THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 159 1988 May 22  10.54UT.
Telecom Gold 72:MAG60138
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16, Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP, England. Telephone:(0256)471074.Int:+44256471074
Telex:265871(MONREF G) Quote"72:MAG60138 ATT G.HURST"in FIRST line.
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OUTBURST OF T LEONIS
John Isles, Limassol, Cyprus, reports that he has observed an
outburst of T Leonis, a UG star located at:
RA 11h35m53s DEC +03 38.9' (1950).
In response to an alert, confirmation has been obtained by
P.Schmeer (Germany) and S.Lubbock (Bridgend). Estimates:
May 8.80UT, (12.1 (Isles); 20.96, (11.0 (Schmeer); 21.79, 9.8
(Isles); 21.83, 9.8 (Isles); 21.88, 9.8 (Schmeer); 21.91, 9.9
(Schmeer); 21.93, 9.9 (Lubbock).
This star was rejected from the recurrent objects list because its
recent behaviour has shown frequent outbursts. AAVSO Circulars:
Maxima: 1987 Apr 30, 10.4v; 1987 July 15, 10.9v; 1988 Jan 1, 10.0v.
The 1987 Apr outburst was also mentioned on E-22 and E-24.
According to W.Wenzel (MVS 10(3),1984) research on Sonneberg Sky
Patrol plates yielded 14 maxima. These coupled with AAVSO data led
to a statistical estimate of cycle length as 400-500d. In
particular no outbursts were detected between 1952 Feb 12 and 1962
Feb 6. Comments on the star's activity would be welcomed.
Several observers have also commented on inaccuracies in the
sequence. The calibration is primarily from the AAVSO chart with
some fainter comparisons added from a photograph by D.Buczynski
(referred to on E-104).
Specific estimates of comparison stars are welcomed and, if there
is agreement amongst our group, changes will be considered.
In the meantime it is suggested that estimates at 30 minute
intervals might be useful to search for superhumps.

POSSIBLE COMET (=Q1988/32)
Rob McNaught e-mails that there is no trace of this object
(cf E-156) to magnitude 10.5 on his patrol photos of May 13.56UT.
He suggests that a possible cause is the ghost of Saturn, if the
field centre was the middle of Saturn, Uranus, M8 and M20.

X-RAY NOVA IN VULPECULA
R. M. Wagner, A. A. Henden and R. Bertram, Ohio State University;
and S. G. Starrfield, Arizona State University, write:
"Spectroscopic observations (range 450-720 nm, nominal spectral
resolution 1.5 nm) of candidates A and B for ASM 2000+25 (IAUC
4589) were obtained on May 14 and 16, respectively, with the Ohio
State University CCD spectrograph on the Perkins 1.8-m telescope.
The spectrum of candidate A is that  of a late M-type star, since
it shows strong TiO and VO bands; no emission features were
present in the spectrum, contrary to the report on IAUC 4598, which
was based on low-dispersion objective-prism  spectra obtained on
the same day and in the same spectral region.  The
spectrum of candidate B shows a featureless, slightly reddened
continuum.  No strong emission or absorption lines are present.
This  spectrum is completely analogous to that of V616 Mon =
A0620-00 obtained at maximum in 1975 (Gull et al. 1976, Ap.J. 206,
260).  The lack of an optical object on archival plates, the
presence of a new optical  object that might be associated with the
abrupt appearance of a new x-ray source, the detection of soft
x-ray emission and the featureless  appearance of the optical
spectrum strongly suggest that candidate B  is the optical
counterpart of the x-ray source."               IAUC 4600