11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 1] HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVING PROGRAM 11546 Version: 3 Check-in Time: 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 STScI Edit Number: 0 Title Ultra-Luminous Red Novae or Mergebursts? A Definitive HST Test ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Type Cycle GO 16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Investigators Contact? PI: Dr. Michael Shara American Museum of Natural History CoI: Dr. David R. Zurek American Museum of Natural History N CoI: Dr. Dina Prialnik Tel Aviv University - Wise Observatory N CoI: Dr. Ofer Yaron Tel Aviv University - Wise Observatory N ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abstract V838 Mon and M31-RV are extraordinarily luminous (10**6 Lsun) and cool (~1000 K) eruptive variables. Their red colors and cool spectra have prompted claims that these objects are not classical novae, but instead represent a new class of astrophysical object: "MERGEBURSTS". Mergebursts are (hypothetical) mergers of close binary stars, predicted to rival the brightest classical novae in luminosity, but to always be much cooler and redder than novae. This prediction allows a definitive test of the mergeburst hypothesis for M31-RV as follows. We have found a very bright, BLUE object within 0.4 arcsec of M31-RV in 10-year old archival WFPC2 images...consistent with an old nova, and not a mergeburst. We propose new ACS/SBC UV and WFPC2 visible images that will definitively show if this object is still as hot as nova theory predicts ( >100, 000 Kelvin), and if it is fading like an old nova. This would eliminate the strongest candidate for a mergeburst. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Observations Description ------------------------ We will use the ACS/SBC with the F140LP filter for one orbit to image the Far Ultraviolet flux of the source(s) at the postion of the M31-RV. We will also image the position of M31-RV with WFPC2 for a total of 4 orbits. We will use F300W (4x600 seconds), F439W (4x400 seconds), F555W (4x200 seconds) and F814W (4x600 seconds). These observations will be deep enough to detect M31-RV if it is a very blue (nova) remnant, or a very red mergeburst. Real Time Justification ----------------------- Calibration Justification ------------------------- Additional Comments ------------------- 11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 2] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 3] TARGET LIST Fixed Targets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tar| Target | Target | Target |Coord | Radial | Flux data No | Name | Description | Position |Eqnx | Vel. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 M31-RV EXT-STAR, CLASSICAL RA=00H43M2.4330S +/- 0.1", J2000 V = 23.2 NOVA DEC=+41D12'56.17" +/- 0.1" Reference Frame: Other: WFPC2 Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 4] Patterns ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pattern_Number: 1 Primary_Pattern Secondary_Pattern Pattern_Type WFPC2-BOX Pattern_Purpose DITHER Number_Of_Points 4 Point_Spacing 0.559017 Line_Spacing 0.559017 Coordinate_Frame POS-TARG Pattern_Orient 26.56505 Angle_Between_Sides 143.130102 Center_Pattern NO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pattern_Number: 2 Primary_Pattern Secondary_Pattern Pattern_Type ACS-SBC-DITHER-BOX Pattern_Purpose DITHER Number_Of_Points 4 Point_Spacing 0.179 Line_Spacing 0.116 Coordinate_Frame POS-TARG Pattern_Orient 20.02 Angle_Between_Sides 63.65 Center_Pattern NO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 5] Visit: 01 Visit Requirements: On Hold Comments: Additional Comments: Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Exp | Target | Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Central| Optional |Num| Time | Special Num | Name | Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Waveln.| Parameters |Exp| | Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 M31-RV WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F814W 1 500 S PATTERN 1 1-4 see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 M31-RV WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F555W 1 600 S see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 M31-RV WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F439W 1 600 S see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 M31-RV WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F300W 1 600 S see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sub Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target | Exp |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Cent.|Primary |Secondary |Iteration |CR-SPLIT |Orbit |Duration Name | Num |Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Wave.|Pattern Pos |Pattern Pos |Num |Num |Number | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ M31-RV 1 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F814W 1 none none none 1 600.0 S M31-RV 1 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F814W 2 none none none 2 600.0 S M31-RV 1 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F814W 3 none none none 3 600.0 S M31-RV 1 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F814W 4 none none none 4 600.0 S M31-RV 2 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F555W 1 none none none 1 200.0 S M31-RV 2 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F555W 2 none none none 2 200.0 S M31-RV 2 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F555W 3 none none none 3 200.0 S M31-RV 2 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F555W 4 none none none 4 200.0 S M31-RV 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F439W 1 none none none 1 400.0 S M31-RV 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F439W 2 none none none 2 400.0 S M31-RV 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F439W 3 none none none 3 400.0 S M31-RV 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F439W 4 none none none 4 400.0 S M31-RV 4 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F300W 1 none none none 1 600.0 S M31-RV 4 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F300W 2 none none none 2 600.0 S M31-RV 4 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F300W 3 none none none 3 600.0 S M31-RV 4 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1-FIX F300W 4 none none none 4 600.0 S 11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 6] Visit: 02 Visit Requirements: PCS MODE FINE; GYRO MODE 2G On Hold Comments: Additional Comments: Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Exp | Target | Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Central| Optional |Num| Time | Special Num | Name | Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Waveln.| Parameters |Exp| | Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 M31-RV ACS/SBC ACCUM SBC F140LP 1 638 S PATTERN 2 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sub Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target | Exp |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Cent.|Primary |Secondary |Iteration |CR-SPLIT |Orbit |Duration Name | Num |Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Wave.|Pattern Pos |Pattern Pos |Num |Num |Number | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ M31-RV 1 ACS/SBC ACCUM SBC F140LP 1 none none none 1 N/A M31-RV 1 ACS/SBC ACCUM SBC F140LP 2 none none none 1 N/A M31-RV 1 ACS/SBC ACCUM SBC F140LP 3 none none none 1 N/A M31-RV 1 ACS/SBC ACCUM SBC F140LP 4 none none none 1 N/A 11546( 3) - 04-Jun-2008 10:29:37 - [ 7] Summary Form for Proposal 11546 Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apertures PC1-FIX, SBC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations ACS/SBC, WFPC2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACCUM, IMAGE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements GYRO MODE 2G, PATTERN 1 1-4, PATTERN 2 1, PCS MODE FINE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements F140LP, F300W, F439W, F555W, F814W ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names M31-RV ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------