Evolution and development of the slow, dusty nova, V1280 Scorpii (Nova Sco 2007a)

The classical nova V1280 Sco erupted in February 2007 and was one of the brightest novae of the past decade. The system began producing an optically thick dust shell around 10 days after eruption, much earlier than is typical for dust producing novae. The dust condensation event lasted more than 100 days and preceded a very slow, protracted evolution of the ejecta. Early nearand mid-IR observations indicated that hydrocarbons were likely present. These characteristics made V1280 Sco an excellent laboratory in which to examine the evolution and development of dusty novae in general and specifically to explore the processes of dust condensation, growth, and destruction. Here, we discuss the history of this fascinating nova and its implications for our understanding of dust formation and processing, with a particular emphasis on the role of hydrocarbon species. We also present near-IR data from SpeX on the IRTF, which demonstrates that the ejecta are likely still composed of optically thick clumps and that aliphatics are no longer significant contributors to the hydrocarbon population.