Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 6503: 1996bt; SGR 1806-20; 29P
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Circular No. 6503
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
BMARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or DGREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)
SUPERNOVA 1996bt IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
P. Garnavich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics,
reports that P. Berlind, Fred L. Whipple Observatory (FLWO), has
discovered a supernova in an elliptical galaxy located at R.A. =
6h51m58s.0, Decl. = +16 17'43" (equinox 2000.0). The supernova was
recognized by its spectrum, obtained on Nov. 10.49 UT with the
Tillinghast 1.5-m telescope in the course of the 'Winter Plane'
redshift survey (principal investigator C. Pantoja). The spectrum
shows SN 1996bt to be a type-Ia supernova about 10 days after
maximum. CCD images obtained by E. Barton with the FLWO 1.2-m
telescope on Nov. 10.50 show the supernova to be 1".5 west and 1".2
north of the galaxy's center. Accurate photometry is difficult,
due to the blending of the supernova and galaxy images, but point-
spread-function fitting gives a magnitude of B = 16.5 +/- 0.1.
SGR 1806-20
C. Kouveliotou, Universities Space Research Association; J.
van Paradijs, University of Amsterdam, and University of Alabama in
Huntsville (UAH); G. J. Fishman and C. A. Meegan, Marshall Space
Flight Center, NASA; S. Dieters and M. S. Briggs, UAH; K. Hurley,
University of California, Berkeley; T. Murakami, Institute of Space
and Aeronautical Sciences, I. Smith, Rice University; and D. Frail,
National Radio Astronomical Observatory, report: "We observed SGR
1806-20 on Nov. 5 and 6 with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer during
an active episode detected by BATSE (IAUC 6501). In addition to the
large outbursts, also seen with BATSE, we detected numerous small
outbursts coming in groups from the source, with peak fluxes about
2 orders of magnitude fainter than those of bursts seen earlier
with BATSE. Burst rates as high as one per minute were observed."
COMET 29P/SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN 1
I. Ferrin, J. Mateu, and J. Canelon, University of the Andes,
Merida, report that CCD observations of comet 29P made with the 1-m
Schmidt telescope of the National Observatory of Venezuela on Nov.
7.37 UT show a sharp nucleus embedded in a coma of diameter about
33". The total magnitude was R = 14.5 +/- 0.1. Material is being
ejected in a position angle of 115 deg (solar direction 127 deg).
The comet shows a 'C'-shaped coma, implying that the nucleus is
rotating counterclockwise.
(C) Copyright 1996 CBAT
1996 November 11 (6503) Daniel W. E. Green
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