Five-Year Optical and Near Infrared Observations of the Extremely Slow Nova V1280 Scorpii

We present optical ($B$, $V$, $R_{\rm c}$, $I_{\rm c}$ and $y$) and near infrared ($J$, $H$ and $K_{\rm s}$) photometric and spectroscopic observations of a classical nova V1280 Scorpii for five years from 2007 to 2011. Our photometric observations show a declining event in optical bands shortly after the maximum light which continues $\sim$ 250 days. The event is most probably caused by a dust formation. The event is accompanied by a short ($\sim$ 30 days) re-brightening episode ($\sim$ 2.5 mag in $V$), which suggests a re-ignition of the surface nuclear burning. After 2008, the $y$ band observations show a very long plateau at around $y$ = 10.5 for more than 1000 days until April 2011 ($\sim$ 1500 days after the maximum light). The nova had taken a very long time ($\sim$ 50 months) before entering the nebular phase (clear detection of both [\ion{O}{iii}] 4959 and 5007) and is still continuing to generate the wind caused by H-burning. The finding suggests that V1280 Sco is going through the historically slowest evolution. The interval from the maximum light (2007 February 16) to the beginning of the nebular phase is longer than any previously known slow novae: V723 Cas (18 months), RR Pic (10 months), or HR Del (8 months). It suggests that the mass of a white dwarf in the V1280 Sco system might be 0.6 $M_\mathrm{\sun}$ or smaller. The distance, based on our measurements of the expansion velocity combined with the directly measured size of the dust shell, is estimated to be 1.1 $\pm$ 0.5 kpc.

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