THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 796 1993 Dec 12 11.16UT 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 TELECOM GOLD: 10074:MIK2885 GMH at UK.AC.RUTHERFORD.STARLINK.ASTROPHYSICS STARLINK: RLSAC::GMH GMH at UK.AC.CAM.ASTRONOMY.STARLINK STARLINK: CAVAD::GMH ------------------------------------------------------------------- NOVA CASSIOPEIAE 1993 S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Kazuyoshi Kanatsu, Matsue, Shimane, of a nova on a T-Max 400 exposure with a 55-mm f/2.8 lens on Dec. 7, with confirmation by the discoverer on Dec. 11. K. Kawanishi, Akou, Hyogo, has determined the position to be R.A. = 23h39m22s.36, Decl. = +57d14'23".7 (equinox 1950.0). Magnitude estimates: Dec. 5.44 UT, [10.0 (A. Tago, Tsuyama, Okayama; T-Max); 7.47, 7.5 (Tago); 7.47, 6.5 (Kanatsu); 11.42, 6.5 (Kanatsu); 11.63, 6.5 (S. Otomo, Kiyosato, Yamanashi; visual); 11.63, 6.4 (T. Urata, Shimizu, Shizuoka; unfiltered CCD); 11.65, 6.4 (K. Tomita, Tokyo; visual). IAUC 5902 Brian Skiff, Lowell Observatory, reports: "Locating the IAUC position of Nova Cas 1993 on the POSS-I prints using the Lowell Observatory PDS machine, a candidate precursor appears on both prints as a B ~18 star of neutral colour. The candidate is the northern component of a merged pair (thus the separation is ~2") of roughly equal brightness elongated north-south. The pair are similar in width on both prints, implying a B-R color of roughly 1.0. I measured this component of the lobed image on both prints together with 30 PPM stars in this region of the prints. The reference net was fit with a full cubic polynomial in RA and Dec. Two stars were dropped after one iteration, with rms residuals of about 0".4 total per star on both prints. The positions for the candidate are: RA (J2000) Dec E print: 23 41 47.21 +57 31 01.3 O print: 23 41 47.24 +57 31 01.6 ...or 0".8 due south of the position given on IAUC 5902." In a later message he adds that the candidate does not appear on POSS-II films so far issued. The object should appear on the 0h00m/+60 film but it is covered by the calibration cutout! Taichi Kato, Japan e-mails that he observed the nova on 1993 Dec 12.403 at magnitude 6.5 (7x50B, SAOC magnitudes)