------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1907 2003 Aug 20 09.36UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- UK NOVA/SUPERNOVA PATROL With the announcement on TA E-Circular 1904 of the discovery on August 7 of Supernova 2003gw in the galaxy UGC 3252, the number of nova and supernova discoveries by members of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol reached 100. We offer sincere congratulations to everyone both here and abroad who have contributed to this success. The nova patrol was started in October of 1976 by the late John Hosty and myself after much encouragement from the late George Alcock who had, himself, achieved great success with visual nova searches. The first discovery was made on 1977 January 7 when John Hosty found Nova Sagittae 1977 now designated as HS Sagittae. A supernova patrol had also been started in September 1978 coordinated by Nigel Henbest and run as a joint venture by the British Astronomical Association and The Astronomer. This was later merged with the nova patrol to form the present UK Nova/Supernova Patrol which was extended to all observers both in the UK and overseas. With the absence of bright supernovae in our own Galaxy (!), attention now centred on searches in other galaxies. On 1991 April 15, Mirko Villi and Giancarlo Cortini found the first patrol supernova visually in NGC 4527, later designated Supernova 1991T. An historic moment occurred on 1996 October 23 when Mark Armstrong became the first UK-based patrol member to find a supernova (SN 1996bo in NGC 673). Indeed no confirmed supernova by UK-based observers professional or amateur had ever been made previously! Even then we never expected that seven years later discoveries of novae and supernovae by patrol members would have passed 100. We offer congratulations to: John Hosty, Robert McNaught, Dave McAdam and Mike Collins (novae) Mirko Villi, Giancarlo Cortini, Stefano Pesci, P. Mazza, Mark Armstrong, Tom Boles, Stephen Laurie, Steven Foulkes and Ron Arbour (supernovae). We are now looking forward to another imminent landmark, the discovery of the 100th supernova by UK-based observers! Guy M Hurst