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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1750      2002 Mar 08 13.15UT
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
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SUPERNOVA 2002bl in UGC 5499
On March 7, Mark Armstrong, Rolvenden, England e-mailed that he had
discovered an apparent supernova of magnitude 17.0 on a 30 second
unfiltered CCD image taken on Mar.2.901 (limiting mag 19.0)in the
course of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol with the 0.30-m Schmidt-
Cassegrain telescope. The new object was still at mag 17.0 on
images taken on Mar. 5.879 and Mar. 7.059. It is located at
RA 10h 12m 17.28s DEC +27 51' 52.4" (2000), which is approximately
5" west and 9" north of UGC 5499. The new object is not present on
his master image of 2000 Dec 22 (limiting mag 19.5), or on recent
patrols images from 2002 Feb. 14 and Jan. 15, neither is it present
on Palomar Sky Survey images taken on 1990 Jan 1 (red, limiting mag
20.8), and 1993 Mar 13(blue, limiting mag 22.5).
The object has been designated as SN 2002bl on IAUC 7845.
Congratulations to Mark on this latest success.

NOVA IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD 2002
Bill Liller of Chile has e-mailed details of a new object found in
the Large Magellanic Cloud at:
RA 5h 36.8m Dec -71 36' (2000.
The reported magnitude, derived from a 0.2-m Schmidt camera shot on
Tech Pan film and no filter is 10.5 based on two photographs
obtained on March 3.0651 and 3.0677.
Two earlier photographs of Feb. 27.0643 and 27.0641 also show it at
mag 12.5 however early photographs obtained on Feb 21 shows nothing
new to a limit of about magnitude 15.

Alan Gilmore has reported photoelectric photometry by Pam Kilmartin
at Mount John Observatory, New Zealand with the 0.6-m reflector: 
2002 U.T.     V      U-B   B-V   V-R   V-I 
March 4.413  11.16 -0.39 +0.42 +0.32 +0.69 

Subsequently Bill Liller obtained a precise position on March 4: 
RA 5h 36m 46.64s DEC -71d 35' 34.4" (2000).
A CCD spectrogram showed the object to have H-alpha in emission
with a strength approximately 1.9 times that of the surrounding
continuum.

GK PERSEI
We have received several reports in recent months of possible
outbursts of this 1901 nova but they appeared to be minor
fluctuations only. 
However a recent report received from John Toone suggested a full
outburst might be underway:
2002 Feb 20,833, 13.1 (Celestron 14); 28.847, 13.0 (C14);
Mar 1.850, 13.0 (C8); 5.913, 12.2 (C8).
An observation by Guy Hurst on Mar 7.822 gave 12.1v (0.44-m refl.)

SUPERNOVA 2002bk IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
W.W.Wood-Vasey et.al., Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, have reported
their discovery of a magnitude 18.5 apparent supernova on images
obtained with the Oschin 1.2-m Schmidt at Palomar on Feb 9. The
position, reported on IAUC 7842, is:
RA 09h 02m 26.67s DEC -09 17' 38.7"(2000), 3.0"W and 6.5"N of the
centre of an anonymous galaxy.

Guy M Hurst