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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1760      2002 Apr 03 15.06UT
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 2002bx IN IC 2461
On 2002 April 2 at 02.54UT, an e-mail was sent by Tom Boles to the
Central Bureau, with a copy to the editor, flagging that a possible
new object of magnitude R=16.2 had been recorded in IC 2461 on
several images obtained for the UK Supernova Patrol near 2002 April
1.94256UT. Using Astrometrica, Tom derived the following position:
RA 09h 19m 55.01s   DEC 37 12' 08.9" (2000). 
As they were recorded on a single night, Tom planned to obtain
follow-up images but in the meantime Dan Green at the Central
Bureau announced on IAUC 7864 a prior discovery by the LOTOSS team
on KAIT images of March 31.2UT when they estimated the magnitude as
16.9. The LOTOSS position had end figures of RA 54.98s, DEC 08.3
giving offsets 36.6"W and 40.6"N of the galaxy's nucleus.

Congratulations to Tom on this independent discovery: editor. 

Hitoshi Yamaoka, Kyushu University, Japan adds the following
comments:
IC 2461 is an edge-on spiral (Sbc) galaxy and the object is almost
superimposed on, but slightly (2-3") south of the disk plane.  No
confusing foreground stars are nearby. The recession velocity of IC
2461 is measured as 2260 km/s.  The Galactic extinction is
negligible.  If it is unreddened by the interstellar matter in the
host galaxy, the expected maximum for typical SN Ia is mag about
14.0.  Spectroscopic classification and follow-up magnitude
estimates are urged.
 
SUPERNOVA 2002bu IN NGC 4242
Tim Puckett and S.Gauthier of USA have reported the discovery of
apparent supernova in NGC 4242 according to a note on IAUC 7863.
The magnitude 15.5 object was recorded on Mar. 28.26UT using a
0.60-m automated telescope. The position is:
RA 12h 17m 37.18s DEC +45 38' 47.4" (2000), 72.9"E and 97.6"N of
the galaxy's centre.

SUPERNOVA 2002bv IN UGC 4042
The LOTOSS team have recorded an apparent supernova of magnitude
17.8 in UGC 4042 on KAIT images of March 29.2UT and 30.2UT.
According to IAUC 7864, the position of the new object is:
RA 07h 50m 01.13s DEC +30 01' 32.2" (2000), 14.3"E and 2.3"N of the
centre of the galaxy.

SUPERNOVA 2002bw IN PGC 59990
Yet another LOTOSS supernova discovery has been reported on IAUC
7864, this time in PGC 59990. The object, of magnitude 17.4, was
recorded by KAIT on March 30.5UT and April 1.5UT. The position is:
RA 17h 16m 35.60s DEC -10 20' 31.8" (2000), 3.1"W and 7.3"N of the
galaxy's centre.     

MARKARIAN 421
John Toone, Cressage, England has reported that Markarian 421 has
apparently brightened significantly during March according to the
following estimates made with a Celestron 14 telescope:
2002, March 13 (20.42UT) 13.3; March 29 (20.29UT) 12.3

RX J0558.3+6753
Pavol A. Dubovsky, Slovakia, has reported detecting an outburst of
this ROSAT cataclysmic variable on March 31.8UT at magnitude 13.9. 
The position is:
RA 05h 58m 18.0s DEC +67 53' 45" (2000).
According to VSNET, Kyoto data from M. Uemura and R. Ishioka shows
two apparent humps which may suggest a long period (~0.09 d) SU
UMa-type dwarf nova.
Guy M Hurst