Possible Nova in Sagittarius = Pnv J18110375-2717276

On May 8, S. Nakano (Sumoto, Japan) reported the discovery by Tadashi Kojima (Tsumagoi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma-ken, Japan) of a possible nova (mag 12.5) on patrol CCD frames taken on Apr. 23.689 UT with a Canon EOS-40D camera (+ 150-mm f/2.8 lens), the object's position given as R.A. = 18h11m03s.8, Decl. = -27d17'28" (equinox 2000.0). A search of Kojima's earlier patrol images showed that the variable was present over a year ago, with the following additional magnitudes provided: 2011 Apr. 12.784, 10.9; Apr. 28.722, 10.7; July 5.518, 10.6; Sept. 23.425, 11.2; Oct. 16.394, 10.8; Oct. 29.391, 11.3; 2012 Feb. 27.815, 12.5; Apr. 23.689, 12.5. Kojima notes that a bright star is located near this position in the 2MASS catalogue, and a red source (IRAS 18079-2718) is located about 25" from this star. Nakano measured averaged position end figures 03s.76, 30".2 (probable error +/- 3") from Kojima's images taken on 2011 Apr. 28.7 and 2012 Apr. 23.7, and magnitudes 10.7 and 13.2 from the same images, respectively. The variable was designated PNV J18110375-2717276 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage. Additional magnitudes for the variable forwarded by Nakano: 2008 June 10, [14.4 (K. Itagaki, Yamagata, Japan, 0.21-m f/3 reflector); 2009 Oct. 19.422, [12 (Kojima); 2010 Aug. 7.538, 12.2 (Kojima); Sept. 4.449, 11.3 (Kojima); Oct. 10.399, 11.0 (Kojima); Nov. 3.372, 10.3 (Kojima); 10.366, 10.3 (Kojima); 2011 Feb. 19.836, 11.0 (Itagaki; measured by H. Kaneda, Sapporo, Japan; position end figures 03s.73, 28".7); 2012 Apr. 14.746, 12.3 (Itagaki; measured by Kaneda; position end figures 03s.73, 29".1); May 13.715, 12.3 (Itagaki, 0.50-m f/5 reflector; measured by Kaneda; position end figures 03s.70, 29".1; image posted at website URL http://www.k-itagaki.jp/sgr-pnv.jpg). Nakano adds that Kaneda has identified a star with red mag 14.5-15.4 and blue mag 16.4-16.6 in the USNO-B1 catalogue having position end figures 03s.722, 28".16, and a star in the 2MASS catalogue with position end figures 03s.702, 29".42. Seiichiro Kiyota (Tsukuba, Japan; 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope + Apogee E47 CCD camera) reports the following magnitudes measured on 2012 May 12.626: V = 12.97, R_c = 12.18, I_c = 11.81; his image is posted at URL http://meineko.sakura.ne.jp/ccd/PNV_J18110375-2717276.jpg. K. Ayani, Bisei Astronomical Observatory, reports that M. Fujii (Kurashiki-shi, Okayama, Japan) obtained a low-resolution spectrogram of this possible nova on 2012 May 12.715 UT. Fujii notes that the spectrum shows evolved [O III] lines and appear like those of a nova long after outburst; his spectrogram is posted at website URL http://tinyurl.com/dxdf5q6. Another spectrogram obtained on May 18.737 by Fujii is posted at the following URL: http://otobs.org/FBO/novae/pnv_j18110375_20120518.gif. K. Ayani and S. Maeno, Bisei Astronomical Observatory (BAO), Ibara-shi, Okayama, Japan, obtained low-resolution spectra of the possible nova with the BAO 1-m telescope on May 23.7; their spectra resemble that of V2264 Oph (Nova Oph 1991 No. 1) taken on 1991 June 12 (more than two months after maximum; cf. Williams et al. 1994, Ap.J. Suppl. 90, 297) and are posted at URLs http://tinyurl.com/cmxtol2 and http://tinyurl.com/cotrorv.