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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1596      2000 Dec 31 15.58UT
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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COMET 2000 Y2
B. Skiff, Lowell Observatory, reports the discovery of a comet by
the LONEOS program.  Confirming CCD images by L. Wasserman
(1.07-m Lowell Observatory telescope) show a coma diameter of about
9" and a tail about 14" long toward the southwest.
     2000 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1    Observer
     Dec. 27.33505    9 24 06.52   + 0 43 26.5   17.2   Skiff
          27.42362    9 24 07.41   + 0 43 14.0   18.2   Wasserman
IAUC 7549
Preliminary parabolic orbital elements:
T = 2001 Jan. 24.003 TT          Peri. = 307.213
                                 Node  = 188.572   2000.0
q = 2.82988 AU                   Incl. =  11.625

2000/01     R. A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong. Phase    m1
Dec. 22     9 22.81   + 0 58.4   2.154   2.850  126.4   16.1   17.2
     27     9 24.04   + 0 44.3   2.102   2.844  130.9   15.2   17.2
Jan.  1     9 24.80   + 0 34.3   2.054   2.840  135.4   14.1   17.1
      6     9 25.11   + 0 28.6   2.011   2.836  140.1   12.9   17.0
     11     9 24.99   + 0 27.5   1.972   2.833  144.8   11.5   17.0
IAUC 7550

SUPERNOVA 2000fp IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
A. Clocchiatti, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC), on
behalf of the PUC-Padova Supernova Search, reports the discovery
of a supernova (V = 22.9) on three images taken on Dec. 17.3 UT
with the 2.2-m telescope (+ WFI) at ESO, La Silla.  SN 2000fp is
located at R.A. = 5h38m01s.27, Decl. = -23o46'34".1 (2000), which
is 3".2 south and 2".9 west of the host galaxy's nucleus.
IAUC 7549 (extract)

SUPERNOVA 2000fq
D. M. Wittman et.al., report the discovery of a supernova (R about
23.8) in a series of five R-band images taken on Dec. 21.4 UT with
the 4-m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak; the images were differenced
with deeper (limiting R mag 26) images taken one year ago using the
same instrumentation.  SN 2000fq is located at R.A. = 9h23m37s.68,
Decl. = +29o52'26".0 (2000), which is > 5" from the nearest member
of a group of galaxies (R about 20).
IAUC 7551 (extract)

POSSIBLE NOVA IN PUPPIS
T. Kato, Kyoto University, reports the discovery by Kazuyoshi
Kanatsu (Matsue, Shimane, Japan) on his T-Max 400 film exposures of
a new variable star at R.A. = 7h37m58s, Decl. = -25o56'51" (2000).
Kanatsu finds no apparent counterpart on the Digital Sky Survey.
K. Takamizawa (Saku-machi, Nagano) reports that the new object was
not present on 22 T-Max 400 exposures (limiting mag 14) taken by
himself between between 1994 Mar. 14 and 1999 Dec. 3; he notes the
presence of a close stellar companion of mag 14.5, which is
apparently a red star (red mag 13.6) in the USNO A2.0 catalogue
having position end figures 58s.43, 46".8.  Available magnitudes:
2000 Jan. 15.72 UT, [11.7 (Kanatsu; T-Max 400); Nov. 28.703, 8.6
(Takamizawa; T-Max 400); Dec. 22.578, 8.8 (Takamizawa); 22.731, 8.7
(Kanatsu); 30.585, 8.8 (A. Takao, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan;
unfiltered CCD); 30.612, 9.2 (R. Stubbings, Drouin, Victoria,
Australia; visual).
IAUC 7552
Guy M Hurst