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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1631      2001 May 10 13.51UT
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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SUPERNOVA 2001bg IN NGC 2608 (Q2001/216)
Tom Boles sent a single image to the editor of NGC 2608 on May 8
showing an apparently new mag 14 object. Although many asteroids
were predicted to be in the field, only Sidonia was bright enough
to be a candidate but was approximately 15' from the galaxy which
was considered unlikely to be due to an error in the orbital
elements. An appeal was issued to the TA Checking Group and Heinz
Kerner quickly responded with a confirmatory image on May 9.
Meanwhile Tom obtained another image on the same date confirming
the object had not moved.
This has enabled the following IAUC to be issued:

Guy M. Hurst, Basingstoke, England, reports the discovery by
Tom Boles, Coddenham, of an apparent supernova (mag about 14) on an
unfiltered CCD frame (limiting mag about 18) taken on May 8.943 UT
with a 0.36-m Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope in the course of the
U.K. Nova/Supernova Patrol.  The object was near the same
brightness on a second image obtained by Boles on May 9.9 in rather
poor conditions.  The new object is located at R.A. = 8h35m18s.86,
Decl. = +28o28'05".8 (2000), which is 22" east and 19" south of the
centre of NGC 2608.  Nothing appears at this location on a master
image taken on 2000 Jan. 13.956 (limiting mag about 19) or on
Palomar Sky Survey images taken on 1989 Nov. 8 (limiting red mag
about 20) and on 1990 Mar. 23 (limiting blue mag about 20).  SN
2001bg also appears near mag 14 on an unfiltered CCD image taken on
May 9.884 with a 0.15-m reflector by H. Kerner, Fassberg, Germany,
at the request of Hurst.
IAUC 7621
Congratulations to Tom Boles on this first supernova from his
new observing site at Coddenham and thanks to Heinz Kerner for
his valuable confirmation.

COMET C/2001 A2 (LINEAR)
C. W. Hergenrother, M. Chamberlain, and Y. Chamberlain, Lunar
and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, report that 60-s
R-band images of C/2001 A2 taken on Apr. 30.12 UT with the Catalina
1.54-m reflector show a double nucleus.  The two components are
nearly equal in brightness and 3".5 apart and aligned precisely on
an east-west line.  Both components are highly condensed.
Observations (with the same telescope) on Apr. 24.14 show only a
single nucleus.
IAUC 7616 (extract)

EDITORIAL ABSENCE
The editor will be absent from tomorrow morning (May 11) and will
return the following evening (May 12). During this short interval
please send messages to the editor's mailbox but naturally there
will be a short delay on my return whilst the backlog is cleared.
Discoveries should additionally be reported to Nick James (see
magazine for contact details).

Guy M Hurst