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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1062      1996 Mar 22 18.30UT
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
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SUPERNOVA 1996L IN ESO 266-G10
Robert H. McNaught, Anglo-Australian Observatory, reports his
discovery of a supernova (mag about 18.5), found on a U.K. Schmidt
telescope R plate taken on Mar. 19.6 UT by K. S. Russell and J. M.
James.  SN 1996L is located 20".5 east and 2".2 north of the centre
of the host galaxy, at R.A. = 11h38m37s.80, Decl. = -43o25'13".8
(equinox 2000.0; uncertainty 0".5 in each coordinate).  A nearby
star of mag about 17.5 has position end figures 37s.90, 6".1.  No
image appears at the position of SN 1996L on several surveys of
various colours, the latest being in 1991.
IAUC 6346 (extract)

COMET C/1996 E1 (NEAT)

Parabolic orbital elements from MPEC 1996-F04 for the comet
reported on E1060:

     T = 1996 July 27.3940 TT         Peri. =  81.3924
                                      Node  = 149.8480  2000.0
     q = 1.352968 AU                  Incl. = 114.3714

1996 TT     R. A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong. Phase    m1
Mar. 18     8 53.69   +20 41.0   1.486   2.278  132.3   18.9   16.4
     23     8 40.52   +23 36.6   1.516   2.227  123.5   21.9   16.4
     28     8 28.28   +26 16.7   1.556   2.176  115.1   24.5   16.3
Apr.  2     8 17.14   +28 40.7   1.604   2.126  107.2   26.7   16.3
      7     8 07.21   +30 49.3   1.657   2.076   99.7   28.4   16.3
     12     7 58.50   +32 44.0   1.715   2.026   92.7   29.6   16.2
     17     7 51.03   +34 26.6   1.774   1.977   86.0   30.4   16.2
IAUC 6346

COMET C/1996 B2 (HYAKUTAKE)
Further selected observations (cf E1060):
                   m1    dia  tail                         Observer
1996 Mar 17.6UT   3.5    35'                Naked Eye Andrew Pearce
1996 Mar 18.3UT   2.6    37'  2.9deg                   Haakon Dahle
1996 Mar 18.5UT   2.5    50'  10deg  PA 280 Naked Eye   P.Camilleri
1996 Mar 18.7UT   2.9    45'                          Andrew Pearce
1996 Mar 19.1UT   3.3    37'  1deg   PA 290 10x50B in fog Guy Hurst
1996 Mar 21.0UT   1.5    60'  20deg  PA 260 Naked Eye  Herman Mikuz
1996 Mar 21.1UT   1.7    30'  3deg   PA 270 20x80B      R.Lourencon
1996 Mar 21.3UT   1.9    45'  3.5deg PA 270 11x80B      Jose Aquiar

Guy M Hurst