We present multi-color light curves and optical spectra of V1280 Scorpii obtained from 2007 to 2012. It is shown that V1280 Sco is the extremely slow nova and the mass of white dwarf appears to be $sim$ 0.6 M$odot$ or lower. Blue-shifted multiple abs
orption lines of Na {sc i} D, Ca {sc ii} HK, and He {sc i*} are detected on high-resolution spectra. We also discuss that an approach using metastable He absorption lines is useful to investigate structures of nova shells.
We report the discovery of blue-shifted metastable He I* absorption lines at 3188 A and 3889 A with multiple components on high-resolution spectra (R ~ 60,000) of V1280 Scorpii. Similar multiple absorption lines associated with Na I D doublet and Ca
II H and K are observed. Na I D doublet absorption lines have been observed since 2009, while the metastable He I* absorption lines were absent in 2009 and were detected in 2011 (four years after the burst). We find different time variations in depths and velocities of blue-shifted absorption components among He I*, Na I, and Ca II. The complex time evolutions of these lines can be explained by assuming changes in density and recombination/ionization rate when the ejecta expand and the photosphere contracts to become hotter. The multiple absorption lines originate in the ejected materials consisting of clumpy components, which obscure a significant part of the continuum emitting region. We estimate the total mass of the ejected material to be on the order of ~ 10^{-4} Mo, using metastable He I* 3188 and 3889 absorption lines.
We present optical ($B$, $V$, $R_{rm c}$, $I_{rm c}$ and $y$) and near infrared ($J$, $H$ and $K_{rm s}$) photometric and spectroscopic observations of a classical nova V1280 Scorpii for five years from 2007 to 2011. Our photometric observations show
a declining event in optical bands shortly after the maximum light which continues $sim$ 250 days. The event is most probably caused by a dust formation. The event is accompanied by a short ($sim$ 30 days) re-brightening episode ($sim$ 2.5 mag in $V$), which suggests a re-ignition of the surface nuclear burning. After 2008, the $y$ band observations show a very long plateau at around $y$ = 10.5 for more than 1000 days until April 2011 ($sim$ 1500 days after the maximum light). The nova had taken a very long time ($sim$ 50 months) before entering the nebular phase (clear detection of both [ion{O}{iii}] 4959 and 5007) and is still continuing to generate the wind caused by H-burning. The finding suggests that V1280 Sco is going through the historically slowest evolution. The interval from the maximum light (2007 February 16) to the beginning of the nebular phase is longer than any previously known slow novae: V723 Cas (18 months), RR Pic (10 months), or HR Del (8 months). It suggests that the mass of a white dwarf in the V1280 Sco system might be 0.6 $M_mathrm{sun}$ or smaller. The distance, based on our measurements of the expansion velocity combined with the directly measured size of the dust shell, is estimated to be 1.1 $pm$ 0.5 kpc.
