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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1911      2003 Aug 24 13.59UT
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 2003hm IN UGC 2295
On August 21, Tom Boles relayed news of another supernova
discovery, this time in UGC 2295. It was first recorded on an
unfiltered CCD image of Aug 20.112UT and subsequently confirmed on
Aug 21.069UT using a 0.35-m reflector during the course of the UK
Nova/Supernova Patrol.

The new object is located at RA 02h 48m 58.39s DEC +03 10' 07.6"
(2000), 6.4"W of the centre of host galaxy. The suspect is not
present on Tom's images of 2003 Jan 7 and 2003 Feb 17 (limiting mag
19.0) and it is not on Palomar Sky Survey red (1990.733) or blue
plates (1992.883)

The object was designated SN 2003hm and announced on IAUC 8185.
Congratulations to Tom, who with this discovery, has reached his
50th find!

PECULIAR OBJECT IN CRUX
V. Tabur of Wanniassa has noted a variable object on images taken
with a 140-mm f/2.8 Nikon telephoto lens of 2003 August 20.486 and
20.490UT. The object, located in Crux, was of magnitude 10.2 and
located at:
RA  12h 23m 16.2s  DEC -60 22' 34" (2000).

Andrew Pearce, Western Australia, has e-mailed to advise that he
has confirmed the object visually using a 0.20-m reflector. Using
Tycho 2 comparison star magnitudes, he estimated the object at
magnitude 10.2 on Aug 22.493UT.

According to Tabur, the object is not visible on a number of
exposures going back to January 2000 and it is also not visible on
the Palomar Sky Survey implying a large amplitude.

According to a note on IAU Circular 8185, H. E. Bond, Space
Telescope Science Institute, reports that spectra obtained with the
SMARTS Consortium 1.5-m telescope at Cerro Tololo by S. Gonzalez on
Aug. 21.95 UT, appear to confirm that the object is a classical
nova. However M. Della Valle, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri,
Florence et. al., find that spectrum obtained on Aug 22.02UT with
the ESO 3.6-m telescope at La Silla suggests a lack of typical
signatures exhibited by Fe- or He/N-type classical novae in their
early evolution. Their preliminary analysis suggests this object
may not to be a classical nova, but possibly a post-asymptotic-
giant-branch star in flare-up, a V4332 Sgr-type object or a V838
Mon-type object caught at an early stage.

SUPERNOVA 2003hh In UGC 12890
A possible supernova has been reported by the LOTOSS team as
detected in UGC 12890 according to IAU Circular 8184:

SN      2003 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.     Mag.     Offset
2003hh  Aug. 18.5   0 00 07.08  +08 16 42.3   18.7   0.4"E, 2.9"S

On August 8.5, the object had not been recorded to a limit of 19.5
by the LOTOSS team.

SUPERNOVA 2003hl IN NGC 772
A further LOTOSS report of a supernova, this time in NGC 772, also
appeared on IAUC 8184:

SN      2003 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.     Mag.     Offset
2003hl  Aug. 20.5   1 59 21.28  +19 00 14.5   16.5   24.2"E, 13.0"S

Guy M Hurst