List of novae in 2018 explained

The following is a list of all novae that are known to have occurred in 2018. A nova is an energetic astronomical event caused by a white dwarf accreting matter from a star it is orbiting (typically a red giant, whose outer layers are more weakly attached than smaller, denser stars) Alternatively, novae can rarely be caused by a pair of stars merging with each other, however such events are vastly less common than novae caused by white dwarfs.

In 2018, 15 novae were discovered in the Milky Way, 14 being classical novae, and 1 being a dwarf nova of a previously known variable star, V392 Persei, which was discovered in 1972. An additional 23 novae were discovered in the Andromeda Galaxy, 8 in Messier 81, 1 in the Triangulum Galaxy, and 1 in Messier 83. A single luminous red nova was observed in NGC 45.

List of novae in 2018

In the Milky Way

Nova nameDiscovery dateConstellationRight ascensionDeclinationPeak
brightness (v)[1]
Distance
(light-years)
Absolute
magnitude (v)
Nova typeOrigin system
identified?
Companion star
spectral type[2]
V357 Muscae[3] 2018/01/14Musca6.5ClassicalYesF9V/G0V
V1661 Scorpii[4] 2018/01/17Scorpius10.2??ClassicalYes?
FM Circini[5] 2018/01/19Circinus5.9ClassicalYesG1V
V1662 Scorpii[6] 2018/02/06Scorpius10.1??ClassicalYes?
V3664 Ophiuchi[7] 2018/02/12Ophiuchus12.5ClassicalYesM0II/III
V1663 Scorpii[8] 2018/02/24Scorpius12.3ClassicalMaybe?
V3665 Ophiuchi[9] 2018/03/10Ophiuchus9.4??ClassicalYes?
V906 Carinae[10] 2018/03/20Carina5.9ClassicalYes?
V435 Canis Majoris[11] 2018/03/24Canis Major12.0??ClassicalMaybe?
V5857 Sagittarii[12] 2018/04/08Sagittarius10.8??ClassicalYes?
V392 Per[13] 2018/04/29Perseus6.3??dwarf nova & novaYes?
V408 Lupi[14] 2018/06/03Lupus9.0ClassicalMaybeK7V?
V613 Scuti[15] 2018/06/29Scutum10.3??ClassicalYes?
V3666 Ophiuchi[16] 2018/08/08Ophiuchus9.0??ClassicalNo?
V556 Normae[17] 2018/10/13Norma10.2??ClassicalYes?

In the Andromeda Galaxy

Novae are also frequently spotted in the Andromeda Galaxy, and are even slightly more commonly found than in the Milky Way, as there is less intervening dust to prevent their detection. Furthermore, Andromeda is circumpolar for observers north of latitude +48-50, roughly the latitude of the Canadian-American border, allowing observers north of that to search for transients all year.

In 2018, 23 novae were seen in the Andromeda galaxy.

Nova nameDiscovery dateRight ascensionDeclinationPeak
brightness (v)
Absolute
magnitude (v)
PNV J00444425+41424492018/01/1018.4-6.1
PNV J00431577+41183932018/01/1217.8-6.7
PNV J00423439+40442552018/02/0716.7-7.8
PNV J00415059+41254992018/02/2217.9-6.6
PNV J00424041+41125222018/03/2118.1-6.4
PNV J00425509+41190092018/04/0317.6-6.9
PNV J00421895+41135242018/04/1916.9-7.6
PNV J00415353+41141212018/04/2917.5-7.0
PNV J00434212+41223492018/05/1917.0-7.5
PNV J00424144+41173772018/06/2617.1-7.4
PNV J00414889+41091482018/07/0117.4-7.1
PNV J00420765+41194382018/07/1217.3-7.2
PNV J00425261+41184092018/07/1518.6-5.9
PNV J00425074+41154612018/07/3119.1-5.4
PNV J00424214+41144572018/08/0217.5-7.0
PNV J00392190+40154882018/08/1319.0-5.5
PNV J00451587+42102692018/08/2117.9-6.6
PNV J00424990+41233482018/10/1117.9-6.6
PNV J00424012+41172732018/10/1317.5-7.0
TCP J00420310+41023312018/10/1518.0-6.5
PNV J00424065+41110802018/12/0318.7-5.8
PNV J00424241+41194112018/12/1718.2-6.3
PNV J00432462+41202222018/12/2218.0-6.5
PNV J00424380+41172082018/12/2317.5-7.0

In other galaxies

Any galaxy within 20 million light-years of the Sun could theoretically have nova events bright enough to be detected from Earth, although in practice most are only detected in galaxies within 10-15 million light-years of the Milky Way, such as the Triangulum Galaxy, Messier 81, Messier 82, Messier 83, and Messier 94.

In 2018, of the ten novae observed in other galaxies than the Milky Way or the Andromeda Galaxy, eight were in Messier 81, with the remaining two from the Triangulum Galaxy and Messier 83. A luminous red nova, probably caused by the merger of two stars, occurred in NGC 45.

Nova nameDiscovery dateHost galaxyRight ascensionDeclinationPeak
brightness (v)
Distance
(million light-years)
Absolute
magnitude (v)
Type
PNV J13370978-29565762018/01/28Messier 8320.715.2-7.6Classical
PNV J09555926+69035172018/01/30Messier 8120.311.5-7.4Classical
PNV J09545236+69040852018/02/19Messier 8120.011.5-7.7Classical
PNV J09553607+69021412018/03/06Messier 8120.811.5-6.9Classical
PNV J09551340+69004782018/03/20Messier 8121.211.5-6.5Classical
PNV J09553194+69091472018/04/02Messier 8120.411.5-7.3Classical
PNV J09555269+68584092018/04/09Messier 8120.611.5-7.1Classical
AT 2018bwo2018/05/22NGC 4516.432.6-13.6Luminous Red Nova
PNV J09560988+68591082018/10/12Messier 8120.111.5-7.6Classical
PNV J01334673+30321812018/10/13Triangulum Galaxy18.12.65-6.4Classical
PNV J09555246+6902009 2018/11/06Messier 8120.011.5-7.7Classical

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mukai . Koji . Recent Novae . asd.gsfc.nasa.gov . 25 January 2019.
  2. In most cases, the spectral type is estimated based on the absolute magnitude
  3. Web site: CBET 4473: 20180117 : NOVA MUSCAE 2018 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  4. Web site: CBET 4481: 20180130 : NOVA SCORPII 2018 = PNV J17180658-3204279 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  5. Web site: CBET 4482: 20180130 : NOVA CIRCINI 2018 = PNV J13532700-6725110 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  6. Web site: CBET 4488: 20180212 : NOVA SCORPII 2018 No. 2 = PNV J16484962-4457032 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  7. Web site: CBET 4489: 20180225 : NOVA IN OPHIUCHUS = PNV J17244011-2421463 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  8. Web site: Stanek . K. Z . ATel #11348: ASAS-SN Discovery of a Possible Galactic Nova ASASSN-18ds . ATel . 25 January 2019.
  9. Web site: CBET 4492: 20180312 : NEW NOVA IN OPHIUCHUS = TCP J17140253-2849233 = PNV J17140261-2849237 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  10. Web site: CBET 4498: 20180322 : NOVA CARINAE 2018 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  11. Web site: CBET 4499: 20180325 : NOVA CANIS MAJORIS 2018 = TCP J07134590-2112330 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  12. Web site: CBET 4507: 20180412 : NOVA IN SAGITTARIUS = PNV J18040967-1803581 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  13. Web site: V0392 Per . International Variable Star Index . AAVSO . 17 January 2021.
  14. Web site: CBET 4520: 20180605 : NOVA LUPI 2018 = PNV J15384000-4744500 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  15. Web site: CBET 4530: 20180703 : NOVA SCUTI 2018 = TCP J18292290-1430460 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  16. Web site: CBET 4540: 20180813 : NEW NOVA IN OPHIUCHUS = PNV J17422408-2053088 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.
  17. Web site: CBET 4568: 20181026 : NOVA NORMAE 2018 = PNV J16143400-5330050 . Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams . IAU . 25 January 2019.