Observation by Eric Watkins: GK Per. Outburst

Uploaded by

Eric Watkins

Observer

Eric Watkins

Observed

2018 Aug 25 - 01:50

Uploaded

2018 Aug 28 - 00:19

Objects

Variable star

Equipment

Celestron 14 Edge at F:7.7
Paramount MEII GEM
QSI 532 ccd camera
Astrodon V photometric.

Exposure

60 sec Astrodon gen II V photometric filter

Location

North Essex

Target name

GK Per

Title

GK Per. Outburst

About this image

This is the first time I have imaged a nova, though I recall that at the end of August, 1975 I was looking at Cygnus with the naked eye and thinking there was a star out of place. Had I checked "Norton's Star Atlas" I would have realised I had made an "independent discovery" of a nova

GK Per behaves as a dwarf nova with irregular outbursts, typically at 18-36month intervals, the last being March, 2015.

Following an alert notice from AAVSO of a possible outburst on 21st August. I made this set of observations on the early morning of the 25th, August, 2018.

Using photometric filters with 5 x 60sec exposures each in both V and R together with Astrometrica I determined the following:

Mag V of 12.189 +/- 0.005 (sd) and Mag R of 11.646 +/- 0.018 (sd) with a (V-R) colour of 0.544 +/- 0.02 (sd).

Seeing was variable with passing high thin cloud

Files associated with this observation

2018 08 25 _GK_Per_Outburst_Nova_3.jpg (972.7 kB)

Like this image

Jeremy Shears, David Swan, Gary Poyner, Eric Watkins, Ian Rothwell, Peter Carson, Callum Potter, Richard Miles, Andy Wilson

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