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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2973      2014 Jan 07 19.12UT
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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COMPLEX SUNSPOT GROUP AR 1944
Peter Meadows:
An impressive and complex sunspot group is now approaching the central
meridian of the Sun (6th Jan). AR 1944 appears as a large bipolar Fkc type
group with a large leading penumbral sunspot and several smaller penumbral
following sunspots. This type of group can lead to many solar flares.  Two
naked eye sunspots were seen by Peter Meadows on 2013 Jan 6 with the
protected naked eye, one much darker than the other (from the leader and
follower sunspots respectively). This group is probably the largest of this
solar cycle so far (at an area around 1500 millionths of the Sun's visible
hemisphere).
Observations over the next few days will show the group at its best.  Care
is required when observing or imaging the Sun and thus safe observing
techniques much be used (including observing the Sun with the naked eye).

MASTER OT J073208.11+064149.5 - NEW BRIGHT CV
P. Balanutsa et. al., Moscow State University reports on The Astronomer's
Telegram 5708 that the MASTER-Amur auto-detection system recorded an Optical
Transient (OT) source at:
RA 07h 32m 08.11s DEC +06d 41m 49.5s on 2013 Dec 29.628UT. The OT unfiltered
magnitude was 15.4m (limit 17.2m). The OT was seen in nine images. 

They have a reference image without the OT on 2011 Jan 22.543UT with a
magnitude limit in 'V' filter of 17.3m. The object has brightened to 15.2m
on the second triplet of images obtained on 2013 Dec. 29.660-29.663 UT. It
was confirmed at 15.2m on 2013 Dec 30.630UT. 

There is a faint blue object (magnitude about 22) marginally visible near
the OT on the sum of digitised Palomar plates. A Colour-combined (BRIR)
finder chart is uploaded to
http://master.sai.msu.ru/static/OT/J073208+064149-BRIR5x5.jpg

There is nothing at this position in any catalogues. The object was also not
visible on six NEAT images of 2002 Feb. 07 and 17 and on their combination
(m_lim~21). This area of sky in Canis Minor is not covered by SDSS and CRTS.


Based on the blue colour and outburst amplitude (~7m), MASTER OT
J073208.11+064149.5 is most likely a dwarf nova of WZ Sge (UGWZ) type in
superoutburst. The discovery and reference images are available at:
http://master.sai.msu.ru/static/OT/073208.11064149.5.png 

SUPERNOVA 2013gd IN MCG -01-10-39 (LOSS)
2013gd  Nov 09.35   03 49 05.64  -03 03 28.3  16.9   2.5”E    9.5”N
D. Milisavljevic: spectrum Nov 9 young type-II supernova.

SUPERNOVA 2013ge IN NGC 3287 (KOICHI ITAGAKI)
2013ge  Nov 08.75   10 34 48.46  +21 39 41.9  16.8  15.2”E   47.9”N
Discovery image http://www.k-itagaki.jp/images/ngc3287.jpg
J.-J. Zhang: spectrum Nov 9 type-Ic a few days before maximum

CCD V photometry by Guy Hurst using the Bradford Robotic Telescope:
2013 Dec 8.274UT, 15.50V; 27.233UT, 16.25V; 2014 Jan 2.209UT, 16.46V (all
+/- 0.03).

Guy M Hurst