-------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1666      2001 Aug 16 17.50UT
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 2001dm IN NGC 749
B. A. Beutler, M. Modjaz and W. D. Li, University of California at
Berkeley, report the discovery by LOTOSS of an apparent supernova
(mag about 15.4) in unfiltered images taken with the Katzman
Automatic Imaging Telescope on Aug. 7.5 and 8.5 UT.  The new
object is at R.A. = 1h55m40s.55, Decl. = -29d55'20".7 (2000), which
is 6".9 west and 0".4 north of the nucleus of NGC 749.
IAUC 7679

COMET C/2001 A2 (LINEAR)
Mark Kidger, Planetary Editor of The Astronomer reports:

"Monitoring of the inner coma by the Spanish Comet Observers Team
reveals two small photometric events that are possibly related to
the ejection of small fragments from the nucleus.  Representative
CCD R magnitudes, using a 10" aperture and the USNO A2.0 catalogue
for reference stars: July 23.996 UT, 12.62 (R. Ferrando,
Pla D'Arguines, 0.26-m Schmidt-Cassegrain); 24.889, 12.80
(P. Manteca, Begues, 0.26-m Schmidt-Cassegrain); 25.936, 12.4
(D. Rodriguez, Madrid, 0.20-m Schmidt-Cassegrain); 29.853, 12.79
(Manteca); 30.933, 12.92 (Manteca); 31.881, 12.85 (Manteca);
Aug. 2.896, 12.95 (Manteca); 3.844, 13.1 (Manteca); 7.84, 13.4
(R. Ligustri, Latisana, Italy, 0.2-m reflector); 7.852, 13.4
(Ferrando).  The lightcurve indicates events of amplitude 0.4 and
0.2 mag initiating at approximately July 25.0 and 30.0
respectively.  For comparison, the major event around July 12
had an amplitude of 1.5 mag (10" aperture). This indicates that,
if due to fragmentation, these later events were probably caused
by the separation of small, short-lived splinters that may not
have been directly observable."

Guy M Hurst