Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3752: OPTICAL CANDIDATES FOR THE 1978 Nov. 19 GAMMA-RAY BURST; TV Col; SNe
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Circular No. 3752
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM Telephone 617-864-5758
OPTICAL CANDIDATES FOR THE 1978 NOVEMBER 19 GAMMA-RAY BURST
B. Schaefer and H. Bradt, Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
and P. Seitzer, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, have
obtained evidence for rapid and large-amplitude optical variability
of an object inside the error region (Schaefer 1981, Nature
294, 722) of the 1978 Nov. 19 gamma-ray burster. CCD observations
with the CTIO 4-m telescope on 1982 Oct. 22 show a 10-sigma source at
V = 23.7 +/- 0.1. However, on the nights of Oct. 20 and 23 this
object was fainter than V = 25.0. The position of the object is R.A.
= 1h16m25s82, Decl. = -28deg51'01".2 (equinox 1950.0, uncertainty
+/- 1".0). This is 1".6 +/- 1".8 to the northeast of candidate A of
Pedersen et al. (IAUC 3711, 3734, and private communication) and is not
consistent with candidate B. It is also 29".3 south and 6".5 west of
Schaefer's (1981) star 11. Further observations are important.
TV COLUMBAE
P. Szkody and M. Mateo, Department of Astronomy, University
of Washington, write that a flare of TV Col = 2A 0526-328 was
observed on Nov. 22 during simultaneous spectroscopy with IUE and
photometry at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. During an
interval of 43 min the ultraviolet continuum at 135 and 250 nm
rose by 1.4 and 1.5 mag, respectively, while the optical U, B and
V magnitudes rose by 1.7, 1.6 and 1.5. This was preceded by a
slow 0.5-mag rise over 70 min. The line flux in He II 164 nm, N V
124 nm, Si IV 140 nm and C IV 155 nm increased by 62, 13, 8 and 9
times, respectively. The visual light decreased by 0.7 mag in 2
hr, after which there was a smaller flare of 0.3 mag. The system
remained 0.5 mag brighter than normal (V ~ 14) on the following
night. Further photometry and spectroscopy are encouraged to see
if this cataclysmic variable has entered a new active state.
SUPERNOVAE
J. Maza, Department of Astronomy, University of Chile, writes
that the supernovae reported on IAUC 3741 had faded, respectively,
to mpg ~ 19.5 on Nov. 9.14 UT and mpg ~ 19 on Nov. 11.29 UT. The
possible supernova in ESO 308-G16 (IAUC 3745) was also present on
a plate exposed by C. Torres on Nov. 17.
1982 December 14 (3752) Brian G. Marsden
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