THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 668 1992 Sept 17 20.00UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(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
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1992 QB1
D. Jewitt, University of Hawaii; and J. Luu, University of
California at Berkeley, report the discovery of a very faint object
with very slow (3"/hour) retrograde near-opposition motion,
detected in CCD images obtained with the University of Hawaii's
2.2-m telescope at Mauna Kea. The object appears stellar in 0".8
seeing, with an apparent Mould magnitude R = 22.8 +/- 0.2 measured
in a 1".5-radius aperture and a broadband color index V-R = +0.7
+/- 0.2.
1992 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
Aug. 30.45568 0 01 12.79 + 0 08 50.7
30.59817 0 01 12.19 + 0 08 46.9
31.52047 0 01 08.37 + 0 08 22.7
31.61982 0 01 07.95 + 0 08 19.9
Sept. 1.35448 0 01 04.90 + 0 08 00.6
1.62225 0 01 03.76 + 0 07 53.3
Computations by Brian Marsden indicate that 1992 QB1 is currently
between 37 and 59 AU from the earth but that the orbit (except for
the nodal longitude) is completely indeterminate. Some solutions
are compatible with membership in the supposed "Kuiper Belt", but
the object could also be a comet in a near-parabolic orbit. The
particular solution below is the direct circle (but a retrograde
circle some 15 AU larger in radius also fits); Jewitt and Luu note
that a cometlike albedo of 4 percent then implies a diameter of 200
km and that the red color suggests a surface composition rich in
organics. Further precise astrometry during the late-September
dark run should eliminate some possibilities, but a satisfactory
definition of the orbit will clearly require follow-up through the
end of the year. The object's phase angle reaches a minimum of
less than 0.01 deg around Sept. 22.5 UT.
Epoch = 1992 Aug. 26.0 TT Arg.lat. = 0.335
Node = 359.440 2000.0
a = 41.197 AU Incl. = 2.334
SUPERNOVA 1992aw IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
J. Mueller reports her discovery of a supernova 13" east and 7"
north of the nucleus of an anonymous galaxy at R.A. = 19 05 39.39,
Decl. = +50 58 05.9 (equinox 1950.0). It was of red magnitude
about 18 on a plate taken on Aug. 27 with the 1.2-m Oschin
Telescope in the course of the second Palomar Sky Survey.
IAUC 5606
SUPERNOVA 1992ax IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
J. Mueller reports her discovery of a probable supernova in an
anonymous galaxy at R.A. = 22 08 24.01, Decl. = +44 47 04.2
(1950.0). The object is 19".5 south of the galaxy's nucleus and had
a blue magnitude of approximately 18.5 on a plate taken on Sept. 3
by C.Brewer and Mueller with the 1.2-m Oschin Telescope in the
course of the second Palomar Sky Survey.
IAUC 5607
GRO J0422+32
Richard Stratford, INSPEC, points out that the position given for
this object on E663 is based on the equinox for 2000 and not 1950
as stated.
Guy M Hurst