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Observation by Robin Leadbeater: Novae Cas and Per 2020 H alpha line at ...

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Robin Leadbeater

Observer

Robin Leadbeater

Observed

2020 Nov 30 - 17:20

Uploaded

2020 Dec 02 - 16:49

Equipment
  • Celestron C11
  • LHIRES spectrograph 1200l/mm grating
  • ATIK 314 camera
Exposure

3000s, 8500s

Location

Wigton cumbria

Target name

Nova Cas 2020, Nova Per 2020

Title

Novae Cas and Per 2020 H alpha line at medium resolution

About this image

It is not often that two novae are bright enough to record  medium resolution (R=5500) spectra on the same night. Here Nova Per 2020, a few days old near  maximum  at  V mag ~8.5  is compared with Nova Cas 2020, 4 months old but still bright at V mag ~12.5,  having undergone a series of rebrightennings.

Despite being 4 magnitudes fainter in V, the H alpha emission relative to the continuum is much stronger  in nova Cas compared with nova Per and stands out well against the faint continuum in the spectrum images.

The H alpha line profiles are plotted in terms of radial velocity which maps the line of sight velocity of different parts of the ejecta. 

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