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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1311      1998 Jun 14 17.01UT
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 1998ck IN ESO 434-G20
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 May
31.969 UT, of an apparent supernova (B about 17) located at R.A. =
9h41m06s.00, Decl. = -29o06'17".7 (2000), which is 7" west and 1"
south of the centre of the spiral galaxy ESO 434-G20. The star was
confirmed on direct CCD images obtained by I. Perez on June 1 using
the 1.0-m telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, but it was not
present on a film obtained on May 19.1 (B > 20).
IAUC 6925

COMET P/1998 K6 (SHOEMAKER-LEVY 2)
C. W. Hergenrother reports his recovery of comet P/1990 UL3
(= 1990p = 1990 XVI) with the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory's 1.2-m reflector at Mt. Hopkins.  The comet appears
stellar, although the observations were made through moderate
cirrus.  The indicated correction to the prediction by S. Nakano
on MPC 29881 is Delta T = -0.5 day.

     1998 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m2
     May  19.35584   16 17 28.53   -20 20 43.7   21.0
          19.35971   16 17 28.37   -20 20 42.8   21.0
          19.36359   16 17 28.21   -20 20 42.7   21.0
          20.32096   16 16 50.24   -20 18 41.0   21.0
          20.32483   16 16 50.13   -20 18 40.4   21.3
          20.32869   16 16 49.98   -20 18 39.8   21.5

     The following improved orbital elements, by Brian Marsden
satisfy 27 observations 1990-1998 with mean residual 0".7:

                    Epoch = 2000 Feb. 26.0 TT
     T = 2000 Feb.  6.0494 TT         Peri. = 142.0314
     e = 0.579784                     Node  = 234.7521  2000.0
     q = 1.868674 AU                  Incl. =   4.6570
       a =  4.446936 AU    n = 0.1051024    P =   9.378 years
IAUC 6928

SUPERNOVA 1998cl IN MARKARIAN 261
Michael Schwartz, Cottage Grove, OR, reports the discovery of
an apparent supernova (mag about 17) located at R.A. = 13h29m59s.8,
Decl. = +75o34'09".0 (2000), which is about 5" west and 1" north of
Markarian 261 (whose nucleus is ill-defined) on unfiltered CCD
frames taken with the 0.35-m Tenagra I automated supernova patrol
telescope on June 3.28 UT.  The object is also present with
unchanged brightness on a frame taken with the same equipment on
June 6.26.  The object does not appear on an unfiltered CCD image
taken with the same equipment on 1997 July 7.33, and the star is
not present on second Palomar Sky Survey plates.
IAUC 6934

Editor: Our congratulations to Michael on this latest success.
We hope to have an article and the discovery picture for
publication in the July issue of 'The Astronomer'.

Guy M Hurst