------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1994 2004 May 07 16.16UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) Bjorn Granslo of Norway reports that he is currently observing this comet from Pico da Cruz, Funchal, Madeira. On 2004 May 3.87UT, he estimated the total magnitude as 3.8 using 7x50B when the comet was in twilight with an altitude of seven degrees. He again saw the comet on May 4.88, during the Lunar Eclipse, at m1=3.7 with the same instrument and noted a tail 1.5deg in PA125. It was also see as a rather faint object to the naked eye. SUPERNOVA 2004bl IN MCG +00-31-42 LOSS discovery of a possible supernova (IAUC 8334): SN 2004 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2004bl Apr.29.31 12 15 12.08 - 3 26 18.3 16.0 7.9"E, 10.2" N SUPERNOVA 2004bh IN UGC 5161 The discovery of this supernova by Mark Armstrong was announced on TA E-Circular 1989. C. L. Gerardy, University of Texas at Austin et. al., report on IAUC 8331 that a low-resolution optical spectrogram obtained on Apr. 24.21 UT with the 2.4-m Hiltner Telescope (+ ModSpec spectrograph) at MDM Observatory, shows it to be a type-II supernova, likely at early epoch. The spectrum exhibits a single broad H_alpha emission feature with little or no blueshifted absorption component. A. V. Filippenko et.al., University of California, Berkeley also report on the same IAU Circular that inspection of CCD spectra (range 330-1000 nm), obtained on Apr. 24 UT with the Shane 3-m telescope at Lick Observatory, reveals that SN 2004bh is of type II, perhaps II-L, at an early stage of development. The spectrum is dominated by H_alpha emission, with little corresponding blueshifted absorption. Guy M Hurst