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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1420      1999 Jun 20 08.52UT
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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(10000) MYRIOSTOS = 1951 SY
After the considerable debate about the status of Pluto and whether
it should be assigned the number 10,000 in the asteroidal series,
this idea has been dropped and this number given as above.
The citation, in MPC 34632, reads:

Discovered 1951 Sept.30 by A.G.Wilson at Palomar
The Greek word for ten-thousandth, Myriostos honours all the
astronomers, past and present, from all around the world,
professional and amateur, observer and orbit computer, who
participated, over an interval of 198 years, in the achievement
of accumulating 10,000 minor planets with orbit determinations of
the highest quality.

(10233) LE CREUSOT = 1997 XQ2
We are also pleased to note the numbering and naming of this object
found by a long-standing subscriber to 'The Astronomer',
Jean-Claude Merlin of France:

Discovered 1997 Dec. 5 by J.-C. Merlin at Le Creusot
Named for the home city and observatory site of the discoverer. It
is in the Burgundy region of France, some 75 km southwest of Dijon.
MPC 34633

COMET P/1999 J5 (LINEAR)
An apparently asteroidal object reported by LINEAR on May 12 and
17, and linked by G. V. Williams to LINEAR observations on June
8 and 10 by way of a cometlike orbit, was posted on The NEO
Confirmation Page for additional observations.  P. Pravec and P.
Kusnirak, Ondrejov, reported that their June 12 CCD images showed a
faint coma and a tail marginally visible to the southwest.  Also,
A. Sugie, Dynic Astronomical Observatory, reports strong
condensation and a coma diameter of 12" on June 14.   The discovery
observation is given below, and additional astrometry appears on
MPEC 1999-L35.
     1999 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     May  12.35863   16 42 19.96   - 8 28 01.6   19.0

The following orbital elements by B. G. Marsden, from 41
observations, May 12-June 14, confirm that this comet is of short
period:
     T = 1999 May  12.8389 TT         Peri. = 132.3026
     e = 0.169370                     Node  = 112.0017  2000.0
     q = 3.713551 AU                  Incl. =  13.7214
       a =  4.470763 AU    n = 0.1042633    P =   9.453 years
IAUC 7201

SUPERNOVA 1999cn IN MCG +2-38-043
S. Benetti, Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG); C. Morossi,
Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste; and F. Bortoletto, R.
Cosentino, D. Gardiol, A. Ghedina, F. Ghinassi, A. Magazzu, E.
Marchetti, C. Pernechele, and A. Zacchei, TNG, report the discovery
of a supernova (V about 17.9) on a V CCD frame taken with the TNG
(+ Optical Imager Galileo) at La Palma on June 14.99 UT, while
observing the galaxy MCG +2-38-043 (CGCG 077-007; R.A. =
15h06m46s.6, Decl. = +12o51'29", equinox 2000.0). It is 1.5"W and
8.3" north of the centre.
IAUC 7202 (extract)
Guy M Hurst