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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1297      1998 Apr 30 20.02UT
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 1998bp IN NGC 6495
G. M. Hurst, Basingstoke, England, reports the discovery by Mark
Armstrong, Rolvenden, of an apparent supernova (mag 14.8) on
unfiltered CCD images taken on Apr. 29.074, 29.101 and 29.128 UT
with a 0.26-m Schmidt Cassegrain telescope in the course of the
U.K. Nova/Supernova Patrol.  The new star was reported at R.A.
= 17h54m50s.71, Decl. = +18o19'49".3 (equinox 2000.0), or about 15"
due north of the nucleus of NGC 6495.  No star was recorded at this
position on a CCD frame taken by Armstrong on Mar. 20.283 (limiting
mag 16.7).  Hurst estimated mag 14.7 from a CCD frame obtained by
T. Boles, Wellingborough, on Apr. 29.135 in strong twilight.
S.Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, forwards the following position end
figures measured by A. Sugie at Dynic Astronomical Observatory,
from CCD frames taken under poor conditions on Apr. 30.54
(V = 14.9-15.1): 50s.72, 50".2, which is 1" west and 13" north of
the galaxy's centre.
F. Patat, European Southern Observatory (ESO); and M. Maia,
Observatorio Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, report on their observations
of SN 1998bp with the ESO 1.5-m telescope (+ Boller & Chivens
spectrograph; 10-min exposure, range 360-750 nm, resolution 0.5 nm)
obtained on Apr. 30.38 UT at La Silla:  "A full reduction of the
CCD spectrogram shows that this object is indeed a supernova.  The
spectral features are consistent with a peculiar type-Ia object,
roughly around maximum light.
IAUC 6890 (extract)

Editor: We congratulate Mark on his fourth supernova discovery
and the ninth by members of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol.

SUPERNOVA 1998bn IN NGC 4462
W. D. Li, M. Modjaz, R. R. Treffers, and A. V. Filippenko,
University of California at Berkeley, report the discovery of an
apparent supernova during the course of the Lick Observatory
Supernova Search with the 0.8-m Katzman Automatic Imaging
Telescope.  SN 1998bn was found and confirmed on unfiltered CCD
images obtained on Apr. 17.3 (mag about 17.4) and 27.3 UT (mag
about 13.7), respectively.  The object is located at:
R.A. =12h29m18s.88, Decl. = -23o09'49".2 (2000), which is about
32".3 west and 9".7 north of the nucleus of NGC 4462.  The new star
already appeared in the template image obtained on Apr. 17.3, and
brightened about 3.7 mag in 10 days.  The Digital Sky Survey does
not show any star at the position of SN 1998bn.
IAUC 6886

SUPERNOVA 1998bo IN ESO 185-G31
J. Maza, Department of Astronomy, University of Chile, reports
the discovery by Marina Wischnjewsky, on a T-Max 400 film taken by
L. E. Gonzalez with the Maksutov telescope at Cerro El Roble on
Apr. 22.290 UT, of an apparent supernova (B about 18) located at
R.A. = 19h57m22s.55, Decl. = -55o08'18".4 (equinox 2000.0), which
is 3".0 east and 5".1 south of the host galaxy's centre.  SN 1998bo
was confirmed on direct CCD images obtained by R. Covarrubias on
Apr. 28.338 using the 0.91-m telescope at Cerro Tololo.  The object
is not present on a film obtained on Mar. 31.4 (B > 20).
IAUC 6889 (extract)

Guy M Hurst