The Tololo Nova Survey: Spectra of Recent Novae

We present postoutburst spectra over the optical region for 13 novae which have undergone outburst during the past 5 years. Broad wavelength coverage has been emphasized at the expense of spectral resolution (between 5 and 16 A), although the latter has been sufficient to resolve the emission lines. For most of the novae, the temporal coverage has been adequate to document the progressive evolution of the emission-line spectra from the earliest stages at maximum light, dominated by permitted transitions, to the later stages where nebular forbidden lines predominate. Brief descriptions of the spectral evolution of each object are given, and line indentifications are suggested for all of the emission features. Spectral classes are assigned for the novae, and a small modification is made to the Tololo classification system to take into account the wider variety of spectra encountered in some of the more recent novae.