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IAUC 7897: C/2002 J1, C/2002 J2; XTE J1908+094; XTE J0929-314

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                                                  Circular No. 7897
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304
Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMETS C/2002 J1 AND C/2002 J2 (SOHO)
     Further to IAUC 7886, D. Hammer reports two Kreutz-sungrazing
comets found by R. Kracht on SOHO C2 images (cf. MPECs cited below).

  Comet         2002 UT          R.A. (2000) Decl.       MPEC
  C/2002 J1     May  1.726       2 40.6   +14 01       2002-J09
  C/2002 J2          3.476       2 48.0   +14 35       2002-J29


XTE J1908+094
     S. Chaty, Open University; and R. P. Mignani, European
Southern Observatory (ESO), Garching, report on the detection in
the near-infrared of a likely counterpart to the blackhole
candidate XTE J1908+094 (IAUC 7856).  Target-of-opportunity
observations performed by L. Vanzi (ESO) with the ESO New
Technology Telescope on Apr. 25 and 29 show an infrared source that
is coincident (within an uncertainty of +/- 0".17 in each
coordinate) with the position of the radio counterpart (IAUC 7874).
The magnitudes of the source on Apr. 25 were J = 18.7 +/- 0.3, H =
17.2 +/- 0.3, K_s = 16.4 +/- 0.2.  Although the source was also
visible on Apr. 29, the data do not allow an accurate determination
of the magnitude and therefore prevent any variability measurement.
Taking the value of column density given on IAUC 7856, and assuming
that the source is located near the Galactic center, absolute
magnitudes of J = 0.4, H = 0.3, and K = 0.3 are derived.  Chaty and
Mignani add: "If the source is indeed the actual counterpart of XTE
J1908+094, its infrared flux could be significantly contaminated by
the accretion disk.  In this case, the derived upper limits show
that the source is a low-mass system with a companion star of
spectral type later than A.  Further photometric observations are
encouraged to search for variability of this source."


XTE J0929-314
     D. K. Galloway, E. H. Morgan, R. A. Remillard, and D.
Chakrabarty, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, write:
"Observations of the recently discovered 185-Hz accreting
millisecond pulsar XTE J0929-314 (cf. IAUC 7888, 7889, 7893, 7895)
with RXTE/PCA on May 9.5 UT indicate that the pulsar is still
active at a flux level of about 20 mCrab (2-10 keV), down from 30
mCrab on May 2.  Orbital Doppler shifts of the pulse frequency were
clearly detected.  Further RXTE observations are scheduled over the
next few days.  Multiwavelength follow-up observations are strongly
encouraged."

                      (C) Copyright 2002 CBAT
2002 May 9                     (7897)            Daniel W. E. Green

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