------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1091 1996 Jun 23 09.45UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.demon.co.uk/astronomer ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERNOVAE 1996af AND 1996ag IN ANONYMOUS GALAXIES The Mount Stromlo Abell Cluster Supernova Search Team [L.Germany, Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories (MSSSO); D.Reiss and C. Stubbs, University of Washington; and B. Schmidt, MSSSO] reports the discovery of two supernovae on CCD images taken by G. Thorpe on the Mount Stromlo Observatory 1.27-m telescope (+ Macho Camera). SN 1996af is located at R.A. = 22h28m31s.13, Decl. = -68o58'33".0 (2000), which is 0".7 west and 0".3 south of the centre of a galaxy situated near Abell 3879. SN 1996af is visible on V and R CCD images taken on June 12 and 15 at mag about 19.5 and was not detected to mag 21 on similar frames taken on May 16. SN 1996ag is at R.A. = 21h46m50s.47, Decl. = -43o41'50".4, which is 1".7 east and 0".4 south of a galaxy situated near Abell 3879; a nearby star has position end figures 45s.09, 43".9. SN 1996ag is visible on V and R CCD images taken on June 12 and 15 at mag about 20.5 and was not detected to mag 20.5 on similar frames obtained on May 22. IAUC 6418 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1996ah IN NGC 5640 J. Mueller reports her discovery of a supernova (mag about 18) located 4".7 west and 3".3 south of the centre of NGC 5640 (R.A. = 14h20m.8, Decl. = +80o06', 2000). Mueller found SN 1996ah on a IIIa-F plate taken by K. M. Rykoski and herself on June 6 with the 1.2-m Oschin Schmidt telescope in the course of the second Palomar Sky Survey. IAUC 6421 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1996ai IN NGC 5005 Claudio Bottari, Sava, Italy, reports his discovery on a CCD image (+ ISIS deep-sky filter) obtained on June 16.86 UT of a supernova of mag 14.5 located some 50" east-northeast of the centre of NGC 5005. S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, relays a subsequent unfiltered CCD observation by R. and Y. Kushida (Yatsugatake South Base Observatory) on June 19.472, which confirms the presence of a new star of mag 13.0 (near an apparent H II clump) that was not present on a May 12 image (limiting mag 16.5), located at R.A. = 13h10m58s.13, Decl. = +37o03'35".4 (equinox 2000.0). IAUC 6422 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1996aj IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY The Mount Stromlo Abell Cluster Supernova Search Team reports the discovery of an apparent supernova on CCD images taken by S. Chan on the Mount Stromlo Observatory 1.27-m telescope (+ Macho Camera). SN 1996aj is located at R.A. = 13h29m06s.82, Decl. = -29o14'02".0, which is 4".45 west and 0".4 north of a galaxy situated near Abell 3559. SN 1996aj is visible on V and R CCD images taken on June 15 at mag about 18.5 and was not detected on a poor frame obtained on May 28. IAUC 6424 (extract) Guy M Hurst