------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2522 2009 Jan 31 16.16UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- NOVA IN MESSIER 81 (= M81N 2008-12b) K. Hornoch and P. Sedinova, Ondrejov Observatory, report on CBET 1653 the discovery of an apparent nova in Messier 81 on a co-added 1800-s unfiltered CCD frame taken with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov on 2008 Dec. 29.202 UT. The object is located at: RA 09h 55m 38.30s DEC +69 01' 43.2" (2000) which is 27".5 east and 131".9 south of the centre of the Messier object. Available unfiltered magnitudes (using R-band magnitudes from comparison stars) of the apparent nova from images taken with the 0.65-m telescope at Ondrejov: 2008 Feb.11.788, [22.0; Oct. 31.167, [21.9; Dec. 9.164, [21.7; 29.202, 18.6; 29.697,18.7; 30.198, 19.0. A. W. Shafter, San Diego State University et. al., report spectroscopic observations based on a spectrum obtained on 2009 Jan. 1.4UT by J. Caldwell with the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope (+ Marcario Low-Resolution Spectrograph). The spectrum is typical of a nova of the "Fe II" spectroscopic type shortly after maximum light. APPARENT NOVA IN MESSIER 33 Koichi Nishiyama, Japan reports discovery of an apparent nova (mag 17.0) in Messier 33 on nine 40-s unfiltered CCD frames of 2009 Jan. 7.54 UT using a 0.40-m f/9.8 reflector. Confirming images of Jan 8 indicate a fading of the new object, designated M33N 2009-01a, to mag 17.8. It is located at: RA 01h 33m 40.42s, DEC +30 25' 42.1" (2000) which is 136"W and 835"S of the centre of M33. Nothing is visible at this position on images of 2009 Jan. 2.55 and 3.53. According to CBET 1659 a star with magnitude V = B = R = 22 and position end figures 40s.43, 40".2 is listed in the M33 catalogue of Massey et al. (2006, A.J. 131, 2478; information available online at the following website: URL: http://www.lowell.edu/users/massey/lgsurvey.html) SUPERNOVA 2009F IN NGC 1725 Discovery by the CHASE Project of a possible supernova (CBET 1650): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009F Jan. 4.11 04 59 23.56 -11 07 50.1 16.4 9.8"E, 6.1"N SUPERNOVA 2009G IN IC 4441 Discovery by the CHASE Project of a possible supernova (CBET 1655): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009G Jan. 5.32 14 31 38.34 -43 25 02.8 16.5 3.1"W, 3.1"N SUPERNOVA 2009H IN NGC 1084 Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (CBET 1656): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009H Jan. 2.48 02 45 58.36 -07 35 00.3 17.4 21.8"W,17.1"S SUPERNOVA 2009I IN NGC 1080 Discovery by the CHASE Project of a possible supernova (CBET 1660): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009I Jan 14.06 02 45 10.40 -04 42 49.4 16.5 6.8"E,10.4"S CHRISTMAS QUIZ Subscribers are reminded that midnight today is the final deadline for new or amended submissions of answers to the quiz. This deadline will be final and will not be extended. Guy M Hurst