CI Aql spectra during 2000 outburst

The amount of interstellar extinction is estimated to be E(B-V)=0.92+/-0.15 from the equivalent widths of the diffuse interstellar absorption bands. The helium abundance in the ejecta is estimated to be N(He)=0.19+/-0.05 and the mass of the ejecta to be about 2x10^-6^M_{sun}_. This object has been classified as a U Sco type recurrent nova, but its spectral evolution during the outburst resembled those of T Pyx type recurrent novae.

It is doubtful whether the peak of m_V_~9mag on 2000 May 5 was the true light maximum or an earlier brighter peak had been overlooked, because the spectral data suggest that the ejections of gas shells occurred prior to the discovery of the outburst on 2000 April 28.