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IAUC 8304: 2003 VB_12; C/2001 Q4; 2004an, 2004ao,, 2004at; IRAS 05436-0007

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 8304
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)


2003 VB_12
     A very-slow-moving body reported by M. E. Brown, C. A.
Trujillo, and D. L. Rabinowitz, on CCD images obtained with the
Palomar 1.2-m Schmidt telescope on 2003 Nov. 14, is apparently the
second-largest known transneptunian object (after Pluto), with an
absolute magnitude H = 1.7.  Subsequent observations have been
found on CCD images and sky-survey photographs back to 2001 by
Brown et al., leading to orbital elements (T = 2076, q = 76 AU, Q
approximately 1000 AU, i = 11.9 deg; cf. MPEC 2004-E45).


COMET C/2001 Q4 (NEAT)
     A. Lecacheux, N. Biver, J. Crovisier, and D. Bockelee-Morvan,
Observatoire de Paris, on behalf of the Odin Team, write:  "The
H_2O 110-101 line at 556.936 GHz was observed in comet C/2001 Q4 on
Mar. 6.6 UT with high spectral resolution (80 m/s).  The line
integrated intensity (main beam brightness temperature) was 2.7 +/-
0.1 K km/s over the 2-hr observation.  This corresponds to a
preliminary water-production rate of 1.3 x 10**29 molecules/s,
taking into account opacity effects."
     Visual total-magnitude estimates by A. Pearce, Nedlands, W.
Australia (20x80 binoculars):  Mar. 9.55 UT, 7.5; 10.52, 7.4;
11.52, 7.4; 13.50, 7.3; 15.52, 7.1.


SUPERNOVAE 2004an, 2004ao, AND 2004at
     Further to IAUC 8303, T. Matheson, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner
report that a spectrum of SN 2004an (cf. IAUC 8299), obtained by P.
Berlind on Mar. 14.45 UT, shows it to be a type-II supernova.
Adopting the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database recession velocity of
8979 km/s for the host galaxy, the expansion velocity derived from
the minimum of the H_beta line is 8800 km/s.  A spectrum of SN
2004ao (cf. IAUC 8299), obtained on Mar. 14.53, shows it to be a
type-Ib supernova, similar to SN 1998dt at 8 days past maximum (see
Matheson et al. 2001, A.J. 121, 1648).  A spectrum of SN 2004at
(cf. IAUC 8302), obtained on Mar. 15.53, shows it to be a type-II
supernova.


IRAS 05436-0007
     Corrigendum.  On IAUC 8301, line 9, *for*  Pa_delta  *read*
Pa_beta

                      (C) Copyright 2004 CBAT
2004 March 15                  (8304)            Daniel W. E. Green

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