------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1492 2000 Jan 29 15.19UT 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 C/2000 B1 (SOHO) D. A. Biesecker, SM&A Corporation and Goddard Space Flight Center, reports observations of a presumed Kreutz sungrazing comet discovered by J. D. Shanklin (Comet Section, British Astronomical Association) in SOHO/LASCO C3 data (still outside the field of the C2 instrument). Astrometry (measured by Biesecker and D. Hammer, reduced by B. G. Marsden) and parabolic orbital elements with assumed q = 0.0052 AU are given on MPEC 2000-B22. Biesecker provides apparent magnitudes brightening from V = 7.36 on Jan. 24.571 to 5.67 on Jan. 24.846 UT. 2000 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Jan. 24.388 20 52.2 -22 30 IAUC 7349 Our congratulations to Jonathan Shanklin on his third comet discovery from SOHO/LASCO data. An article and image will appear in a forthcoming issue of The Astronomer: editor SUPERNOVA 2000E IN NGC 6951 G. Valentini, E. Di Carlo, D. Guidubaldi, and E. Brocato, Teramo Observatory; and A. Di Paola, F. D'Alessio, R. Speziali, G. Li Causi, and F. Pedichini, Rome Observatory, report their discovery of a new supernova on CCD images obtained with the Teramo 0.72-m TNT telescope on Jan. 26.73 UT. SN 2000E is located at R.A. = 20h37m13s.8, Decl. = +66o05'50".2 (2000), which is 6".3 W and 26".7 S of the centre of NGC 6951, and 28" W and 24" S of SN 1999el (cf. IAUC 7288). Preliminary photometry of SN 2000E (near-infrared photometry obtained at the 1.1-m AZT-24 telescope at Campo Imperatore): Jan. 26.73, V = 14.30 +/- 0.07; 26.78, J = 13.8 +/- 0.1, H = 15.1 +/- 0.1; 26.79, B = 15.78 +/- 0.06. CCD frames taken on 1999 Dec. 18.78 show nothing at the location of 2000E, and the Digital Sky Survey does not show anything at that location. IAUC 7351 SUPERNOVA 2000C IN NGC 2415 Editor: The apparent supernova found by Steven Foulkes and Marco Migliardi has now been confirmed spectroscopically. The IAUC announcement follows: S. Jha, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, report that a spectrum of SN 2000C, taken by P. Berlind on Jan. 28.14 UT with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST spectrograph), reveals it to be a type-Ic supernova near maximum light. The spectrum shows a blue continuum with broad absorption features of Ca II, Mg II, Fe II, Na I, Si II, and O I, and is similar to maximum-light spectra of SN 1987M and SN 1994I (Filippenko 1997, Ann. Rev. A.Ap. 35, 309). Superimposed narrow emission lines yield a host galaxy recession velocity of 3710 km/s. IAUC 7352 (extract) SUPERNOVA 2000D IN UGC 1767 Editor: The apparent supernova found by Tom Boles (cf E1491) has also been confirmed. The IAUC announcement follows: Jha et al. also report that a spectrum of SN 2000D, taken by Berlind on Jan 28.09 UT (as above), shows this to be a type-II supernova at an early epoch. The spectrum exhibits a very blue continuum with P-Cyg Balmer lines and He I. Superimposed H-alpha emission yields a recession velocity for the host galaxy of 5280 km/s. The supernova expansion velocity, measured to the H-beta absorption trough, is 11 400 km/s. IAUC 7352 (extract) Guy M Hurst