------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2574 2009 Aug 21 17.55UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- X SERPENTIS According to the Catalina Sky Survey team, the old nova X Ser is experiencing an outburst (CSS090816:161918-022929). It was discovered originally by H. Leavitt on Harvard Plates with the object near maximum light between 1903 May and September according to the Duerbeck Reference Catalogue and Atlas of Galactic Novae. The object was reported to be at mag 14.3 on 2009 Aug. 16. Having an orbital period of 1.478 d, the current outburst of X Ser may resemble dwarf nova-like outbursts of GK Per according to comments on VSNET. Guy Hurst, Basingstoke, England reports that photometry using the remotely-based Bradford Robotic Telescope confirms the object as bright: 2009 Aug 19 00h14mUT, 14.2; 23h59mUT, 14.3 (Green filter) AAVSO Special Notice #165 comments that the AAVSO observational record for this star is sparse, with fewer than 20 observations in the International Database. However, the star was reported to be at similar magnitudes in the past (14.0, JD 2449603.6, J. Nordby, Moorhead, Minnesota; 14.1, JD 2450359.3, M. Fonovich, Plomin, Croatia; see also Honeycutt, Robertson, and Turner, 1998, Astronomical Journal 115, 2527). The variable is located at: RA: 16 19 17.68 , Dec: -02 29 29.6 (2000) A chart and sequence are available using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter. SUPERNOVA 2009gh IN MCG +12-18-2 Discovery by D. Rich, USA of a possible supernova (CBET 1850): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009gh Jun 17.17 19 29 16.60 +72 08 12.9 16.6 1.4"W, 9.1"S Nothing is visible at this position on a CCD frame taken by Rich on May 21.19 (limiting mag about 18.8) or on Palomar Digital Sky Survey images from 1991 Aug. 7 (limiting red mag about 20.5) and 1991 June 16 (limiting blue mag about 21.0). SUPERNOVA 2009gi IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (CBET 1853): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009gi Jun 17.39 19 10 19.11 +19 33 34.6 18.1 22.9"E, 7.6"N SUPERNOVA 2009gj IN NGC 134 Discovery by P. Marples, Australia of a possible supernova (CBET 1856): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009gj Jun 20.75 00 30 28.56 -33 12 56.0 15.9 82 "E,102" N SUPERNOVA 2009gk IN UGC 11803 Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (CBET 1859): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009gk Jun 23.43 21 44 27.28 +14 53 57.3 18.3 22.0"W, 2.5"S Guy M Hurst