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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 826       1994 Apr  3 12.00UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise,  Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(0256)471074 Int:+44256471074
INTERNET: GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK  or    GMH at GXVG.AST.CAM.AC.UK
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SUPERNOVA 1994I IN NGC 5194 (=Messier 51)
On Apr 2.3UT, we e-mailed an appeal for confirmation of a possible
supernova in M51. The original report had come via fax from John
Sanford in USA when he relayed that Wayne Johnson and Douglas
Millar of Orange County Astronomers and Sunsearch had found the
object visually on Apr 2.1527UT. Subsequently its presence had been
confirmed to be 14"E and 12" S of the nucleus using the 0.55-m
Kuhn f/8 telescope with the estimated magnitude as 13.7. Imagery
with 500x256 CCD camera was also obtained on the 0.55-m and also
the 0.105-m f/10 refractor. These observations were secured at
the Orange County Astronomers Observatory at Anza, California
in excellent sky conditions.

Terry Platt, Reading, UK subsequently reported an independent
discovery of this object made on Apr 2.989UT without prior
knowledge. The 40 second CCD imaging with the 0.20-m f/5 Newtonian
showed the object to be of about 13.7 (unfiltered).

Martin Mobberley, Cockfield, UK also confirmed the discovery on
Apr 2.887UT with the 0.36-m reflector (+Kodak 2415) at magnitude
13.3.

Visual confirmation was also obtained by Guy Hurst, Basingstoke,
UK on Apr 2.923UT at 13.6v.

An IAU Circular provides additional information:
Several independent reports have been received of the discovery of
a supernova some 14" east and 12" south of the nucleus of NGC 5194
= = M51: Apr. 2.17 UT, mag 13.5 (Tim Puckett and Jerry Armstrong,
Atlanta, GA; CCD discovery; R.A. = 13 27 47.62, Decl. = +47 26
59.1, equinox 1950.0); 2.21, - (Richard Berry, Cedar Grove, WI; CCD
discovery); 2.66, 13.8 (Reiki Kushida, Yatsugatake South Base
Observatory; visual).
M. W. Richmond and A. V. Filippenko have confirmed the object using
BVRI CCD images obtained with the 0.5-m Berkeley Automatic Imaging
Telescope at Leuschner Observatory and note it to be very blue.  L.
Armus and J. M.Mazzarella obtained moderate-dispersion spectra with
the 5-m Hale reflector at Palomar Observatory and see broad
undulations superposed on a generally featureless continuum.
IAUC 5961

Editor: It is possible that this supernova could brighten further
and good coverage is therefore required,

Guy M Hurst







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