Systematic search for M31 novae from Schmidt plates

The accurate positions of the detected novae lead to a much larger database when searching for recurrent novae in M 31. We conducted a systematic search for novae on 306 digitized Tautenburg Schmidt plates covering a time span of 36 years from 1960 to 1996.

From the database of both ~3x10^5^ light curves and >~10^6^ detections on only one plate per colour band, nova candidates were efficiently selected by automated algorithms and subsequently individually inspected by eye. We report the detection of 84 nova candidates.