PR Lupi = Nova Lupi 2011 = Pnv J14542000-5505030

Additional magnitudes for PR Lup (visual unless otherwise noted): July 20.042 UT, [11.5 (W. Liller, Vina del Mar, Chile; 85-mm-f.l. Nikon lens + Tech Pan film + orange filter); July 25.989, 11.1 (Liller); Aug. 1.008, 10.4 (Liller); Aug. 8.040, 10.3 (A. Amorim, Florianopolis, Brazil; moonlight); Aug. 8.066, 10.3 (Gonzalo Vargas Beltran, Cochabamba, Bolivia; via E. Waagen, AAVSO); Aug. 8.375, 10.3 (R. Stubbings, Tetoora Road, Victoria, Australia; via Waagen); Aug. 12.443, 9.6 (Joseph Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia; remotely using a 40-cm RCOS telescope + U9000 CCD camera at Macedon Ranges Observatory, Melbourne, Australia; position end figures 23s.06, 11".2; image posted at website URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/6041126507/); Aug. 13.988, 8.5 (Liller). F. M. Walter, Stony Brook University, reports that Brown's suspected nova is indeed an "Fe II"-type nova. Photometric and spectroscopic observations were obtained using the SMARTS/Cerro Tololo facilities, starting on Aug. 9 UT. Photometry with the 1.3-m telescope (+ ANDICAM dual-channel photometer) shows maximum light (V = 9.1, K = 6.2) on Aug. 13.02 (+1/-2 days). By Aug. 23.0, the nova had faded to V = 11.2 and K = 8.1. Optical spectroscopy with the 1.5-m telescope (+ RC specrograph) at a variety of resolutions between Aug. 9.0 and 22.0 shows the spectrum of a classical "Fe II"-type nova near maximum light. Near photometric maximum, on Aug. 12.0, the blue spectrum (range 365-540 nm; 0.43-nm resolution) showed strong emission, with P-Cyg absorption, in the Balmer series H-beta through H_11, Ca II K, and the Fe II multiplets 42 and 49. At this resolution, a single absorption component is seen, at a velocity of about -1100 km/s. On Aug. 13.98, H-alpha had an emission equivalent-width of -17.0 nm, with P-Cyg absorption at -1100 km/s. Low-dispersion (1.7-nm resolution) spectra covering the full optical range on Aug. 16.97 and 22.04 show strong emission from O I 630.0-, 777.4-, and 844.6-nm; C II 732.5-nm; and the Ca infrared triplet. As of Aug. 22.0, no helium lines were obvious, and no high-temperature lines had appeared. H. L. Malasan, J. Suherli, and E. Wiyando, Bosscha Observatory, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia; and A. Arai and H. Kawakita, Koyama Astronomical Observatory, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan, report on optical spectroscopic observations (R about 400) of PNV J14542000-5505030 = PR Lup on Aug. 16.6 UT at Bosscha Observatory using a 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (+ SBIG DSS7 spectrograph). The spectra exhibit strong H-alpha, H-beta, and Fe II multiplet emissions, suggesting that the variable is a "Fe II"-type classical nova. P-Cygni profiles are absent, and the FWHM of the H-alpha emission is about 1700 km/s.