------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1704 2001 Nov 04 11.01UT 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.theastronomer.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- POSSIBLE NOVA IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD W. Liller, Vina del Mar, Chile, reports his discovery of a novalike object (mag 12.1) on Tech Pan photographs taken on Oct.21.0857 and 21.0879 UT. The new object, located at R.A. = 0h46m27s.8 +/- 0s.7, Decl. = -73o29'40".1 +/- 1".2 (2000), does not appear on any of 45 photographs taken by Liller since Sept. 2000, including 2001 Sept. 27.36 (limiting mag 13.5). This position is about 1'.6 west and 1'.5 south of that of the Harvard variable HV1429 (= V355 SMC; Gen. Cat. Var. Stars, 5, 81). A CCD observation made by Liller on Oct. 22.0725 gave a broadband V magnitude of 12.22 (comparison star HD 4558). A. Pearce, Nedlands, W. Australia, reports that Liller's possible nova appeared at visual mag 13.2 on Oct. 23.842. IAUC 7738 COMET C/2001 RX_14 (LINEAR) The linkage by the Minor Planet Center of subsequent observations of an apparent main-belt minor planet observed by LINEAR on Sept. 10 and 11 showed that this object, designated 2001 RX_14 on MPS 34978, had a nearly parabolic orbit. After placement on the NEO Confirmation Page, many further observations were received, with M. Tichy (Klet, 0.57-m f/5.2 reflector + CCD) on Oct. 18.7 UT indicating that the comet appeared to be diffuse with a coma of diameter 13" and red mag 16.7. R-band images taken by C. Hergenrother and J. Barnes (Lunar and Planetary Laboratory) with the 1.54-m Catalina reflector on Oct. 24.32 show a highly condensed coma of diameter 6" and no hint of a tail. 2001 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m2 Sept.10.32152 2 02 43.50 +22 36 57.9 18.8 The available astrometry, including prediscovery observations made by the NEAT and LONEOS programs on Aug. 28, along with the following parabolic orbital elements, appear on MPEC 2001-U46. T = 2003 Jan. 19.036 TT Peri. = 121.496 Node = 14.171 2000.0 q = 2.05903 AU Incl. = 30.560 Ephemeris by G.Hurst using EPH.EXE by N.James: m = 6.5 + 5.0 log R + 10.0 log r Date R.A. (2000) Dec. R r Elong Mag. Motion h m o ' (AU) (AU) o "/hr P.A. 2001 Nov 2.00 1 32.04 +23 3.0 4.159 5.121 164.2 16.7 24 263 7.00 1 28.59 +22 56.3 4.137 5.080 160.0 16.6 24 261 12.00 1 25.26 +22 48.7 4.122 5.038 155.2 16.6 23 260 17.00 1 22.11 +22 40.5 4.115 4.996 150.1 16.6 22 259 22.00 1 19.18 +22 31.9 4.114 4.955 144.8 16.5 20 258 27.00 1 16.53 +22 23.4 4.120 4.913 139.5 16.5 18 256 2001 Dec 2.00 1 14.19 +22 15.3 4.132 4.871 134.2 16.5 16 256 7.00 1 12.18 +22 7.9 4.149 4.829 128.9 16.4 13 255 12.00 1 10.53 +22 1.4 4.171 4.787 123.6 16.4 11 254 17.00 1 9.26 +21 56.2 4.197 4.745 118.4 16.4 8 253 22.00 1 8.39 +21 52.5 4.226 4.703 113.3 16.4 5 253 27.00 1 7.92 +21 50.5 4.258 4.661 108.3 16.3 2 254 2002 Jan 1.00 1 7.85 +21 50.3 4.292 4.619 103.3 16.3 1 65 6.00 1 8.17 +21 52.1 4.328 4.577 98.4 16.3 4 69 11.00 1 8.88 +21 56.0 4.364 4.534 93.7 16.3 7 69 16.00 1 9.98 +22 2.0 4.401 4.492 89.0 16.2 10 68 21.00 1 11.45 +22 10.2 4.437 4.450 84.4 16.2 12 68 26.00 1 13.28 +22 20.6 4.472 4.408 79.9 16.2 15 68 31.00 1 15.45 +22 33.2 4.506 4.365 75.5 16.2 18 67 Guy M Hurst