THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 611 1992 Feb 23 15.44UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 Telex: 9312111261 Answerback: TA G JANET BOXES: GMH at UK.AC.CAM.ASTRONOMY.STARLINK or GUYH at UK.AC.SUSSEX.CLUSTER TELECOM GOLD: 10074:MIK2885 PRESTEL 256471074 ------------------------------------------------------------------- NOVA CYGNI 1992 Further to the announcement on E610, further information is now available relating to this nova: B. A. Skiff, Lowell Observatory, provides the following precise position measured from a plate taken by S. J. Bus with the 0.33-m astrograph on Feb. 20.094 UT, upon which images were slightly trailed and the star's magnitude was estimated as B = 5.5: R.A. = 20h30m31s.76, Decl. = +52 37'52".9 (equinox 2000.0). IAUC 5454 Janet Mattei reports the precessed position for 1950: RA 20h 29m 07s DEC +52 27'45"(1950). The discoverer, Peter Collins, is located at Boulder, USA. AAVSO Alert 155 G. Sonneborn and R. Polidan, Goddard Space Flight Center; and S. Starrfield, Arizona State University, report: "Low- and high- resolution ultraviolet spectra (range 120-335 nm; resolution 0.6 and 0.02 nm) of Nova Cyg 1992 were obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite during Feb. 20.9-21.1 UT. Mg II (280.0 nm) and Al III (185.8 nm) were detected in emission, with blueward absorption troughs extending to about -2800 km/s. The spectrum shortward of 170 nm is broken up by numerous absorption features characteristic of optically thick ejecta observed in the early outburst phase of other novae (e.g., OS And, N Pup 1991). Numerous interstellar lines are detected against the relatively smooth continuum longward of 170 nm. The visual magnitude during these observations was about 4.9, as measured with the IUE Fine Error Sensor." IAUC 5456 NOVA SAGITTARII 1992 R. H. McNaught, Anglo-Australian Observatory, reports that N Sgr 1992 has increased in brightness by more than 10 magnitudes. The nearest star to the earlier reported position on the ESO B survey is a star of mag 18-19, of no obvious color, situated at R.A. = 18h06m28s.68, Decl. = -25 52'32".1 (equinox 1950.0; uncertainty 0".3 in R.A., 0".2 in Decl.). On the SERC J survey, there is a blend of stars around mag 20 at the nominal position. Magnitude estimate from P. Camilleri, Cobram, Victoria: Feb. 15.724 UT, 9.4. IAUC 5453 SUPERNOVA 1992H IN NGC 5377 William Wren, McDonald Observatory, reports his visual discovery of a supernova located about 57" east and 19" north of the nucleus of NGC 5377 (R.A. = 13h54m.3, Decl. = +47 29', equinox 1950.0). Nothing appears at this position on the Palomar Sky Survey. SN 1992H was near mv about 15.0 at discovery on Feb. 11.50 UT, and the brightness has remained near this level on Tech Pan photographs taken by Wren on Feb. 13.37, 13.40, 15.31, 16.33, 17.36, 17.39, 21.24, and 21.27. T. Iijima, M. Turatto, and E. Cappellaro, Asiago Observatory, report that a spectrogram (resolution about 1 nm) of SN 1992H was obtained with the 1.82-m telescope (+ Boller & Chivens spectrograph + CCD) on Feb. 21.07 UT. A preliminary inspection of the spectrum shows a blue continuum with broad H-alpha (FWHM about 25 nm) and no sign of P-Cyg absorption, resembling the type-II linear supernovae 1979C and 1980K when 2-3 weeks past maximum light. IAUC 5456 Guy M Hurst