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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1168      1997 Feb 09 11.25UT
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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COMET C/1995 O1 (HALE-BOPP)
John Bortle, Stomrville, USA e-mails that he anticipates this
comet will attain at least zero magnitude in Mar/Apr, becoming
the Great Comet of 1997. He adds that for a couple of weeks either
side of perihelion the comet's nucleus might be visible
telescopically DURING THE DAYTIME! If this happens, it would set
a record for such an event for any time since the invention of
the telescope.

SUPERNOVAE 1997W AND 1996bw IN NGC 664
P. Berlind, Fred L. Whipple Observatory (FLWO); and P.Garnavich,
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), report their
discovery of a second supernova (V = 18.0) in NGC 664 from CCD
images obtained with the FLWO 1.2-m telescope on Feb. 1.2 UT by
C. Hergenrother.  SN 1997W is only 0".7 west and 2".4 south of
SN 1996bw (IAUC 6516), which is currently of comparable brightness
(V = 18.2).  The new supernova was identified from images obtained
for the CfA Supernova Photometry program.  No evidence of the new
supernova is seen on FLWO images taken on 1996 Dec. 6. Spectra of
SN 1997W, obtained with the 1.5-m Tillinghast telescope on
Feb. 3.1, show a broad H-alpha P-Cyg feature on an otherwise smooth
blue continuum, indicating that this is a type-II supernova caught
at an early stage.
IAUC 6551

SUPERNOVA 1997X IN NGC 4691
S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery of a supernova
(mag 13.6) by Masakatsu Aoki (Tsukioka-cho, Toyama) on nine
unfiltered CCD frames taken around Feb. 1.76 UT with a 0.43-m f/6
reflector.  Y. Kushida (Yatsugatake South Base Observatory)
provides his measurement of SN 1997X (mag 13.5) from an unfiltered
CCD image taken by R. Kushida with a 0.40-m f/5 reflector on Feb.
1.816:  R.A. = 12h48m14s.28, Decl. = -3 19'58".5 (equinox 2000.0),
which is about 7".2 east and 0".3 north of the centre of NGC 4691.
No star was present at the location of SN 1997X on Aoki's most
recent previous patrol films of this galaxy taken on Jan. 16, nor
was there anything on Kushida's most recent frame from Jan 6.
IAUC 6552 (extract)

1997 BR
Further to the announcement on E1165, Martin Mobberley, Assistant
Editor, The Astronomer, provides a summary of visbility prospects:

1997 BR will be observable from now until mid-July from the UK.
It is currently on the boundary between Leo & Leo Minor moving
slowly NNW. It's visibility from the UK for the next five and a
half months is due to the fact it will be circumpolar from this
latitude between early Feb and early July.
Unfortunately, as it comes to it's closest approach to Earth in
mid July it also moves rapidly South and will be unobservable
from here immediately after it's closest approach around July 14,
when it will have brightened to mag 15 and disappeared into the
dawn twilight. From then on it will be a Southern hemisphere
object. 1997 BR passes down through the ecliptic on July 15,
passing very close to the point where the Earth will be some 5
days later.

Guy M Hurst