------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2248 2006 Jly 23 16.21UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2006 OK3 Robert H. McNaught. Siding Spring Observatory, reports the discovery of a fast moving asteroid which has been measured by E.C. Beshore, E. J. Christensen, G. J. Garradd, A. R. Gibbs, A. D. Grauer, R. E. Hill, R. A. Kowalski, S. M. Larson, R. H. McNaught. 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt + CCD: Observations: 2006 07 22.59315 20 46 47.10 -39 54 27.1 17.2 V EO022E12 2006 07 22.59358 20 46 48.36 -39 54 08.2 17.4 V EO022E12 It has been confirmed by various observers including today by Peter Birtwhistle of Great Shefford, England: 2006 07 23.07596121 35 00.24 -27 36 57.3 EO026J95 2006 07 23.07991921 35 39.52 -27 23 48.4 EO026J95 2006 07 23.08005821 35 40.88 -27 23 19.2 16.4 R EO026J95 Orbital elements: Epoch 2006 Sept. 22.0 TT = JDT 2454000.5 MPC M 6.22511 (2000.0) P Q n 0.45322092 Peri. 66.77594 +0.97457037 -0.13011824 a 1.6785312 Node 300.25670 +0.02554358 +0.87333887 e 0.5189998 Incl. 12.19292 +0.22262104 +0.46941288 P 2.17 H 27.1 G 0.15 U 5 Ephemeris: Date TT R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase V 2006 07 23.0 21 23.03 -30 38.8 0.00424 1.020 160.2 19.7 16.3 2006 07 23.1 21 39.32 -25 35.7 0.00350 1.019 158.5 21.4 15.9 2006 07 23.2 22 01.45 -17 47.8 0.00282 1.018 153.4 26.5 15.6 2006 07 23.3 22 32.53 -05 23.5 0.00226 1.018 142.3 37.6 15.4 2006 07 23.4 23 17.23 +13 08.8 0.00192 1.017 123.2 56.7 15.6 2006 07 23.5 00 20.63 +34 14.3 0.00193 1.016 99.5 80.4 16.4 2006 07 23.6 01 41.45 +49 30.6 0.00228 1.016 79.5 100.4 17.6 2006 07 23.7 03 04.10 +56 43.4 0.00285 1.015 66.2 113.7 18.8 2006 07 23.8 04 11.00 +59 02.2 0.00353 1.014 57.7 122.1 19.9 2006 07 23.9 04 58.58 +59 16.8 0.00427 1.013 52.2 127.6 20.8 2006 07 24.0 05 31.52 +58 48.3 0.00504 1.013 48.4 131.4 21.5 M.P.E.C. 2006-O26 AG DRACONIS U. Munari (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Astronomical Observatory, Padova) has asked observers to monitor AG Dra until the end of its current outburst period. According to AAVSO observations, AG Dra may be rapidly rising to one of its more significant outbursts, the last of which occurred in 1991 when AG Dra reached visual magnitude ~8.1. AG Dra is a symbiotic binary likely containing a cool giant and a white dwarf. The system goes through both active and quiescent stages. Last July it reached ~magnitude 9 and remained there for approximately two months. If this is a major outburst, it could last into early 2007. Munari has specifically requested that CCD observers use a chart and photometry which is available on the AAVSO WWW site at: http://www.aavso.org/news/AG_DRA.pdf AG Dra is located at 16:01:41.00 +66:48:10.0 (J2000). Guy M Hurst