------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1481 1999 Dec 26 12.03UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERNOVA 1999ge IN NGC 309 Y. Sato and W. D. Li, University of California at Berkeley, on behalf of the Lick Observatory Supernova Search, report the discovery with the 0.8-m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) of an apparent supernova on unfiltered images taken on Nov. 27.2 (mag about 17.2) and 28.2 UT (mag about 16.9). The new object is located at R.A. = 0h56m43s.76, Decl. = -9 54'43".0 (2000), which is 16".0 east and 6".7 north of the nucleus of NGC 309. IAUC 7321 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1999gf IN UGC 5515 Sato and Li also report the discovery by the LOSS of another apparent supernova on an unfiltered image taken on Nov. 27.5 UT (mag about 18.2), with confirmation coming from earlier images taken on Nov. 12.5 and 23.5 (when the new object was at mag 17.5 and 18.0, respectively). SN 1999gf is located at: R.A. = 10h13m37s.00, Decl. = -0 56'09".6 (2000), which is 18".5 west and 37".6 south of the nucleus of UGC 5515. A KAIT image taken on 1998 Nov. 21.5 (limiting mag about 19.0) shows nothing at the position of SN 1999gf. IAUC 7321 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1999gh IN NGC 2986 S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Kesao Takamizawa, Saku-machi, Nagano-ken, of a supernova (mag 14.6) on two T-Max 400-120 films taken with 5-min exposures on Dec. 3.806 UT (and 6 min later) with a 0.10-m f/4.0 lens. Takamizawa provides a position for SN 1999gh of R.A. = 9h44m20s.2, Decl. = -21o16'13" (equinox 2000.0), which is east-northeast of the center of NGC 2986. Nothing is visible on 14 patrol films (limting mag 14.5-15.6) taken by Takamizawa between 1995 Jan. 1 and 1998 Nov. 26. Nakano also forwards the following precise position end figures, measured by Y. Kushida (Yatsugatake South Base Observatory) from an unfiltered CCD frame taken by R. Kushida with a 0.40-m f/6.3 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector on Dec. 5.819, when the supernova was at mag 14.8: 19s.75, 25".0 (which is 52" east and 15".8 north of the galaxy's centre). Nothing is visible on previous CCD images taken by Kushida between 1996 Dec. and 1999 Feb. (limiting mag 18). IAUC 7328 (extract) SUPERNOVA 1999gi IN NGC 3184 S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Reiki Kushida, Yatsugatake South Base Observatory, of a supernova (mag 14.5) on unfiltered CCD frames taken on Dec. 9.82 UT with a 0.40-m reflector. Previous frames that she took between 1994 and 1999 May 6 show nothing at this location (limiting mag 18), and nothing appears at the location of the new object on a Digital Sky Survey image. Position measured by Y. Kushida for SN 1999gi: R.A. = 10h18m16s.66, Decl. = +41o26'28".2 (2000), which is 3".5 west and 60".5 north of the centre of NGC 3184. IAUC 7329 (extract) V335 VULPECULAE U. Munari et.al., Asiago Astronomical Observatories; and A. Henden, U.S. Naval Observatory, Flagstaff, write: "The carbon symbiotic star V335 Vul seems to be undergoing a bright outburst. Photometry with the USNO 1.0-m in Flagstaff: June 23.32 UT, V = 12.87, B-V = +5.01; Dec. 3.05, V = 11.31, B-V = +3.06. IAUC 7329 Editor: This star was formerly TAV 1921+24 found by Mike Collins! Guy M Hurst