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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2591      2009 Oct 19 19.44UT
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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ORIONID METEOR SHOWER
Observers are reminded that this shower has a broad maximum from 2009 
October 20-24 and conditions this year are favourable with little 
interference from the Moon. Further details can be found on the website 
of 'The Astronomer' in notes by Tony Markham:

http://www.theastronomer.org/forthcoming_meteors.html

According to Japanese meteor scientists Mikiya Sato and Jun-ichi 
Watanabe, 2006 marked Earth's first encounter with some very old debris. 
"We have found that the [elevated activity of 2006] was caused by dust 
trails ejected from 1P/Halley in 1266 BC, 1198 BC, and 911 BC," they 
wrote in the August 2007 edition of Publications of the Astronomical 
Society of Japan. In their paper "Origin of the 2006 Orionid Outburst," 
Sato and Watanabe used a computer to model the structure and evolution 
of Halley's many debris streams stretching back in time as far as 3400 
years. The debris that hit Earth in 2006 was among the oldest they 
studied and was rich in large fireball-producing meteoroids.
Repeat encounters produced good displays in 2007 and 2008-and "the 
meteoroids are expected to approach Earth [again] in 2009," say Sato and 
Watanabe. They note that these old broad streams tend to produce equally 
broad showers, lasting several nights around the peak. So, if clouds 
interfere on the 21st, try again on the 22nd or 23rd. (NASA Bulletin, 
2009 Oct 19)
SUPERNOVA 2009ip IN NGC 7259
Discovery by the CHASE Project of a possible supernova (CBET 1928):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009ip  Aug 26.11   22 23 08.26  -28 56 52.4  17.9    36.2"E,25.1"N

SUPERNOVA 2009iq IN UGC 2308
Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (CBET 1929):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009iq  Aug 13.50   02 50 11.61  +47 03 07.0  18.1     6.9"W, 7.7"S
The type-IIn supernova 2006eh also appeared in UGC 2308

SUPERNOVA 2009ir IN UGC 10396
Discovery by LOSS of a possible supernova (CBET 1929):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009ir  Aug 25.18   16 26 52.41  +51 33 24.0  19.0     7.4"W, 5.3"N
Type II supernova one week past maximum (spectrum Aug 28, Shane, Lick).

SUPERNOVA 2009is IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
Discovery by CRTS of a possible supernova (CBET 1932):
SN      2009 UT      R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2009is  Jly 30.44   02 57 07.15  +18 01 09.2  16.4
A spectrum with the SMARTS 1.5-m telescope on Aug. 25.38 shows this to 
be a type-Ia supernova most similar to SN 2003du at 22 days past maximum 
light.

Guy M Hurst