Don’t go, Nova Her 2021

Forums Variable Stars Nova in Hercules Don’t go, Nova Her 2021

#584360
Philip Jennings
Participant

I have it at around 7.5V in 10×50 binoculars tonight (00:10 UT) – strikingly dimmer than comp. star 71 in the AAVSO chart (mag. 7.1), and only visible with averted vision although transparency isn’t perfect here. I had got my Star Analyser and C8 at the ready to capture a lo-res spectrum, but the clouds have promptly rushed in each time I have made an attempt.

I am intrigued by how quickly the spectrum seems to have changed from P Cygni profiles to hydrogen emission. I‘m guessing we were looking through the initial expanding envelope of ejected material yesterday and now we’re seeing ’deeper’ into the nova, to emission from runaway fusion etc? The pace at which these things can evolve amazes me.