 | |
| Observation data EpochJ2000.0 EquinoxJ2000.0 (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Aquila |
| Right ascension | 19h 52m 27.84s[1] |
| Declination | +08° 28′ 46.4″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.1 - 17.8p[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Distance | 4900[3] pc |
| Characteristics | |
| Variable type | classical nova,eclipsing binary |
| Other designations | |
| Nova Aquilae 1943, AAVSO 1947+08 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
V500 Aquilae also known asNova Aquilae 1943 was anova which appeared in the constellationAquila, very near the starAltair, in 1943. It was discovered byCuno Hoffmeister onphotographic plates taken atSonneberg Observatory on 5 September 1943, when it had aphotographic magnitude of 12.[4] It reached its peak brightness sometime between 13 April 1943 when it was fainter than photographic magnitude 13.5, and 2 May 1943 when its photographic magnitude was 6.55 (6.1 visual magnitude).[2]
V500 Aquilae's brightness dropped by 3 magnitudes from its peak in 42 days, making it a "fast" nova.[6]
All novae are binary stars, with a "donor" star orbiting awhite dwarf. The two stars are so close to each other that matter is transferred from the donor to the white dwarf. Because the stars are separated by a distance comparable to the radius of the donor star, novae are ofteneclipsing binaries, and V500 Aquilae does show eclipses. The eclipses, first seen in 1994 at theEuropean Southern Observatory, have a depth of about 0.4 magnitudes, and the orbital period is3.485±0.02 h.[7]
In 1984 a small (radius 2.0 arc second)nova remnant surrounding V500 Aquilae and expanding at 1380 km/sec, was discovered using theHale Telescope.[8] The expansion of that remnant has been used to derive a distance estimate of 4900parsecs.[3]
