THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 494 1991 March 12 19.39UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP, England. Telephone: (0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 Telex: 9312111261 Answerback: TA G JANET BOXES: GMH at UK.AC.CAM.ASTRONOMY.STARLINK or GUYH at UK.AC.SUSSEX.CLUSTER TELECOM GOLD: 10074:MIK2885 PRESTEL 256471074 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3C 245 OUTBURST Professional astronomers at La Palma advise us that this quasar located at RA 16h41m18s DEC +39 54'11"(1950) is in outburst. They report that by March 10 it had reached magnitude 15.5, about three magnitudes above minimum, and that the brightest estimate historically is 14.5. They place an URGENT plea that we maintain continuous monitoring of the object and selected observers with large aperture equipment or prime focus photographic equipment have already been notified and a chart despatched. If anyone else is able to reach magnitude 15 or fainter please e-mail for further details. V854 CENTAURI Rob McNaught, Australia, e-mails further estimates confirming the fade of this R-CrB type variable (cf E493): Feb 25.51UT, 7.3 (P.F.Williams, Heathcote, NSW, Australia); 28.63, 7.3 (Williams); Mar 3.49, 7.7 (Williams); 5.47, 7.8 (Williams); 7.56, 8.5 (Williams); 8.62, 8.7 (McNaught); 10.68, 9.5 (McNaught). EG ANDROMEDAE Following the PRO-Am request on E478, results have been forwarded to Dr.Vogel for analysis, the monitoring having ceased 1991 Feb 28. Stefan Korth provides feedback: The January 1991 minimum of EG And During 12 nights of January 1991 Franz Agerer (Zweikirchen, Germany) could obtain photoelectric B and V magnitudes for the symbiotic eclipsing binary EG And. 8 of these nights also allowed U photometry. Agerer used an automatic Celestron 14 at his private observatory, equipped with an EMI 9781 B photomultiplier. As comparison stars HD 3914, SAO 36638 and SAO 36597 were chosen. Preliminary analysis of the resulting lightcurves show a clear minimum centred on JD 2448273.3 ( = Jan. 16.8, 1991). It is visible in all three bands. The following amplitudes could be derived: delta U = 0.08 mag delta B = 0.06 mag delta V = 0.04 mag ULYSSES/COMET KEARNS-KWEE ENCOUNTER Daniel Fishcer (Germany) e-mails: "On March 12 around 0:00 UT, the Ulysses spacecraft and Comet Kearns-Kwee will be only 7.8 Million km apart. This 'encounter' was not intended (in fact, discovered only recently), and the spacecraft itself probably cannot gain anything directly from the comet's proximity as it will be inside its orbit. Nonetheless, the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics*) asks amateurs to monitor and photograph the approx.14mag comet this week and to supply their results: perhaps there will be a disturbance in the solar wind that is detected by Ulysses and affects the close-by comet somewhat. *) Heidelberg, Germany (Encounter discovered and call issued by R.Riemann, 1991 Mar 7)". T LEONIS Patrick Schmeer, Germany, e-mails this star is in outburst: Mar 10.878UT, 10.4. Please note the TA sequence and chart, now amended to that by Huruhata, appears in the 1991 March TA (in press), Guy M Hurst