AY Lac in outburst!

Affiliation
Association Francaise des Observateurs d'Etoiles Variables (AFOEV)
Thu, 10/08/2020 - 11:24

AY Lacertae (UGWZ:)
https://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=16667

Patrick Wiggins reports that AY Lac is active in CCD images that were taken today by him on my request (in the course of our CV monitoring programme).

The current outburst can also be seen in recent ASAS-SN Sky Patrol (Shappee et al. 2014ApJ...788...48S and Kochanek et al. 2017PASP..129j4502K) data:
https://asas-sn.osu.edu/light_curves/57596b7a-f011-4a25-9d86-e5674f0b36…
LACAY 20201007.270 <17.29g ASN
LACAY 20201007.394 <16.55g ASN
LACAY 20201008.283 13.83g ASN
LACAY 20201008.395 13.72g ASN

Only two previous outbursts were recorded: In late August and early September 1927 (C. Hoffmeister)
and on 11-29 August 1966 (H. Gessner), see IBVS 5441 at https://konkoly.hu/pub/ibvs/5401/5441.pdf

Time-resolved photometry is urgently required. Spectroscopy, multiband photometry, and precise astrometry are also encouraged.

Clear skies,
Patrick

AY Lac outburst confirmed!

At 2459131.62156 AY Lac position measured as 22 22 22.19 +50 23 40.4 in agreement with VSX.  Initial untransformed V measurements from Maxim DL are:

2459131.62156     13.981+/-0.008
2459131.62406     13.996+/-0.008

2459131.62652     13.997+/-0.009
2459131.62922     14.002+/-0.009

Richard Wagner