THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 176 1988 July 03 10.09UT.
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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NOVA ANDROMEDAE 1988
Brian Marsden comments on IAUC 4620:
"Information received some weeks ago indicates that a spectrogram
was obtained of Dave McAdam's variable in Andromeda (IAUC 4570,
4577,4579) with the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope, La Palma, on
Apr 1, but various computer problems have prevented recovery of the
data. A preliminary inspection of the object's spectrum at the time
apparently showed the presence of strong O III emission.
Referring to the measurements of the position of the object (IAUC
4577), G. M. Hurst, Basingstoke, England, reports that B. Manning,
Stakenbridge, has obtained the following position (a three-star
SAOC reduction from a Palomar Sky Survey print) for Hurst's
pre-outburst candidate: R.A. = 2h26m22s.18, Decl. = +39D49'17".4
(equinox 1950.0).
No image appears on the Franklin-Adams chart (1908 Dec. 28) to mag 15.
Although the absence of more definite observations is unfortunate,
it seems reasonable to suppose that the object was a nova."
IAUC 4620
Editor: Congratulations to Dave from the whole of our group on a
fine achievement.
This is the fourth nova found by the patrol, the others being:
1) HS Sagittae by John Hosty on 1977 Jan 7. (IAUC 3025).
2) Nova Cen 1986 by Rob McNaught on 1986 Nov 22. (IAUC 4274).
3) Nova Sgr 1987 by Rob McNaught on 1987 May 18. (IAUC 4397).
The first by John Hosty remains the only one to be discovered
visually.
PROBABLE SUNGRAZING COMETS
Images of two comets rapidly approaching the sun have been found
in data from the Solar Maximum Mission Coronagraph/Polarimeter by
Sharon A. Beck, High Altitude Observatory, Boulder. The following
positions, communicated by O. C. St. Cyr, Chief Observer for the
HAO C/P, have been reduced from her measurements by the SMM Flight
Dynamics Facility at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center:
1987 UT R.A. (1950) Decl.
Oct. 5.90863 12 38 36 - 4 57.0 (SMM 1)
5.97406 12 40 55 - 4 50.4
Oct. 17.81405 13 22 41 - 9 38.4 (SMM 2)
17.87947 13 24 38 - 9 31.2
SMM 1 is very roughly estimated at mag 0 and SMM 2 at mag -2. The
measurements refer to the positions of the 'head', i.e., the
sunward end of bright cometary tails. The radial distances were
estimated to be accurate to +/- 0.1 solar radius and the position
angle to +/- 0.1 deg.
A third image of SMM 2 was obtained on Oct. 17.94491 UT, but the
head was obscured by an electronic artifact that appears in the
coronagraph images. The comets could not be subsequently detected
as they receded from the sun.
Computations by B. G. Marsden, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics, show it to be very probable that, like the six
SOLWIND comets, the SMM comets belong to the Kreutz group. The
positions of both SMM 1 and SMM 2 can in fact be represented within
2' by the track of comet 1843 I. A somewhat better fit, leaving
residuals of no more than 0'.8, is given by the Kreutz-type orbital
elements Peri. = 81.0, Node = 1.2, i = 144.3 (equinox 1950.0),
q = 0.0057 AU, with the perihelion times T = 1987 Oct. 6.07 and
1987 Oct. 18.01 ET for SMM 1 and SMM 2, respectively.
IAUC 4621
AY LYRAE
John Isles, Cyprus e-mails that the star did not undergo a
supermax as predicted on E-173.
V482 CYGNI
John Isles reports the following magnitudes:
June 27.03, 13.1; 28.05, [13.5.
Observations of this decline are URGENTLY required.
TA INDEX
We welcome Frank Weissferdt of Germany to our group. His mailbox
number is MAG36440.
Guy M Hurst