THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 448 1990 Sept 26 20.35UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP, England. Telephone: (0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 Telex: 94082518 Answerback: TAGUY Microlink: MAG60138 JANET:GMH @ UK.AC.CAM.ASTRONOMY.STARLINK GUYH@UK.AC.SUSSEX.CLUSTER TELECOM GOLD: 10074:MIK2885 PRESTEL 256471074 -------------------------------------------------------------------- POSSIBLE OCCULTATION BY 19 FORTUNA A.J.Elliott, Reading, has kindly relayed news from EAON and IOTA of a possible occultation event which may be favourable for UK-based observers. The asteroid 19 Fortuna will occult or pass very near to SAOC 078008 = BD+22 1183 = AGK3+22 0643 on next Saturday morning, 1990 Sept 29. The star is located at: RA 06h05m05.98s DEC +22 27'37.7"(1950) and has SAOC catalogued magnitudes of 9.0v and 9.5pg. The event is predicted for 03h41.7mUT but is recommended that monitoring be made between 03h30m and 03h50mUT (04h30m-04h50mBST). The asteroid will be of visual magnitude 11.3 and there is an expected drop of 2.4 magnitudes for the central track and a maximum duration of 14.1 seconds. Solar and Lunar elongations are 93deg and 153deg respectively. Precise timings are needed if the occultation is witnessed together with coordinates for the observing site. Negative observations are also required and, if possible, an indication of which side of the star the asteroid passed. Please submit reports to the Editor by October 5. SUPERNOVA 1990ac IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY R. H. McNaught, University of Adelaide, reports his discovery of a supernova in an anonymous galaxy on an R plate taken with the 1.2-m U.K. Schmidt Telescope of the Anglo-Australian Observatory by P. McKenzie on Sept. 23.74 UT. The supernova (mag about 18) is located at R.A. = 3h51m07s.99, Decl. = -29 53'28".5 (1950), or 1".0 west and 5".5 north of the center of the galaxy. No image appears in this position on the ESO R survey film. IAUC 5101 DO DRACONIS G.Dyck, N.Dartmouth, USA, reports an outburst of DO Draconis on 1990 Sept 25.041UT at mv=13.5. The event was independently found by P.Schmeer, Germany whose latest result is: Sept 26.106UT, 9.8. He finds a mean cycle length of 871 days from 7 of the 8 recorded outbursts to date. The last recorded outburst occurred on 1988 March 30. AM HERCULIS P.Schmeer asks if any estimates obtained in Sept to date could be e- mailed to him at the address in the TA Comms.Cat. Guy M Hurst