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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1407      1999 May 09 08.43UT
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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MARKARIAN 421 (=Q1999/262)
Bob King, Duluth, MN, USA reports a brightening of Markarian 421
which he estimated visually at magnitude 12.5 on 1999 May 3.137UT
using a 0.25-m reflector and the AAVSO sequence.
This brightening was confirmed by G.M.Hurst on May 6.900UT when
the reduced magnitude was 12.6 using the TA chart and the 0.44-m
reflector.
During April estimates, mainly by Gary Poyner of Birmingham,
suggested it had brightened from 13.1 (Apr 9) to 12.8 (Apr 27).

SUPERNOVA 1999bz IN UGC 8959
M. Modjaz and W. D. Li, University of California at Berkeley,
on behalf of the Lick Observatory Supernova Search, report their
discovery with the 0.8-m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope
(KAIT), of an apparent supernova in UGC 8959.  SN 1999bz was
discovered on an unfiltered image taken on May 1.4 UT (mag about
17.6).  Inspection of an earlier KAIT image on Apr. 24.4
shows a hint of the new star.  The supernova is located at R.A. =
14h01m46s.75, Decl. = +68o52'46".5 (2000), which is about 12" west
and 8" north of the nucleus of UGC 8959.
IAUC 7157 (extract)

SUPERNOVA 1999ca IN NGC 3120
S. Woodings, R. Martin, and A. Williams report their discovery
of an apparent supernova (R about 17) on a CCD image taken with the
Perth-Lowell 0.61-m reflector on Apr. 27.55 UT in the course of the
Perth Astronomy Research Group's automated supernova search at
Perth Observatory.  A further observation on Apr. 28.47 also showed
the new star at the same position.  The last previous image of the
field was taken on Apr. 2, with no object visible to mag about 19.
A. Verveer and J. Biggs provide the following position for SN
1999ca from an unfiltered CCD image obtained on Apr. 30.514 with
the 0.25-m Mike Candy Telescope at Perth Observatory:  R.A. =
10h05m22s.92 +/- 0s.02, Decl. = -34o12'41".3 +/- 0".2 (2000), which
is about 35" north of the centre of NGC 3120; the magnitude was
then 17.0.
IAUC 7158

Guy M Hurst