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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2226      2006 May 02 12.18UT
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
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SUPERNOVA 2006bp IN NGC 3953
Discovery by K. Itagaki of a possible supernova (IAUC 8700):
SN      2005 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2006bp  Apr.  9.60  11 53 55.74  +52 21 09.4  16.7  62" E, 93" N
A rapid brightening was noted with the object reaching magnitude 15.8 by 
Apr. 9.7835UT. Nothing was visible at this location on Itagaki's images 
taken on 2005 Mar. 19 and 2006 Mar. 23 (limiting mag 19.0).

SUPERNOVA 2006bk IN MCG +6-33-20
The discovery of this supernova by Tom Boles, his 100th found, was 
announced on TA E-Circular 2215.
According to CBET 475, K. Kinugasa, Gunma Astronomical Observatory 
(GAO); and H. Yamaoka, Kyushu University, advise that a low-resolution 
spectrum (range 420-800nm, resolution about 500) was
obtained under poor conditions on Apr. 5.6 UT with the GAO 1.5-m
telescope.  The spectrum shows a smooth continuum with a broad
absorption feature around 520 nm (width about 50 nm) and 680 nm (width 
about 30 nm). If the recession velocity of the host galaxy (14850 km/s, 
Huchra et al. 1995, Ap.J. Suppl. 99, 391) is due to the Hubble 
expansion, the absolute magnitude at discovery is about -19.6 (assuming 
H_0 = 73 km/s/Mpc), which is somewhat luminous for a typical 
gravitational-collapsed event. Another spectrogram obtained on Apr. 9.6 
shows a blue continuum with a prominent Fe II absorption feature around 
520 nm (observed wavelength; width about 40 nm, 'W'-shaped).  No other 
remarkable feature exists, which suggests that it is a type-Ic supernova 
near maximum light.

SUPERNOVA 2006bo IN UGC 11578
S. Blondin et. al., Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, report 
on CBNET 481 that a spectrum of SN 2006bo (found by Tom Boles, see TA 
E-Circular 2225) obtained on Apr. 25.51 UT by J. Hernandez (University 
of Michigan) with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ 
FAST), shows it to be a reddened type-IIn supernova around maximum 
light.

COMET 73P/SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN
The Central Bureau advise that numerous additional components to 73P 
have been observed on three or more nights and thus given designations 
('T'-'Z', and 'AA'-'AM', although component 'Y' has only two nights of 
astrometry so far) and first announced on MPECs 2006-G10 and 2006-H03. 
(IAUC 8703).
IAUC 8704 carries further news that three additional components to 73P 
have been observed on three or more nights and thus given designations 
('AN', 'AO', and 'AP') and first announced on MPEC 2006-H26.

SUPERNOVA 2006bq IN NGC 6685
Discovery by Tim Puckett and A. Pelloni of a possible supernova (CBET 
479):
SN      2005 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2006bq  Apr. 23.342 18 39 58.88  +39 58 56.8  15.8  2.9"E, 2.0"N

Guy M Hurst