THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 409 1990 May 5 15.30UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP, England. Telephone: (0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 Telex: 94082518 Answerback: TAGUY Microlink: MAG60138 JANET:GMH @ UK.AC.CAM.ASTRONOMY.STARLINK or GUYH@UK.AC.SUSSEX.CLUSTER --------------------------------------------------------------------- V3890 SAGITTARII R. M. Wagner and R. Bertram, Ohio State University; and S. G. Starrfield, Arizona State University, report: "Optical spectra obtained of V3890 Sgr on May 2.38 UT, using the OSU CCD spectrograph (range 597.5-713.0 nm, resolution 0.2 nm) on the Perkins 1.8-m telescope at the Lowell Observatory, show strong and broad emission lines of H-alpha, He I (667.8, 706.5 nm), and numerous weaker features. [Fe VII] at 608.5 nm is present. He I at 706.5 nm exhibits a weak P-Cyg profile. The FWHM and FWZI of H-alpha emission are 2140 and 8600 km/s, respectively. The interstellar line at 628.4 nm is present with an equivalent width of about 0.1 nm. The spectrum is very similar to that of the recurrent nova V745 Sco (IAUC 4822, 4825, 4826) early in its 1989 outburst. A spectrum of V3890 Sgr in quiescence is presented by Williams (1983, Ap.J. Suppl. 53, 523)." IAUC 5006 Recent estimates reported to TA: 1990 Apr 28.72UT, 8.6 (A.Jones, New Zealand); 29.85, 9.1 (A.Pearce, Australia); May 1.85, 9.4 (Pearce); 3.063UT, 10.1 (S.Korth, (West Germany); 4.060, 9.9 (Korth). SUPERNOVA 1990I IN NGC 4650A O. Pizarro, J. Miranda, and L. Pasquini, European Southern Observatory; and B. Leibundgut, Center for Astrophysics, report their discovery of a supernova in NGC 4650A (R.A. = 12h42m05s, Decl. = -40 26'.5, equinox 1950.0); the object is located 14" east and 47" south of the galaxy nucleus, and was found on an ESO Schmidt B plate taken on Apr. 27.1 UT. Pasquini, B. Jarvis (ESO), and Leibundgut report that a spectrum (spectral range 540-920 nm) of SN 1990I obtained on Apr. 30.1 by J. P. Sivan, Marseille, with the ESO 1.5-m Spectroscopic Telescope resembles a type-Ia supernova 5-6 weeks past maximum. CCD photometry on Apr. 29.3 by V. Burwitz, Berlin, with the 2.2-m telescope shows the supernova at mb = 16.7 and mv = 15.6. The object is in or superimposed on the polar ring of this well-known ring galaxy (Whitmore et al. 1987, Ap.J. 314, 439). IAUC 5003 HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE Patrick Schmeer, West Germany, reports that he observed this object on May 2 at 02.58.40UT using 20x80B and estimated it at magnitude 5. V795 CYGNI Further estimates by Schmeer: Apr 22.04,13.0; 26.08,13.5; 29.07,14.1 Guy M Hurst