Life after eruption - I. Spectroscopic observations of 10 nova candidates

We have started a project to investigate the connection of post-novae
with the population of cataclysmic variables (CVs). Our first steps in
this concern improving the sample of known post-novae and their
properties. Here we present the recovery and/or confirmation of the old
novae MT Cen, V812 Cen, V655 CrA, IL Nor, V2109 Oph, V909 Sgr, V2572 Sgr
and V728 Sco. Principal photometric and spectroscopic properties of
these systems are discussed. We find that V909 Sgr is a probable
magnetic CV, and that V728 Sco is a high-inclination system. We
furthermore suggest that the two candidate novae V734 Sco and V1310 Sgr
have been misclassified and instead are Mira variables.