THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 433 1990 July 26 18.10UT 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL ABSENCE The editor will be away and not contactable from today until Aug 8. During that time the e-circulars service will be maintained by Denis Buczynski. The magazine (August issue) will be prepared by Martin Mobberley and the paper circulars issued by Peter Birtwhistle. E-mail normally sent to the Editor should still be sent to the normal MICROLINK box which will be monitored by Denis. For JANET messages please send to either box as detailed in the header but IN ADDITION send carbon copies to Martin Mobberley at his new mailbox: MAFA2 @ UK.AC.SUSSEX.CLUSTER which will be monitored daily. Possible discoveries should be telephoned to one of the team detailed on the first page of TA. 1990 OA B. Roman and E. Helin report their discovery of a fast-moving asteroidal object, and the following selected positions are available: 1990 UT R.A. (1950) Decl. Mag. Observer July 19.37031 20 36 54.47 -11 31 18.0 15.5 Helin 19.40226 20 36 56.73 -11 32 16.8 " 20.35330 20 38 15.06 -12 01 02.2 " Preliminary orbital elements by B. G. Marsden, Center for Astrophysics, from the above observations: T = 1990 June 29.281 ET Peri. = 153.155 e = 0.42690 Node = 128.340 1950.0 q = 1.24820 AU Incl. = 7.919 a = 2.17798 AU n = 0.306637 P = 3.21 years 1990 ET R.A. (1950) Decl. Delta r V July 18 20 35.00 -10 49.6 0.254 1.262 15.7 23 20 41.72 -13 20.7 28 20 47.80 -15 49.4 0.267 1.281 15.5 Aug. 2 20 53.32 -18 09.6 7 20 58.40 -20 16.5 0.293 1.306 15.7 12 21 03.14 -22 06.9 17 21 07.65 -23 39.2 0.332 1.338 16.3 IAUC 5056 SUPERNOVA 1990S IN MCG -05-29-006 M. Hamuy, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory; and J. Maza, Astronomy Department, University of Chile, report: "Roberto Antezana has discovered a supernova 7" west and 5" north of the nucleus of the spiral galaxy MCG -05-29-006 (ESO 440-G48). The supernova (estimated magnitude B = 15.5) was found on a 15-min 103a-O plate taken by Hamuy and L. Wells with the Curtis Schmidt telescope on July 22.046 UT. The SN is at R.A. = 12h02m58s.6, Decl. = -29 52'58" (equinox 1950.0). IAUC 5058 UX ANTLIAE Observations by E. R. Minniti, Sante Fe, Argentina, telexed by L. A. Milone, Observatorio Astronomico, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, indicate that this suspected R CrB-type variable is fading. Visual magnitude estimates by Minniti unless otherwise noted: May 21.0 UT, 11.2; June 9.0, 11.4; 16.0, 11.6; 19.0, 11.7; July 11.0, [12.7; 19.0, [13.0; 22.0, 14.0: (S. Paolantonio, Cordoba Observatory). Monitoring by Minniti since 1975 has revealed no brightness variations > 0.1-0.2 mag (normal mv = 11.3). IAUC 5058 Guy M Hurst