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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1861      2003 Mar 06 15.24UT
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 2003bm IN UGC 4226
On 2003 March 3, Tom Boles notified us of a possible supernova
which he had recorded in UGC 4226 on multiple images of March 2
during searches for the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol using a 0.35-m
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The first detection was on Mar
2.886UT at magnitude 18.0 and the position measured as:
RA 08h 07m 22.87s  DEC +40 23'44.3" (200), 16".6E and 10.1"S of the
centre of the host galaxy. The suspect is not present on Tom's
images of Feb 20 (limiting mag 19.0) Jan 25 and Jan 05,  and it is
also not present on Palomar Sky Survey red (1989.913) or blue
plates (1997.266). He obtained confirmation on Mar 3.989UT and the
object was announced as SN 2003bm on IAUC 8086. We offer
congratulations on this further success, his 39th.

COMET C/2002 V1 (NEAT)
Jonathan Shanklin, observing from Rothera (67S, 68W) e-mails to
advise that he has recovered this comet on 2003 Feb 25.10UT after
perihelion, at m1=2.9, using 10x50 binoculars. It was also glimpsed
to the naked eye with a short tail despite twilight skies.

SUPERNOVA 2003bh IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
According to IAUC 8084, a further supernova has been found by NEAT
images of Feb 21.32UT according to W. N. Wood-Vasey. The quoted
position is: RA 10h 00m 06.27s DEC +28 16' 52.0" (2000) and the
object, of magnitude 19.9, was found to be 7.5"W and 2.0"N of the
centre of an anonymous galaxy.

SUPERNOVA 2003bi IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
Wood-Vasey also reports a possible supernova of magnitude 19.6 on
NEAT images of Feb 22.43UT at: RA 10h 44m 05.97s DEC +12 31' 34.7"
(2000), 2.3"E and 3.1"N of the centre of an anonymous galaxy.

SUPERNOVA 2003bj IN IC 4219
R. Chassagne has reported detection of a magnitude 15.1 supernova
on an image of Feb 27.8UT at: RA 13h 18m 29.10s DEC -31 37' 37.7"
(2000). The offsets are 9.3"W and 13.7"N of the nucleus of IC 4219
according to IAUC 8085. 

SUPERNOVA 2003bk IN NGC 4316
This LOTOSS discovery relates to a magnitude 17.0 SN recorded on
Feb 28.5UT at: RA 12h 22m 42.14s DEC +09 20' 01.2" (2000), 1.9"W
and 4.2"N of NGC 4316 according to IAUC 8086.

SUPERNOVA 2003bl IN NGC 5374
This is also a LOTOSS supernova discovery of a magnitude 18.4
object at: RA 13h 57m 30.65s DEC +06 05' 36.4" (2000), 15.1"E and
12.6"S of NGC 5374 (IAUC 8086).

DWARF NOVA (2003aw)
The object reported as supernova 2003aw on TA E-Circular 1860 has
been found to be a hydrogen-deficient dwarf nova rather than a
supernova according to Chornock and Filippenko by analysis of a
spectrum taken on Feb 28. (IAUC 8084). P. A. Woudt and B. Warner,
University of Cape Town add that high-speed CCD photometry using a
1.0-m telescope gives V=18.3 on Feb 28.9UT and Mar 1.9UT. (IAUC
8085)

SUPERNOVA 2003aq IN NGC 5490C
Filippenko and Chornock also report their analysis of this object
found by Tom Boles (TA E-Circular 1855). Their spectrum of Feb
27-28UT show the object to be of type II, well into the plateau
phase.
Guy M Hurst