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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2551      2009 May 18 14.00UT
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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ASTROMETRY OF HERSCHEL AND PLANCK
Mark Kidger reports:

TA Group members are encouraged to take astrometry and photometry of 
Herschel and Planck during their transfer to L2. Results should be 
communicated ASAP.

Four large objects can be seen: Herschel (the brightest) and, close 
together, Planck and the Sylda support that covered Planck. Somewhat 
further away is the Ariane 5 upper stage. An exact orbit determination 
has been made for Herschel and Planck and we hope that it will be 
available shortly in Horizons, meanwhile there is some ambiguity between 
the identification of Planck and the Sylda.

Please send your results to:
mkidger@sciops.esa.int

SUPERNOVA 2009dn IN PGC 35993
Discovery by the ROTSE collaboration of a possible supernova (CBET 
1775):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009dn  Apr. 12.75  11 37 39.33  +46 57 11.3  17.5     3.0"E, 2.5"S

SUPERNOVA 2009do IN MCG +09-21-22
Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (CBET 1778):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009do  Apr. 22.33  12 34 58.35  +50 51 04.4  16.3     9.0"W, 0.4"N
P. Challis, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on
behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, reports that a spectrum of Apr. 24 UT 
by A. Vaz with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope shows it to 
be a type-Ia around maximum brightness.

SUPERNOVA 2009dp IN NGC 6912
Discovery by the ROTSE collaboration of a possible supernova (CBET 
1779):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009dp  Apr. 23.10  20 26 52.69  -18 37 04.2  17.7     9  "E, 2  "S

SUPERNOVA 2009dq IN IC 2554
Discovery by the CHASE Project of a possible supernova (CBET 1781):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009dq  Apr 19.25   10 08 49.94  -67 01 57.3  16.0:    1.6"W, 3.1"S
Nothing is visible at this position on archival template-subtracted 
images taken on Apr. 11.23 (limiting mag 18.5) and Apr. 7.08.

SUPERNOVA 2009dr
Discovery by the Palomar Transient Factory of a possible supernova (CBET 
1783):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009dr  Apr. 17.25  14 44 42.08  +49 43 44.9  20.3R      -     -
Spectra (range 325-1000 nm) obtained on Apr.27.37 with the 5.1-m Palomar 
Hale telescope show some similarities to early spectra of SN 2007if 
which later resembled spectra of SN 2003fg.  SN 2003fg has been proposed 
to be a super-Chandrasekhar-mass explosion. Template matching indicates 
an approximate redshift of z = 0.1.

Guy M Hurst