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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1063      1996 Mar 23 17.37UT
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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COMET C/1996 B2 (HYAKUTAKE)
John Bortle (USA) e-mails:
"One of the great cometary displays of the past 1000 years!",
read my notes from last night. Clouds parted (for the first time
in five days) between 11:00PM and 1:00AM local time
(March 23.24UT) to reveal the comet situated almost directly
overhead. To the naked eye the total magnitude was 0.0 (equal
to nearby Arcturus) with the coma 1.3-degrees in diameter
(1.8-degrees in 10x50B) and a 30-degree straight tail, nearly
equal to the coma's width and with the first 15-degrees very
obvious, stretching off to the southwest (p.a. 240-degrees).
Only like-event that immediately comes to mind is that of
P/Halley in 837 A.D."

Paul Camilleri (Victoria,Australia) e-mails:
1996 Mar. 22.68 UT: m1= 0.3, Dia. 70', DC. 7,....NE.
"This would have to be the most spectacular comet I have seen in
10 years of comet observing, the tail was traced out to 15 degrees
in PA 250d with 20x80 binoculars, and some 40 degrees with the
naked eye the coma was strongly condensed and a wonderful sight
through 20x80 Binoculars. Through my 0.20-m refl.x112, I could see
a bright jet of material 2' long coming out at PA 240 from the
bright condensation giving the appearance of a tiny great comet
within the coma itself, a wonderful sight."

SUPERNOVA 1996M IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
Robert H. McNaught, Anglo-Australian Observatory, reports his
discovery of a supernova (mag about 18), found on a U.K. Schmidt
telescope R plate taken on Mar. 19.7 UT by K. S. Russell and D. M.
James.  SN 1996M is located 21" due west of the centre of the host
galaxy (in a faint knot on the edge of the galaxy), at R.A. =
12h51m17s.73, Decl. = -13o01'11".7 (equinox 2000.0).  A nearby star
of mag about 17.5 has position end figures 20s.57, 00'59".4.  No
image appears at the position of SN 1996M in several surveys, the
latest being in 1994 June.
IAUC 6347 (extract)

COMET P/1996 F1 (SPACEWATCH)
J. V. Scotti, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, reports that he and
J. Montani have recovered comet P/1991 R2 (= 1991x = 1990 XXIX)
with the 0.9-m Spacewatch telescope at Kitt Peak.  The nuclear
magnitude m2 was 19.6 and 19.4 on Mar. 21.35 and 22.26 UT,
respectively; on Mar. 21.35 a 0'.66 tail extended in p.a. 264 deg
from a 15" coma.
     1996 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1
     Mar. 21.34514   11 46 51.04   +10 40 46.0
          21.36731   11 46 50.06   +10 41 04.8   17.6
          22.25146   11 46 15.16   +10 53 42.9   17.4

The following improved orbital elements, by B. G. Marsden, satisfy
36 observations 1991-1996 with mean residual 0".71:
                    Epoch = 1996 July 16.0 TT
     T = 1996 July 14.5658 TT         Peri. =  87.2733
     e = 0.509139                     Node  = 153.3661  2000.0
     q = 1.539721 AU                  Incl. =   9.9666
       a =  3.136773 AU    n = 0.1774106    P =   5.556 years
IAUC 6349 (extract)

Guy M Hurst