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Nova in Cassiopeia on August 15 2016 at 10:41 PM?

-- | August 18, 2016

Question: Did anyone see the nova just east of cassiopeia at 10:41 P.M. PDT Monday night ? It lasted about 1 second. I saw one at a Planetarium many years ago. — Raymond

Answer: I am not aware of a stellar nova having been reported elsewhere in Cassiopeia on this date. It is possible that that might have seen some other atmospheric phenomena which appears to produce an increase in the intensity of a star for a short period of time. These phenomena can include several types of refractive effects.

Jeff Mangum

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