(cba:news) V803 Cen erupts

[Joe Patterson]

Dear CBAers,

Andrew Pearce reported from Australia last night that V803 Cen had just
jumped into a high state, at 12.7.  A few hours later, Stefano observed
it from South Africa and it continued bright.  Certainly looks like the
superoutburst (or at least this helium dwarf nova's version of a
superoutburst) we've been waiting for the last 28 nights of coverage.

So now's the time to spring to action!  Stan caught one last year, but too
late in the observing season.  It's the first we've ever caught properly
(and with coverage for the preceding 28 nights - I'd say that qualifies as
"properly"!).  Now we have to get the time-series coverage needed to study
the developing and then decaying superhump.  In our recent paper (May 2000
PASP) we gave a somewhat speculative account of how this proceeds, or
might proceed, based on the fragmentary data available then.  Now we get
to find out if we were right.

The superoutburst is probably very short, I think less than 5 days.  Go
for the gusto.

Updates on CR Boo and DW UMa, the northern targets, coming over the
weekend... and some data on V803 Cen.

          
                      Joe