------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2602 2009 Dec 13 19.21UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- THE EDGAR WILSON AWARD 2009 The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory announces that the 2009 Edgar Wilson Award for the discovery of comets is being divided among the following five individuals for five different comets: Robert E. Holmes, Jr. (Charleston, IL, U.S.A.) for C/2008 N1; Stanislav Maticic (Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia) for C/2008 Q1 Michel Ory (Delemont, Switzerland) for P/2008 Q2 Koichi Itagaki (Yamagata, Japan) for C/2009 E1 Dae-am Yi (Yeongwol-kun, Gangwon-do, Korea) for C/2009 F6 (93) MINERVA: S/2009 (93) 1 AND S/2009 (93) 2 F. Marchis and B. Macomber, Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute and University of California at Berkeley et. al., report on IAUC 9069 that adaptive-optics images were recorded of (93) Minerva, a large C-type main-belt asteroid, with the 10-m Keck II telescope + Fe II filter between 2009 Aug. 16.57 and 16.64 UT, with the target at r = 2.117 AU and phase angle 20.0 deg. The direct images reveal that the large minor planet has an almost- spherical shape with an average diameter of 145 km. Additionally, these observations show the presence of a companion about 4 km in diameter at 0".41 (projected distance of 630 km) in p.a. 275 deg detected in every image recorded over the 1.8-hr baseline. Careful analysis of three images indicates the presence of a second satellite (about 3 km) and located closer to the primary at an apparent distance of 380 km (0".25) in p.a. 209 deg. With (87) Sylvia, (45) Eugenia, and (216) Kleopatra, this is the fourth multiple system with two small-kilometre-sized satellites to be discovered and imaged in the main asteroid belt. SUPERNOVA 2009ji IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY Discovery by CRTS of a possible supernova (CBET 1960): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009ji Sep 23.14 15 54 52.48 +32 05 05.6 17.9 1.5"E, 2.7"N Confirming spectroscopic observations (range 380-770 nm) of Sept. 25.75 with the BTA 6-m telescope shows this to be a type-Ia supernova, most similar to SN 2003du at 11 days past maximum light. The redshift is estimated to be z = 0.048. SUPERNOVAE 2009jj-2009jo D. Sand, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network et al., report six supernovae discovered with g' and r'-band images obtained at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (+ Megacam). All g magnitude 19.2 or fainter and announced on CBET 1961. SUPERNOVA 2009jp IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY Discovery by G Sostero, J Newton and T Puckett of a possible supernova (CBET 1962): SN 2009 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2009jp Oct 9.32 23 17 42.71 +13 57 24.7 17.6 1.5"W, 6.1"S Guy M Hurst