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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1496      2000 Feb 12 12.40UT
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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NOVA SAGITTARII 2000
S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery of a possible nova
(mag 10.5) by Yukio Sakurai, Otsuka-cho, Mito, on two Fuji Color
Super G400 films taken with a 300-mm f/2.8 lens on Feb. 4.863
UT.  A prediscovery film by Sakurai on Jan. 25.863 shows the star
at mag 11.5.  It was not present on his films taken between 1991
and 2000 Jan. 20 (limiting mag 10.8 on Jan. 20).  A CCD frame taken
with a 0.40-m f/6 reflector on Feb. 6.812 by Y. and R. Kushida,
Yatsugatake South Base Observatory, shows the star at mag 10.4 and
yields the following position:
R.A. = 17h55m09s.84, Decl. = -19o46'01".0 (2000).
IAUC 7362 (extract)
R. M. Wagner and R. Bertram, Ohio State University; and S. G.
Starrfield, Arizona State University, report: "On Feb. 11.55 UT, we
obtained a spectrum (range 395-600 nm, resolution 1.3 nm) with the
2.4-m Hiltner Telescope of the MDM Observatory on Kitt Peak of the
possible nova reported on IAUC 7362. The spectrum is typical of
classical novae in the early decline phase.
IAUC 7363

Dave Branchett, Florida, USA has e-mailed TA to confirm he saw the
nova on 2000 Feb 11 at 10.46UT, estimated it to be about magnitude
10.0 using a 80mm Rich Field Telescope.

SUPERNOVA 2000I IN NGC 2958
T. Puckett, Mountain Town, GA; and D. George, Ottawa, ON, report
the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 18.6) on an
unfiltered CCD frame (limiting mag 20.3) taken with the Puckett
Observatory 0.60-m automated supernova patrol telescope on Feb.
4.17 UT.  SN 2000I is located at R.A. = 9h40m41s.54, Decl. =
+11o53'08".5 (2000), which is 1".8 west and 10".2 south of the
centref NGC 2958.  The new object was also present on an
unfiltered CCD frame taken on Feb. 6.34, but it does not appear on
Palomar Sky Survey images taken on 1995 Mar. 29 (limiting mag about
21.0) and on 1954 Feb. 26 (limiting mag about 20.1).  A. Rest and
K. Krisciunas, University of Washington, report an observation of
SN 2000I on Feb. 10.32 with the Apache Point Observatory 3.5-m
telescope, yielding V = 17.85 +/- 0.06, B-V = +0.84 +/- 0.04.
IAUC 7362

SUPERNOVA 2000J IN UGC 8510
Puckett and George also report the discovery of an apparent
supernova (mag 19.5) in UGC 8510, found on an unfiltered CCD frame
(limiting mag 20.5) taken as above on Feb. 4.37 UT.  SN 2000J is
located at R.A. = 13h31m16s.24, Decl. = +29o22'32".3 (equinox
2000.0), which is 16".9 west and 28".3 north of the centre of UGC
8510.  The new object was also present on an unfiltered CCD frame
taken on Feb. 6.24, but it does not appear on Palomar Sky Survey
images taken on 1989 Mar. 5 (limiting mag about 21.1) and on 1950
June 5 (limiting mag about 20.0).  Rest and Krisciunas report that
an observation of SN 2000J made (as above) on Feb. 10.30 yields V
= 18.52 +/- 0.10, B-V = +1.14 +/- 0.08.
IAUC 7362

SW URSAE MAJORIS (Q2000/067)
Chris Jones, Laindon, England reports an outburst of SW UMa on
Feb 11.9257UT at mag 14.1v (0.45-m refl.). Timo Kinnunen also
independently found it on Feb 11.927UT at 15.0 and 11.953 at 14.2.
Guy M Hurst