THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 411 1990 May 13 17.40UT 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 (cf E408,409) E. P. Belserene, Maria Mitchell Observatory, reports the following measurement of Nova Sgr 1962 = V3890 Sgr from a plate exposed 1962 June 3.2 UT (cf. Dinerstein and Hoffleit 1973, IBVS 845): R.A. = 18h27m39s.97, Decl. = -24 03'15".9 (equinox 1950.0; estimated uncertainty +/- 2" in each coordinate). This suggests that the star(s) measured by Duerbeck (1987, Space Sci. Rev. 45, 123) and by Williams (1983, Ap.J. Suppl. 53, 523) is (are) not V3890 Sgr. This agrees with remarks by several observers (including Kato et al., below) that the object now in outburst lies southwest of the Duerbeck and Williams positions. T. Kato, T. Djamaluddin, R. Hirata, and M. Saito, Kyoto University, report: "We observed V3890 Sgr with the CCD camera attached to the Ouda 0.60-m reflector on Apr. 30.8 UT, and obtained V about 9.3. The position of the present nova coincides with a mag 17 star on the POSS O plate located 6" west and 10" south of the Williams (ibid.) candidate. The magnitude on Duerbeck's SERC-J finding chart is about 14, suggesting an unreported outburst." A. F. Jones, Stoke, New Zealand, writes that he has monitored this object since 1988 Jan., but failed to detect the star on 61 nights prior to its current outburst (cf. IAUC 5002). Further visual magnitude estimates: Apr. 20.68 UT, [13: (Jones); May 3.18, 9.8 (A. Pereira, Linda-a-Velha, Portugal); 4.18, 9.9 (Pereira); 5.17, 10.3 (Pereira); 5.89, 9.7 (A. Pearce, Scarborough, W.A.); 6.17, 9.7 (Pereira); 6.87, 9.8 (Pearce); 7.11, 9.0 (A. Boattini, Monte Senario, Italy). IAUC 5007 LILLER'S VARIABLE IN SAGITTARIUS (cf E392) R. M. Wagner, Ohio State University; S. G. Starrfield and S.Austin, Arizona State University, report: "Optical spectra of Liller's nova candidate (IAUC 4974, 4978) were obtained on May 6.42 UT using the CCD spectrograph (range 450.0-710.0 nm, resolution 1.0 nm) on the Perkins 1.8-m telescope at the Lowell Observatory. These spectra show emission lines of H-alpha, H-beta, He I (706.5, 667.8, 587.6 nm), He II 468.6 nm, and the C III/N III blend at 464.0-465.0 nm. The FWHM of H-alpha emission is about 400 km/s. The interstellar lines at 628.4 nm and Na D 589.6-nm are also present. Forbidden lines characteristic of a classical nova are not present. These observations suggest that this object is probably a dwarf nova that has an unusually fast and large amplitude outburst, such as WZ Sge." IAUC 5008 Guy M Hurst