------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2221 2006 Apr 19 11.50UT 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 Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.theastronomer.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- GRB 060418 Further to the announcement on E-Circular 2220, Martin Nicholson, England, reports that he has imaged the afterglow of GRB 060418 via the Internet using the remote observatory at Mayhill, New Mexico, co-ordinates: Latitude 32°54'14" Longitude: W105°31'44 TEL 0.30-m f/11.9 reflector + CCD 2006 04 18.18321 15 45 42.63 -03 38 20.1 16.9 V H06 2006 04 18.19635 15 45 42.60 -03 38 20.2 17.5 V H06 2006 04 18.20507 15 45 42.63 -03 38 19.8 18.0 V H06 TEL 0.25-m f/3.8 astrograph + CCD 2006 04 18.26021 15 45 42.63 -03 38 19.9 17.6 H06 2006 04 18.25212 15 45 42.67 -03 38 19.7 17.9 H06 2006 04 18.25536 15 45 42.68 -03 38 19.7 18.0 H06 These results were for unfiltered images A. K. Dupree, E. Falco (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), J. X. Prochaska (UCO/Lick Observatory), H.-W. Chen (U Chicago), and J. S. Bloom (UC Berkeley) report via GCN 4969 on behalf of the GRAASP collaboration: "We observed the afterglow of GRB060418 using the MIKE echelle spectrograph on the Magellan Clay telescope with a 0.7-arcsec slit. The observations started at UT 03:34:02 on April 18, 2006, ~ 28 minutes after the initial Swift/BAT trigger. The first exposure had a total integration of 1200 sec under a mean seeing condition of 0.4 arcsec. The mean signal-to-noise of the single exposure was S/N > 20 over the entire 3500 Ang to 9000 Ang spectral coverage. We observed the strongest absorption feaures at 6978 Ang and 6959 Ang, which we identify as the MgII absorption doublet originated in the host of the GRB at z=1.49. We therefore adopt this as the redshift of the GRB host due to the absence of any other absorption features beyond 7100 Ang. KV DRACONIS Jeremy Shears, Cheshire, England, reports that the recurrent objects programme star KV Draconis is in outburst as follows: 2006 Apr 13.908, 17.3C; 14.885, 15.20C SUPERNOVA 2006bg IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY Discovery by R. Holmes of a possible supernova (IAUC 8697): SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2006bg Mar. 27.28 11 35 25.17 +54 57 37.4 18.4 16.5"W, 2.3"N SUPERNOVA 2006bh IN NGC 7329 Discovery by L. Monard of a possible supernova (IAUC 8697): SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2006bh Apr. 2.12 22 40 16.10 -66 29 06.3 14.8 48" W, 22" S SUPERNOVA 2006bi IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY Discovery by R. Holmes of a possible supernova (IAUC 8697): SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2006bi Mar. 25.39 13 59 11.52 +27 52 17.5 18.1 0.2"W, 2.6"N SUPERNOVA 2006bj IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY Discovery by R. Holmes of a possible supernova (IAUC 8697): SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2006bj Mar. 26.19 12 22 19.16 + 7 37 25.3 17.3 1.1"E, 1.1"N Guy M Hurst