------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1313 1998 Jun 20 17.25UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET 1998 M1 The Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research project has found another comet. Selected CCD observations reported: 1998 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m2 Observer June 16.24366 15 27 08.87 -25 01 51.9 17.5 Blythe 16.31370 15 27 07.52 -25 01 12.1 18.0 " 16.88270 15 27 00.34 -24 56 42.5 17.2 Tichy 16.88626 15 27 00.30 -24 56 41.7 " M. Blythe, F. Shelly, and M. Bezpalko (Lincoln Laboratory ETS). 1-m f/2.15 reflector. Measurers J. Stuart and H. Viggh. Tail 20" long in p.a. about 220 deg. M. Tichy and Z. Moravec (Klet). 0.57-m f/5.2 reflector. Measurer Tichy. Tail 20" long in p.a. 150 deg; m_1 = 15.6. IAUC 6940 NOVA OPHIUCHI 1998 A. V. Filippenko, D. C. Leonard, and M. Modjaz, University of California at Berkeley; and R. G. Eastman, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report that CCD spectra (range 320-800 nm, resolution 0.6 nm) obtained on June 18 UT with the Shane 3-m reflector at Lick Observatory reveal that the object reported by Nakano and Takamizawa on E1312 is indeed a nova. Strong emission lines of H and He, as well as the Bowen feature near 465 nm, are superposed on a featureless continuum. The strongest lines (especially H-alpha) exhibit a broad, box-shaped base (FWZI nearly 12 000 km/s) and a narrow core (FWZI about 2000 km/s). K. Takamizawa reports that the limiting magnitude of his patrol films (cf. IAUC 6941) is about 15. D. Hanzl, Brno, Czech Republic, reports the following position obtained with a 0.40-m reflector (+ CCD) on June 17: R.A. = 17h31m59s.79, Decl. = -19o13'56".0 (2000). R. A. Kowalski, Zephyrhills, FL, reports the following position end figures and magnitude obtained with a 0.18-m reflector (+ unfiltered CCD) on June 18.244 UT: 59s.78, 55".9, 10.4. CCD photometry by Hanzl, based on comparison star GSC 6243.435 (Tycho magnitudes V = 10.71 +/- 0.09, B-V = +0.892 +/- 0.16): June 17.971 UT, V = 10.32 +/- 0.02, B-V = +0.68 +/- 0.05. IAUC 6943 SUPERNOVA 1998cm IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY L. Germany reports, on behalf of the Mount Stromlo Abell Cluster Supernova Search Team, the discovery of an apparent supernova (V = 18.6) on V and R CCD images taken on June 10 (limiting mag V= 19.0) by S. Sabine at the Mount Stromlo 1.27-m telescope (+ Macho Camera). SN 1998cm is located near Abell 1780 at R.A. = 13h44m12s.97, Decl. = +3o00'40".3 (2000), which is 0".2 east and 0".4 north from the center of its host galaxy. A nearby star has position end figures 15s.27, 5".7. SN 1998cm was not visible on similar images taken on May 18 (limiting mag V = 19.0) but was confirmed by S. Chan with the same telescope on June 14 (limiting mag V = 19.0). IAUC 6943 Guy M Hurst