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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1626      2001 Apr 28 12.38UT
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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S/2000 (1998 WW_31) 1
C. Veillet, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), reports:
"Recovery images of the transneptunian object (TNO) 1998 WW_31
(see MPEC 2001-G29) taken by C. Veillet, A. Doressoundiram, and J.
Shapiro with the 3.6-m CFHT show that two objects were within
<1".3 and moving together over the two nights of observations (2000
Dec. 22 and 23 UT) without any detectable relative motion.  CFHT
public archive observations of the same field taken nearly a year
previously by J. J. Kavelaars and A. Morbidelli show 1998 WW_31 as
double or elongated on four images, with the two components at a
different distance and position angle than on the discovery images.
A very preliminary reduction shows the brighter component to be 0.4
mag brighter than the secondary in R on 2000 Dec. 22, with the
secondary being 1".2 from the primary in p.a. 45 deg (with seeing
0".7-1".1).  The archival images taken on 2000 Jan. 7.3 show the
secondary to be 0".8 from the primary in p.a. 25 deg.  Images taken
on 2000 Jan. 6 show the same elongation, but the pair is embedded
in a bright star halo, making any measurement difficult.  The
maximum distance between the two components is thus at least 40 000
km.  This indicates that 1998 WW_31 is the second TNO to have a
satellite (after Pluto).  The analysis of other images from the
CFHT, from Kitt Peak (1998 Nov. 18, 1999 Jan. 14, 2000 Nov. 23),
and from the Nordic Optical Telescope (1998 Dec. 18) may allow a
full orbit determination, leading to physical parameters of the
pair.  Images and details on the data are available at
http://cfht.hawaii.edu/~veillet/WW31.html."
IAUC 7610

SUPERNOVA 2001ay IN IC 4423
B. Swift and W. D. Li, University of California at Berkeley,
report the discovery by LOTOSS of an apparent supernova (mag about
16.9) on an unfiltered CCD image taken on Apr.18.4 UT with the
0.8-m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT). SN 2001ay, which
was confirmed at mag about 17.0 on an image taken on Apr. 19.2 by
M. Schwartz with the 0.5-m Tenagra III automatic telescope, is
located at R.A. = 14h26m17s.00, Decl. = +26o14'55".8 (2000), which
is 10".3 west and 9".3 north of the nucleus of IC 4423.  A KAIT
image of the same field taken on Apr. 4.4 showed nothing at this
position (limiting mag about 18.5).
IAUC 7611

COMET P/2001 H5 (NEAT)
E. F. Helin, S. Pravdo, and K. Lawrence, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
report the discovery of a comet (discovery observation given below)
on CCD images taken with the 1.2-m Oschin Schmidt telescope at
Palomar in the course of the NEAT program.  CCD images taken on
Apr. 25.0 UT by M. Tichy and M. Kocer at Klet (0.57-m f/5.2
reflector) show the diffuse object to have a coma diameter of
9".  C. E. Lopez reports that CCD observations obtained on Apr.25.2
at El Leoncito (0.5-m f/7.5 double astrograph) also show the
object to be diffuse.  Additional astrometry (including LINEAR
prediscovery observations on Mar. 20 identified by B. G. Marsden)
and orbital elements (T = 2001 Jan. 27.0 TT, q = 2.390 AU, i = 8.4
deg, P = 15.0 yr) are given on MPEC 2001-H37.

     2001 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1
     Apr. 24.35457   14 43 27.88   -29 40 59.0   16.8
IAUC 7613
Guy M Hurst