------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1152 1996 Dec 24 18.40UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET 22P/KOPFF G. Cremonese, Astronomical Observatory, Padua; and K. Rembor, Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie, Lindau, report: "Using the 1.5-m Danish telescope at the European Southern Observatory on Dec. 6 we observed this comet to be split into at least three components. Our images reveal a main nucleus, showing strong jet activity, and a complex of fainter fragments toward p.a. 70 deg that also show activity; there is also an elongated coma toward p.a. 200 deg. In the Bessel R image the separation between the main nucleus and the fragments was about 40" (14 000 km); a Bessel B image obtained 7 min later shows a quite different appearance, the separation about 60" (20 000 km). The fragments did not appear in observations on the three following nights with the 2.2-m telescope, and the comet then showed a strong fan close to the sunward direction." Ephemeris from the orbital elements on MPC 27080: 1996/97 R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase m1 Dec. 13 22 41.50 -12 43.6 2.235 2.211 75.8 25.6 15.2 23 22 58.66 -10 54.7 2.405 2.270 70.2 24.1 15.7 Jan. 2 23 15.60 - 9 04.1 2.575 2.330 64.6 22.4 16.1 12 23 32.31 - 7 12.9 2.742 2.389 59.0 20.7 16.5 IAUC 6521 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1996by in UGC 3379 Weidong Li, Qiran Qiao, Yulei Qiu, and Jingyao Hu, Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO), on behalf of the BAO Supernova Survey, report their discovery of a supernova located 7".2 west and 27".9 south of the nucleus of UGC 3379 (R.A. = 5h58m26s, Decl. = +68o27'.6, equinox 2000.0). Unfiltered CCD images taken on Dec. 14 and 15 with the BAO 0.60-m reflector show the object at mag 16.5 and 16.1, respectively. CCD images of the same field taken on Dec. 7 and 8 (limiting mag approximately 19.0) and on Dec. 11 (limiting mag approximately 18.0) show no star at the position of SN 1996by. IAUC 6522 (extract) SUPERNOVAE 1996bq, 1996br, 1996bs, 1996bz Christian Pollas, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (OCA), reports his discovery of another apparent supernova in the field of SNe 1996bq, 1996br, and 1996bs (cf. IAUC 6502): SN 1996bz appears at R.A. = 2h31m24s.13, Decl. = +39o43'51".3 (2000), which is 2".4 west and 4".6 north of the anonymous host galaxy. Estimated V magnitudes for SN 1996bz: Oct. 12 UT, 21.0: (faintly visible at limit of photograph); Nov. 3.9, about 19.3; Dec. 15.87, 20.1: (faintly visible near limit of photograph). Nothing is present at the location of SN 1996bz on the original Palomar Sky Survey prints, on a recent Palomar Sky Survey B film, or on a 1995 OCA film (limiting mag about 22.0). IAUC 6523 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1996ca IN NGC 7300 S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Masakatsu Aoki, Tsukioka Cho, Toyama, of a supernova (mag 16.5) on unfiltered CCD frames taken on Dec. 15.462 UT with a 0.43-m f/6 reflector. SN 1996ca is located at R.A. = 22h30m59s.26, Decl. = -13o59'50".9 (2000), which is 8".7 west and 20".5 north of the centre of NGC 7300. No star appears at this location on numerous patrol frames up through Dec. 3. IAUC 6523 (extract) Guy M Hurst