------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1585 2000 Dec 02 12.52UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERNOVA 2000ez IN NGC 3995 (Q2000/299) On 2000 Nov 26 a report was received from Mark Armstrong that he had recorded a possible supernova in NGC 3995 on an exposure of Nov 24 at 04.00UT. However this was on a single image only and, in addition, Mark held no master image. However the editor noted the object appeared to be absent from a deep image of this galaxy in the Carnegie Atlas (Panel 283). In response to an appeal issued on Nov 26 to the 'TA Checking Team', Michael Schwartz (USA) sent an image secured Nov 28 which also showed the suspect. Tom Boles also provided a master of 1999 Dec 5 which, like the Carnegie Atlas, seemed to show the object was absent. Subsequently Mark did obtain a second image on Nov 30.731UT. Brian Marsden at the Central Bureau queried whether SN 1988ac found by Michael Richmond (IAUC 4903) might be the same object. However the editor noted that whilst no precise position was published for that supernova, its quoted offsets of 17"W and 34"S were completely different to those derived by Mark for the latest object: 12"N; 22.5"E. The following IAUC has been issued but spectral confirmation is still awaited. Guy M. Hurst, Basingstoke, England, reports the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 16.8) by M. Armstrong, Rolvenden, on a CCD exposure obtained on Nov. 24.167 UT with a 0.35-m telescope in the course of the U.K. Nova/Supernova Patrol. SN 2000ez is located at R.A. = 11h57m45s.75, Decl. = +32o17'49".1 (equinox 2000.0), which is 22".5 east and 12" north of the centre of NGC 3995. The new object was confirmed on images taken by M. Schwartz (0.52-m telescope; mag 16.9) on Nov. 28.846, by P. Garnavich (Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope; R = 17.5) on Nov. 29.5, and by Armstrong on Nov. 30.731. Garnavich adds that SN 2000ez appears red and may be extinguished by dust in the host galaxy. SN 2000ez does not appear on second Palomar Sky Survey images taken on 1991 Apr. 3 (red plate; limiting mag 20.8) and on 1996 Mar. 17 (blue plate; limiting mag 22.5), or on CCD images obtained by T. Boles (1999 Dec. 5) and by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (1999 May 8). IAUC 7533 We congratulate Mark on this latest success. SUPERNOVA 2000fa IN UGC 3770 A. Friedman and W. D. Li, University of California at Berkeley, on behalf of LOTOSS, report the discovery with the 0.8-m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) of an apparent supernova (mag about 17.5) on an unfiltered image taken on Nov.30.5 UT. SN 2000fa was confirmed (at similar brightness) on an unfiltered image taken by M. Schwartz with the 0.5-m Tenagra III automatic telescope on Dec. 1.2. The new object is located at R.A. = 7h15m29s.79, Decl. = +23o25'32".5 (2000), which is 5".1 east and 5".6 south of the nucleus of UGC 3770. IAUC 7533 (extract) Guy M Hurst