------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1010 1995 Oct 27 07.11UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.demon.co.uk/astronomer ------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent IAU circulars have announced the discovery of two faint SNe. One, of magnitude 18.3, is in NGC7794 on the border of Pices and Pegasus. The other, of magnitude 20, is in Andromeda. Both would be a real challenge for CCD observers. SUPERNOVA 1995ai IN NGC 7794 C. Pollas, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, reports his discovery on a Tech Pan film taken Oct. 23.94 UT of a supernova (V about 18.3) at R.A. = 23h58m33s.06, Decl. = +10o43'23".9 (equinox 2000.0), which is 15".7 west and 17".4 south of the center of NGC 7794 (and situated on a large, faint condensation of the southern arm of this spiral galaxy). M. Dennefeld, using the 1.2-m telescope at Observatoire de Haute Provence, estimated the flux (Cousins R band) of SN 1995ai on Oct. 24.78 UT to be about 2 times fainter than the flux of each of two nearby stars of mag V about 18.0 having position end figures 35s.18, 51".1 and 36s.42, 32".9. A third nearby star (V = 15.0) has position end figures 32s.80, 42'59".7. IAUC 6252 SUPERNOVA 1995aj IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY C. Pollas, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (OCA), reports his discovery of a supernova at R.A. = 2h28m36s.64, Decl. = +41o56'01".9 (equinox 2000.0), which is 5".0 west and 4".9 south of the spiral galaxy's center (the galaxy having mag B about 18.5). Estimated magnitudes for SN 1995aj from OCA Schmidt telescope films taken by D. Albanese and Pollas: Sept. 29.06 UT, V about 20.0; Oct. 25.00, 21.4. A nearby star (V about 18.4) has position end figures 36s.64, 21".3. Nothing is present at this location on the original Palomar Sky Survey prints or the 1989 (Bj) Palomar Survey film. L. Wang, Department of Astronomy, University of Texas, communicates: "A low-resolution (1.2-nm FWHM) spectrogram of SN 1995aj was obtained on Oct. 26 UT with the McDonald Observatory's 2.1-m telescope. Preliminary inspection of the spectrum shows this to be a type-Ia supernova about 1 month past maximum." IAUC 6253 Nick James