Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams

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IAUC 8143: 1999 RZ_253; 2003fb, 2003fc

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                                                  Circular No. 8143
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)


1999 RZ_253
     K. S. Noll and D. C. Stephens, Space Telescope Science
Institute, report the detection, with the Hubble Space Telescope (+
camera 2 of the Near-Infrared Camera Multi-Object Spectrometer) on
Apr. 23.101-23.181 UT, of a binary companion to the transneptunian
object 1999 RZ_253 (cf. MPEC 2000-O12, 2000-O18; MPO 13608), during
an ongoing observing program that includes team members D.
Cruikshank, W. Grundy, W. Romanishin, and S. Tegler.   The images
were obtained through the F110W and F160W filters, with one
exposure per filter at each of two dithered positions on the
detector, giving two exposures in each filter.   Two components are
clearly resolved in each image, separated by an angular distance of
0".21 +/- 0".02 at a position angle of 116 +/- 4 deg.  The
spacecraft tracked the motion of 1999 RZ_253 as it moved > 4".5;
the relative position of the two components remained the same
during that time.  As 1999 RZ_253 was then 41.55 AU from the earth,
the projected separation of the objects in the plane of the sky is
6300 +/- 600 km.  Earlier observations of this object on 2001 Nov.
9 and 12 with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph show
ambiguous evidence for the binary.  The images taken on Nov. 9 show
inconclusive evidence of a possible unresolved binary at a position
angle of 15 +/- 15 deg, while those from Nov. 12 do not show
evidence for a second object (the separation of the components on
both dates being < 0".1).


SUPERNOVAE 2003fb AND 2003fc
     M. Papenkova and W. Li report the LOTOSS/KAIT discovery of two
additional apparent supernovae (cf. IAUC 8141):

SN      2003 UT       R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.  Mag.      Offset
2003fb  June 5.5   20 11 50.33  + 5 45 37.6  18.6  14".5 E, 12".6 S
2003fc  June 5.5   20 08 22.08  -17 36 30.5  18.4  2".2 W, 7".4 N

Additional magnitudes:  SN 2003fb in UGC 11522, 2002 Nov. 13.3 UT,
[19.0; 2003 June 6.4, 18.6.  SN 2003fc, 2002 Oct. 20.3, [19.0; 2003
June 6.4, 18.3.  B. Schmidt and M. Salvo, Research School of
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University (ANU);
and A. Ford, Monash University, report that a low-signal-to-noise-
ratio spectrum (range 350-900 nm) of SN 2003fb, obtained on June
6.7 UT with the ANU 2.3-m telescope (+ DBS spectrograph), shows it
to be a type-II supernova, based on the presence of a developed
H_alpha P-Cyg line.

                      (C) Copyright 2003 CBAT
2003 June 6                    (8143)            Daniel W. E. Green

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