Session 76 - Exploding Stars.
Display session, Thursday, June 13
Great Hall,

## [76.06] Ultraviolet Faint Object Spectrograph Observations of the Hot Post-Nova GQ Muscae

L. Shanley, J. S. Gallagher, M. Orio, H. Ogelman (U. Wisconsin, Madison)

Low resolution, time-resolved ultraviolet spectra were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope for the post--nova GQ Muscae on September 2, 1994. We obtained satisfactory data during 3 HST orbits which together cover about 90% of the GQ Mus 85.5 min binary orbital period. The mean spectrum shows a strong, blue continuum which is only slightly flatter than a Rayleigh-Jeans spectra energy distribution. The UV luminosity is L_UV \approx10^35 erg s^-1 . Moderately strong emission lines from He II, C IV and possibly other high ionization species are present. No significant variability is found as a function of orbital phase and the random variability is \leq 10 % throughout the 1300--2100 Å\ spectral region. The results from these observations are discussed in terms of a cooling white dwarf model for this post--nova.