------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2240 2006 Jun 22 14.46UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- VARIABLE OBJECT IN BOOTES K. Dawson, Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, reports on CBET 546, on behalf of the Supernova Cosmology Project that an unusual transient located: RA 14h 32m 27.42a DEC +33 32' 25.1" (2000) with a rise time of > 100 days, was discovered in images taken on Feb. 22 using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. It was then observed at intervals of 15-25 days until just after peak magnitude on June 5. The new variable displayed little or no evolution in colour, and Deep ACS reference images show no indication of a host galaxy. Selected F850LP magnitudes for the new variable: 2006 Jan. 29, > 26.5 (not visible); Feb. 22, 23.7; May 22, 21.2; June 5, 21.3. Selected F775W magnitudes for the new variable: 2006 Jan. 29, > 26.5; Feb. 22, 23.5; May 22, 21.1; June 5, 21.2. A finding chart can be found at http://supernova.lbl.gov/ACSclustersearch/ 3C 282 Gary Poyner, Birmingham, reports that the radio galaxy 3C 282 has faded by nearly one magnitude in the last two weeks. Selected observations... Jun 1.0, 13.5; 5.0, 13.8; 8.1, 14.0; 13.0 14.4 During 2005, this object varied between 12.5-13.0. SUPERNOVA 2006da Discovery by R. Quimby of a possible supernova (IAUC 8722): SN 2005 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2006da June 12.41 23 27 48.57 +14 28 27.0 16.6 1.5"W, 4.2"S COMET 176P/LINEAR = (118401) LINEAR The Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature has agreed to name the comet 1999 RE_70, which has been assigned also the permanent comet number 176P, with the same name as the minor planet (118401): LINEAR, for the 'Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research' survey that discovered the object (cf. MPC 56963). Guy M Hurst