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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1163      1997 Jan 26 13.00UT
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
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SUPERNOVA 1997D IN NGC 1536
Duilia de Mello, Observatorio Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, reports her
discovery of a supernova on Jan. 14.15 UT with the European
Southern Observatory (ESO) 1.52-m telescope at La Silla; SN 1997D
is located 11" east and 43" south of the nucleus of NGC 1536
(R.A. = 4h11m.0, Decl. = -56o29', equinox 2000.0).  S. Benetti,
ESO, writes:  "Inspection of a fully-reduced spectrum (range 369.5-
757.8 nm, resolution about 0.6 nm), obtained on Jan. 14.15 with the
ESO 1.52-m telescope (+ Boller & Chivens spectrograph) by the
discoverer, confirms SN 1997D to be a peculiar type-II supernova,
about 100 days after maximum.
IAUC 6537 (extract)

SUPERNOVA 1997E IN NGC 2258
S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Reiki Kushida,
Yatsugatake South Base Observatory, of an apparent supernova (mag
15.7) on seven unfiltered CCD frames taken around Jan. 14.530 UT
with a 0.40-m f/5 reflector.  Y. Kushida provides the following
measurement of the position of SN 1997E from the discovery frames:
R.A. = 6h47m38s.10, Decl. = +74o29'51".0 (equinox 2000.0), which
is 32" west and 57" north of the centre of NGC 2258. There is no
star at the position of the new star on Kushida's frames taken on
1996 Dec. 15, 29, and 1997 Jan. 4, nor is anything present on the
Digital Sky Survey.
P. Garnavich and R. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics, communicate:  "Spectrograms of SN 1997E were obtained
by J. Peters on Jan. 16.2 UT at the F.L. Whipple Observatory (FLWO)
1.5-m Tillinghast telescope, showing this to be a type-Ia supernova
at maximum.
IAUC 6538 (extract)

1996 CHRISTMAS QUIZ
Answers to this quiz have been sent today under separate e-mail.
Gareth Williams at the Minor Planet Center was the first to send
an all correct entry and therefore is adjudged the winner. We
are in touch with him regarding a suitable prize. Many thanks
to all who entered and the standard of submissions was found to
be very high in this latest quiz.

Guy M Hurst