-------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1174      1997 Mar 08 19.50UT
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------
NGC 3041: ASTEROIDAL TRANSIT (=Q1997/015)
On the evening of 1997 Feb 26 the editor received a telephone call
from Mark Armstrong, Rolvenden, England reporting that a possible
supernova had been imaged in NGC 3041 with the 0.26-m LX200 plus
CCD unfiltered. The image appeared on three 80 second co-added
images obtained at 21.13UT and showed as magnitude 17 object about
16"N, 16"W of the nucleus. Individual image details:
Image 1)21.13 to 21.14 UT.Limiting mag 17/18
Image 2)21.17 to 21.18 UT.   "      "    "
Image 3)21.24 to 21.26 UT    "      "    "
The co-added image only was sent to the Editor on the Internet.

Using software by Nick James, the editor was unable to find any
known asteroidal candidate. Further checks also showed no obvious
candidate on the Carnegie Panel 248 or the Vickers page 102.
Mark also reported that the object was not obviously recorded on a
master shot for the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol taken on 1996 Nov 19.
Extremely windy conditions hampered independent confirmation.

On Feb 27 the editor attempted to compare Mark's discovery image
with the digitised Palomar Sky Survey CD set. By eye estimate
and clicking the presumed place on the Palomar the following
position of the suspect was obtained:
         RA 09h53m05.8s +/-0.2s DEC +16 40'50"+/-2"(2000)
It was also noted that the suspect was also absent from the Wray
Atlas page 38.

On Feb 28 Mark imaged NGC 3041 but failed to record the suspect.
Reiki Kushida in Japan also reported no star on a CCD image of
this galaxy taken on Feb 27 at 13.00UT. to mag 17 in a report
relayed by Dan Green at the Central Bureau.
Following an earlier appeal to Stephen Laurie by the editor he
responded on Feb 28 by stating this 'supernova' was almost
certainly an asteroid. A 5min exposure under good conditions
taken on 28 Feb 1997 at 22:03 UT by Stephen with a 25cm LX200
+ CCD did not show anything that was not on the DSS image of
this galaxy.
Suspecting it was a asteroid he then looked to the west - and
found an asteroid mag around 17 some 26 arc minutes away from
NGC 3041.  He commented that this is exactly where you would
expect it to have moved to if it was at 3041 two nights
previously. He then obtained the following precise positions:
C1997 02 28.94006 09 51 16.86 +16 44 17.0          17.8 V      966
C1997 02 28.96045 09 51 15.77 +16 44 20.2                      966
C1997 03 01.00791 09 51 13.23 +16 44 25.3                      966
966 Stephen Laurie, Church Stretton

Nick James kindly measured the images by Mark Armstrong which had
now been transmitted individually to the editor and which clearly
showed motion:

C1997 02 26.88715 09 53 05.84 +16 40 51.3                      ???
C1997 02 26.89236 09 53 05.66 +16 40 50.6                      ???
C1997 02 26.89826 09 53 04.99 +16 40 50.3                      ???
Mark Armstrong, Rolvenden, Kent, England

A final check of the CBAT computer service reveals no known
asteroidal candidate.
Guy M Hurst