901. It was discovered by Thomas David Anderson, an Edinburgh clergyman, at 02:40 UT on 22 February 1901 when it was at magnitude 2.7. It reached a maximum magnitude of 0.2, the brightest nova of modern times until Nova Aquilae 1918. After fading into obscurity at about magnitude 12 to 13 during the early 20th century, GK Persei began displaying infrequent outbursts of 2 to 3 magnitudes. Since about 1980, these outbursts have become quite regular, typically lasting about two months and occurring about every three years. Thus, GK Persei seems to have changed from a classical nova like Nova Aquilae 1918 to something resembling a typical dwarf nova-type cataclysmic variable star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DM Geminorum</span> Nova that appeared in 1903

DM Geminorum also known as Nova Geminorum 1903 was a nova which erupted in the constellation Gemini in 1903. It was discovered by Herbert Hall Turner at the Greenwich Observatory on a Carte du Ciel photographic plate taken on 16 March 1903. Post-discovery examination of earlier photographs of the region taken at the Harvard College Observatory showed that the star was fainter than apparent magnitude 9 on 2 March 1903, and magnitude 5.1 on 6 March 1903, making it visible to the naked eye at that time. It had a conspicuous red color due to strong Hα line emission. By 1 April 1903 it had faded to magnitude 8.5. By 1989 it had reached visual magnitude 17.38.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DI Lacertae</span> 1910 Nova in the constellation Lacerta

DI Lacertae or Nova Lacertae 1910 was a nova in constellation Lacerta which appeared in 1910. It was discovered by Thomas Henry Espinell Compton Espin at Wolsingham Observatory on 30 Dec 1910, at which time it was an 8th magnitude object. Subsequent examination of pre-discovery photographic plates showed that the outburst occurred sometime between 17 November 1910 and 23 November 1910. It reached a peak brightness of magnitude 4.6 on 26 November 1910, making it visible to the naked eye. Before the nova event DI Lacertae was a 14th magnitude star, and by 1950 it had returned to 14th magnitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BT Monocerotis</span> Nova seen in 1939

BT Monocerotis was a nova, which lit up in the constellation Monoceros in 1939. It was discovered on a spectral plate by Fred L. Whipple on December 23, 1939. BT Monocerotis is believed to have reached mag 4.5, which would have made it visible to the naked eye, but that value is an extrapolation; the nova was not observed at peak brightness Its brightness decreased after the outbreak by 3 magnitudes in 182 days, making it a "slow nova". The light curve for the eruption had a long plateau period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V604 Aquilae</span> Nova in the constellation Aquila

V604 Aquilae or Nova Aquilae 1905 is a nova which was first observed in the constellation Aquila in 1905 with a maximum brightness of magnitude 7.6. It was never bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. It was discovered by Williamina Fleming on a Harvard College Observatory photographic plate taken on August 31, 1905. Examination of plates taken earlier indicates that peak brightness occurred in mid-August 1905. The star's quiescent visual band brightness is 19.6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V1494 Aquilae</span> Nova seen in 1999 in the constellation of Aquila

V1494 Aquilae or Nova Aquilae 1999 b was a nova which occurred during 1999 in the constellation Aquila and reached a brightness of magnitude 3.9 on 2 December 1999. making it easily visible to the naked eye. The nova was discovered with 14×100 binoculars by Alfredo Pereira of Cabo da Roca, Portugal at 18:50 UT on 1 December 1999, when it had a visual magnitude of 6.0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QU Vulpeculae</span> 1984 Nova seen in the constellation Vulpecula

QU Vulpeculae, also known as Nova Vulpeculae 1984 Number 2, was the second nova which occurred in 1984 in the constellation Vulpecula. It was discovered by Peter Collins, an amateur astronomer from Cardiff, California at 22:08 UT on 22 December 1984. At the time of its discovery, the nova's apparent magnitude was 6.8. By the next night, Collins reported its brightness had increased to magnitude 5.6, making it visible to the naked eye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V606 Aquilae</span> 1899 nova in the constellation Aquila

V606 Aquilae was a nova, which lit up in the constellation Aquila in 1899. The brightest reported magnitude for this nova was apparent magnitude 5.5, making it a naked eye object. It was discovered by Williamina Fleming on a photographic plate taken on 21 April 1899 at the Harvard College Observatory. On the discovery plate, its photographic magnitude was later determined to be 6.75. It was not seen on the plate taken on 1 November 1898, and there were no reported observations of the region around the star during the 171 day interval before Fleming's discovery, so it is possible that the actual maximum of the event was missed. By 27 October 1899 it had faded to 10th magnitude, and on 9 July 1900 Oliver Wendell reported its brightness to be between magnitude 11.5 and 12.0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V605 Aquilae</span> Star in the constellation Aquila

V605 Aquilae, in the constellation Aquila, is the variable central star of the planetary nebula Abell 58. It is a highly unusual hydrogen-deficient carbon-rich star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BV Centauri</span> Star in the constellation Centaurus


BV Centauri is a cataclysmic variable binary star in the constellation Centaurus. It is a dwarf nova, and undergoes rapid increases in brightness that are recurrent with a mean period of 150 days. This period seems to have increased in the last few decades. During quiescence, its visual apparent magnitude is about 13, with variations of a few tenths of magnitude over an orbit due to differences in the star's visible surface area, brightening to a maximum magnitude of 10.7 during outbursts. From its luminosity, it is estimated that the system is about 500 parsecs (1,600 ly) away from Earth. A Gaia parallax of 2.81 mas has been measured, corresponding to about 360 pc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V392 Persei</span> Nova in the constellation Perseus

V392 Persei, also known as Nova Persei 2018, is a bright nova in the constellation Perseus discovered on April 29, 2018. It was previously known as a dwarf nova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V1315 Aquilae</span> Variable star in the constellation Aquila

V1315 Aquilae is a cataclysmic variable star in the north of the equatorial constellation of Aquila. It is in the sub-set of nova-like (NL) variables, specifically a SW Sextantis star. These were characterized as having non-magnetic white dwarfs – thus that do not undergo dwarf-nova bright luminations ("eruptions"). There is countering evidence for some magnetism. Being a SW Sextantis star, V1315 Aquilae has a high rate of mass transfer, so it is in steady-state accretion and in a constant state of outburst. It emits most of its light in the visible range, and this comes from the accretion disk. The eclipse depth is 1.8 mag. No description of the donor star is made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V Persei</span> Nova event seen in 1887 in the constellation Perseus

V Persei, also known as Nova Persei 1887 was discovered by Williamina Fleming on a Harvard College Observatory objective-prism photograph taken on 3 November 1887. It is believed to be the first nova whose spectrum was recorded. The nova had an apparent magnitude of 9.2 at the time of discovery. Judging from the consistency of the nova's brightness after discovery, and details of the spectral lines seen, McLaughlin estimated that the nova was five or six months past peak brightness at the time of its discovery, and at its peak it was almost certainly at least as bright as 4th magnitude. So V Persei was probably visible to the naked eye, though there is no record that anyone actually noticed it when that was possible. It is currently an 18th magnitude object.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EL Aquilae</span> 1927 nova in the constellation Aquila

EL Aquilae, also known as Nova Aquilae 1927 was a nova that appeared in 1927. It was discovered by Max Wolf on photographic plates taken at Heidelberg Observatory on 30 and 31 July 1927 when it had a photographic magnitude of 9. Subsequent searches of plates taken at the Harvard College Observatory showed the nova was fainter than magnitude 11.1 on 8 June 1927 and had flared to magnitude 6.4 on 15 June 1927. It declined from peak brightness at an average rate of 0.105 magnitudes per day, making it a fast nova, and ultimately dimmed to about magnitude 21. The 14.5 magnitude change from peak brightness to quiescence was unusually large for a nova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V368 Aquilae</span> Nova seen in 1936

V368 Aquilae, also known as Nova Aquilae 1936 no. 2 was the second nova which occurred in the constellation of Aquila during 1936. It was discovered on a photographic plate by Nils Tamm at Kvistaberg Observatory on 7 October 1936. At the time of discovery it was at photographic magnitude 7, and was already fading. Pre-discovery photographs showed that peak brightness occurred around 25 September 1936, at which time it had reached apparent magnitude 5.0, making it visible to the naked eye. The nova was described as being fiery red due to strong Hα emission, and for a time could be seen with binoculars simultaneously with V356 Aquilae, another nova which Nill Tamm had discovered a month earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GI Monocerotis</span> 1918 Nova in the constellation Monoceros

GI Monocerotis, also known as Nova Monocerotis 1918, was a nova that erupted in the constellation Monoceros during 1918. It was discovered by Max Wolf on a photographic plate taken at the Heidelberg Observatory on 4 February 1918. At the time of its discovery, it had a photographic magnitude of 8.5, and had already passed its peak brightness. A search of plates taken at the Harvard College Observatory showed that it had a photographic magnitude of 5.4 on 1 January 1918, so it would have been visible to the naked eye around that time. By March 1918 it had dropped to ninth or tenth magnitude. By November 1920 it was a little fainter than 15th magnitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V1370 Aquilae</span> Nova that occurred in 1982

V1370 Aquilae, also known as Nova Aquilae 1982, is a nova that appeared in the constellation Aquila during 1982. It was discovered by Minoru Honda of Kurashiki, Japan at 20:30 UT on 27 January 1982. At that time the Sun had moved just far enough from Aquila to allow the nova to be seen in the morning sky. Although it was discovered photographically, its apparent magnitude was 6–7, making it potentially visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions. A possible magnitude 20 progenitor was located on the Palomar Sky Survey prints. Spectra of the object were taken in February 1982 at Asiago Astrophysical Observatory, which confirmed that it is a nova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RZ Leonis Minoris</span> Variable star in the constellation Leo Minor

RZ Leonis Minoris is a cataclysmic variable star system in the northern constellation of Leo Minor. It undergoes frequent outbursts that vary in brightness from an apparent visual magnitude of 14.4 down to 16.8. Based on parallax measurements, this system is located at a distance of approximately 2,160 light years from the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DW Ursae Majoris</span> Variable star in the constellation Ursa Major

DW Ursae Majoris is an eclipsing binary star system in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major, abbreviated DW UMa. It is a cataclysmic variable of the SX Sextanis type, consisting of a compact white dwarf that is accreting matter from an orbiting companion star. The brightness of this source ranges from an apparent visual magnitude of 13.6 down to magnitude 18, which is too faint to be viewed with the naked eye. The distance to this system is approximately 1,920 light years based on parallax measurements.

References

  1. 1 2 "V603 Aql". SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 Schaefer, Bradley E. (December 2018). "The distances to Novae as seen by Gaia". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 481 (3): 3033–3051. arXiv: 1809.00180 . Bibcode:2018MNRAS.481.3033S. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty2388.
  3. 1 2 3 Selvelli, P. L.; Cassatella, A. (1981). "Nova AQL 1918: A Nude Old Nova". Effects of Mass Loss on Stellar Evolution. Astrophysics and Space Science Library. Vol. 89. pp. 515–522. Bibcode:1981ASSL...89..515S. doi:10.1007/978-94-009-8500-1_74. ISBN   978-94-009-8502-5. S2CID   222335225.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnson, Christopher B.; Schaefer, Bradley E.; Kroll , Peter; Henden, Arne A. (2013). "Nova Aquilae 1918 (V603 Aql) Faded by 0.44 mag/century from 1938-2013". The Astrophysical Journal. 780 (2): L25. arXiv: 1310.6802 . Bibcode:2014ApJ...780L..25J. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/780/2/L25. S2CID   118403602.
  5. The Contribution of Amateurs to Astronomy, Proceedings of Colloquium 98 of the International Astronomical Union, June 20–24, 1987, page 41
  6. Mobberley, Martin (2009). Cataclysmic Cosmic Events and How to Observe Them. Springer. p. 46. ISBN   978-0-387-79946-9.
  7. Moore, Patrick (2006). The Amateur Astronomer. Springer. p. 145. ISBN   978-1-84628-286-7.
  8. Drechsel, H.; Holm, A.; Krautter, J. & Rahe, J. (1981). "Phase-dependent optical and ultraviolet observations of the old nova V603 Aquilae (1918)". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 99 (1): 166–72. Bibcode:1981A&A....99..166D.
  9. Kraft, Robert P. (1964). "Binary stars among cataclysmic variables. III. Ten old novae". Astrophysical Journal. 139: 457–75. Bibcode:1964ApJ...139..457K. doi: 10.1086/147776 .
  10. 1 2 Arenas, J.; Catalán, M. S.; Augusteijn, T.; Retter, A. (2000). "A spectroscopic study of V603 Aquilae: stellar parameters and continuum-line variations". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 311 (1): 135–48. Bibcode:2000MNRAS.311..135A. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03061.x .
  11. Fuerst, E.; Benz, A.; Hirth, W.; Kiplinger, A.; Geffert, M. (January 1986). "Radio emission of cataclysmic variable stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 154: 377–378. Bibcode:1986A&A...154..377F . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  12. Barrett, Paul E.; Dieck, Christopher; Beasley, Anthony J.; Singh, Kulinder P.; Mason, Paul A. (November 2017). "A Jansky VLA Survey of Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable Stars. I. The Data". The Astronomical Journal. 154 (6): 252. arXiv: 1702.07631 . Bibcode:2017AJ....154..252B. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/aa93ff . S2CID   119055826.
  13. 1 2 Hewitt, D.M.; Pretorius, M.L.; Woudt, P.A.; Tremou, E.; Miller-Jones, J.C.A; Knigge, C.; CastroSegura, N.; Williams, D.R.A.; Fender, R.P.; Armstrong, R.; Groot, P.; Heywood, I.; Horesh, A.; vanderHorst, A.J.; Koerding, E.; McBride, V.A.; Mooley, K.P.; Rowlinson, A.; Stappers, B.; Wijers, R.A.M.J. (22 June 2020). "A MeerKAT survey of nearby nova-like cataclysmic variables". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 496 (3): 2542–2557. arXiv: 2006.07918 . doi:10.1093/mnras/staa1747.