------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1852 2003 Feb 14 19.13UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERNOVA 2003ab IN UGC 4930 On February 1, we received an e-mail from Tom Boles, Coddenham England, reporting his detection of a possible supernova of magnitude 17.8 in UGC 4930. The suspect had been recorded on multiple CCD images around 2003 Feb 1.971UT but on a single night using a 0.35-m Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and unfiltered CCD during the course of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol. The new object is located at RA 09h 19m 13.26s DEC +48 58' 09.1" (2000) which is approximately 9.3"E and 4.2"N of the centre of the parent galaxy. Tom noted that the suspect was not present on his images of 2002 Dec. 29 (limiting mag 19.0) or Apr 11. It was also not present on Palomar Sky Survey red (1995.244) or blue plates (1997.097) Tom obtained a confirmation image on 2003 Feb 2.856UT. The discovery was announced on IAUC 8064 with the designation supernova 2003ab. Our congratulations to Tom on this further discovery, his 35th detection of a supernova. COMET C/2002 V1 (NEAT) Bjorn Granslo, Tryvann, Oslo, Norway informs us that he detected this comet on 2003 Feb 13.73UT with 7x50 binoculars despite nautical twilight and that the object was only three degrees above the horizon. He estimated the magnitude as 2.0 and diameter as 2 arc minutes. The comet displayed a 0.9-degree tail in PA 023deg. With 0.07-m refractor x24 the coma appeared yellowish and showed an intense and apparently stellar central condensation of mag. 2.8. The western part of the tail was bright, curved and with a sharply defined boundary; several streamers were suspected within the tail. SUPERNOVA 2003aa IN NGC 3367 A further LOTOSS detection of a possible supernova has been reported on IAUC 8063. The object, of magnitude 17.6, was first recorded on 2003 Jan 31.4UT in NGC 3367 at: RA 10h 46m 36.82s DEC +13 45' 32.2" (2000), 26.4"E and 30.2"N of the nucleus. SUPERNOVA 2003ac IN IC 3203 The LOTOSS team also reported a further supernova detection, this time in IC 3203, on IAUC 8064. The magnitude 18.9 object was first recorded on a KAIT image of Jan 7.5UT at: RA 12h 21m 47.35s DEC +25 52' 33.1" (2000), 23.4"E and 30.9"S of the nucleus. Guy M Hurst