------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1724 2001 Dec 21 15.22UT 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 SUPERNOVA NEAR UGC 12032 (Q2001/273) Mark Armstrong, Rolvenden, England reported his discovery of a possible supernova for the UK Nova/Supernova patrol, in an anonymous galaxy near to UGC 12032 in an e-mail of 2001 Dec 20 sent at 02.06UT. This was, however, based on a single image of 2001 Dec 14.80452UT with the 0.35-m Schmidt-Cassegrain and ST9 CCD (60 secs) where the limiting magnitude was 19.0. The astrometry from this discovery gave a position of: RA 22h 25m 10.43s Dec +42 43' 04.3" (2000). Mag 17.2 The offset was 3" SW from the anonymous galaxy whose position was: RA 22h 25m 19.1s Dec +42 43' 00" which places it 87" west and 30" north of UGC 12032. A follow-up image of Dec 20.76438UT gave end figures: RA 10.41s, Dec 04.2" and a noticeable increase in brightness to mag 16.6. Checks against a master image of 2001 July 22 (limiting magnitude 19.0) and Palomar Sky Survey II images of 1989 Sept 3 (red, limiting magnitude 19.0) and 1989 Sept. 9 (blue, limiting magnitude 22.5) did not show the object. Further, it was noted by Mark that the object was also absent from his patrol images of Nov 1, 4 and 15 and also Dec 7. We strongly urge early observations of this object given that it was apparently discovered before maximum light. We congratulate Mark on securing the discovery of an object on the rise to maximum and await details of the designation from the Central Bureau. Guy M Hurst