------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2502 2008 Nov 29 15.12UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- TAURID METEORS 2008 P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute, reports on CBET 1584 numerous accounts of elevated Taurid rates in the period Nov. 2-10. G. Barentsen (International Meteor Organization) has posted a summary of visual observations of the Northern and Southern Taurid showers in 2007 and 2008 (http://www.imo.net/zhr), showing that, in 2008, mostly Southern Taurid rates rose above their normal annual activity (e.g., the rates in 2007) over a period corresponding to FWHM = 3.0 +/- 0.7 degrees in solar longitude, with a peak rate (above the annual rate) of ZHR = 8 meteors/hr at solar longitude 223.0 +/- 0.2 deg (equinox 2000.0; corresponding to 4h UT on Nov. 5). J. M. Trigo-Rodriguez, J. M. Madiedo, and J. Alonso-Azcate (Spanish Meteor and Fireball Network) observed many bright fireballs from an apparent radiant at R.A. = 51 deg, Decl. = +14 deg, with a population index of 1.9 +/- 0.5 (N = 20) on Nov. 3 (solar longitude 220.9 deg), consistent with an enhancement of Southern Taurids (geocentric radiant R.A. = 52.0 deg, Decl. = +13.6 deg; Jenniskens, 2006, Meteor Showers and their Parent Comets, p. 735). Bright meteors were seen from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7. This may be a recurrent event, based on an investigation by D. Asher (Armagh Observatory) and K. Izumi (Nippon Meteor Society), who have pointed out that the Taurid showers are more active than usual in a periodic cycle of 3.39 yr, presumably because of dust trapped in the 7:2 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter, in such a way that the year 2008 falls in this cycle (Asher and Izumi 1998, MNRAS 297, 23). Editor: We have received a telephone call from David Rodger of Dunkeld, Scotland reporting that he saw a very bright object on 2008 November 26 at 02h00mUT (+/-2 min) at about magnitude -5. It was located close to Epsilon Tauri and given its duration of 3-5 seconds and double brightening but apparently stationary appearance, may have been a head-on Southern Taurid fireball. Other sightings would be welcomed. SUPERNOVA 2008gy IN PGC 1584648 Discovery by the MASTER robotic NET of a possible supernova (CBET 1565): SN 2008 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2008gy Oct. 30.99 03 10 00.96 +19 13 23.1 17.7R 23 "W, 6 "N The discovery image has been posted at: http://observ.pereplet.ru/images/SN081030/SNdiscovery081030.jpg SUPERNOVA 2008gz IN NGC 3672 Discovery by Koichi Itagaki of a possible supernova (CBET 1566): SN 2008 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2008gz Nov. 5.83 11 25 03.24 -09 47 51.0 16.2 13 "E, 7 "S R. Martin, Perth Observatory, reports his apparently independent discovery of 2008gz at red mag roughly 15.5 in CCD images collected as part of the Perth Automated Supernova Search, using the 0.61-m Perth Lowell telescope on Nov. 7.841 and 8.838. The type-Ia supernova 2007bm also appeared in NGC 3672. SUPERNOVA 2008ha IN UGC 12682 Discovery by T. Puckett and J. Newton of a possible supernova (CBET 1567): SN 2008 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2008ha Nov. 7.17 23 34 52.69 +18 13 35.4 18.8 12 "W, 0.5"S Guy M Hurst