------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1620 2001 Apr 08 12.23UT 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 2001ag IN MCG +08-18-9 T. Puckett and M. Peoples, Mountain Town, GA, report the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 18.2) on an unfiltered CCD frame (limiting mag 20.5) taken with the Puckett Observatory 0.60-m automated supernova patrol telescope on Mar. 27.27 UT. SN 2001ag is located at R.A. = 9h34m31s.01, Decl. = +46o27'38".7 (2000), which is 5".9 west and 3".0 south of the centre of MCG +08-18-9. The new object was also present on an unfiltered CCD frame taken on Mar. 28.03, but it was not present on a frame taken on Jan. 3.42, neither does it appear on Palomar Sky Survey images taken on 1990 Jan. 24, 1995 Nov. 23 (limiting mag about 21.0), or 1953 Feb. 14 (limiting mag about 20.0). IAUC 7603 (extract) SUPERNOVA 2001ah IN UGC 6211 Puckett and Peoples also report the discovery of another apparent supernova (mag 18.3) on an unfiltered CCD frame (limiting mag 20.5) taken as above on Mar. 27.24 UT. SN 2001ah is located at R.A. = 11h10m29s.82, Decl. = +55o09'39".0 (2000), which is 4".3 west and 32".4 south of the centre of UGC 6211. The new object was also present on an unfiltered CCD frame taken on Mar.28.11. SN 2001ah does not appear on Palomar Sky Survey images taken on 1991 Apr. 4, 1991 Feb. 10 (limiting mag about 21.0), or 1953 Feb. 14 (limiting mag about 20.0). M. Schwartz, Cottage Grove, OR; and W. Li, University of California at Berkeley, report the independent discovery by LOTOSS of this object at mag about 17.8 on unfiltered images taken with the 0.5-m Tenagra III automatic telescope on Mar. 27.2 and 28.3. They give position end figures 29s.85, 39".0; an image taken on Mar. 9.2 showed nothing at this position (limiting mag 19.0). IAUC 7603 (8545) McGee = 1994 AM1 Discovered 1994 Jan. 2 by B. G. W. Manning at Stakenbridge. Hazel McGee was meetings secretary of the British Astronomical Association from 1988 to 1993 and has been editor of the association's Journal since 1994, carrying out this task most efficiently and introducing many improvements. She is an enthusiastic observer of variable stars and of stellar occultations by minor planets. MPC 42357/42358 Congratulations to Hazel on this well deserved recognition!: Editor SUPERNOVA 2001ai IN NGC 5278 M. Modjaz and W. D. Li, University of California at Berkeley, on behalf of LOTOSS, report the discovery of an apparent supernova on unfiltered CCD images taken on Mar. 28.4 (mag about 17.6) and 29.4 UT (mag about 17.5) with the 0.8-m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope. SN 2001ai is located at R.A. = 13h41m39s.35, Decl. = +55o40'05".1 (2000), which is 2".0 west and 9".0 south of the nucleus of NGC 5278. An unfiltered image taken by M. Schwartz with the Tenagra III 0.5-m automatic telescope on Mar. 19.4 showed nothing at this position (limiting mag about 19.0). NGC 5278 is one of an interacting connected pair of galaxies (with the center of NGC 5279 about 0'.5 away from that of NGC 5278). Guy M Hurst