------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 890 1994 Oct 08 15.45UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 INTERNET: GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK or GMH at GXVG.AST.CAM.AC.UK ------------------------------------------------------------------- OJ 287 Mark Kidger, Tenerife, reports that OJ 287 appears to be entering an outburst with V=14.28 on Oct 5/6. David Strange, Worth Maltravers, UK has independently detected a brightening using the 0.50-m reflector and CCD (Starlight Xpress, unfiltered). On 1994 Oct 8.16UT, he estimated it at approximately magnitude 14.4. SUPERNOVA 1994Z IN NGC 87 A. Wassilieff, Palmerston North, New Zealand, reports his CCD discovery of a supernova on Oct. 2.51 UT, about 36" east and 12" south of the nucleus of NGC 87. The object was estimated at mag 14.6 and noted again on Oct. 3.38, and it was not present on a similar image obtained on 1992 Nov. 29. Measurements by G. V. Williams of the faxed image (scale 7".5/mm) yield the position R.A. = 0h18m49s.49, Decl.= -48d54'28".0 (equinox 1950.0). End figures for the galaxy nucleus are 47s.16, 20".3. IAUC 6087 SUPERNOVA 1994aa IN NGC 1320 R. H. McNaught, Anglo-Australian Observatory, reports his discovery of an apparent supernova of mag 17 at R.A. = 3h22m18s.48, Decl. = -3d13'05".7 (equinox 1950.0), 10".1 east and 1".8 north of the center of NGC 1320. The object was detected on a U.K. Schmidt I plate taken by C. P. Cass on Sept. 11 and confirmed on a CCD image taken by McNaught and G. J. Garradd with the Siding Spring Observatory's 1.0-m reflector on Sept. 17. No image appears at the position on a J survey plate taken in 1982. IAUC 6088 PERIODIC COMET HARRINGTON (1994g) J. V. Scotti, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, reports his discovery on Oct. 4 Spacewatch images of two companion nuclei to this comet, separated from each other by 9" and from the principal nucleus (component A) by some 23' in p.a. 245 deg. Given that the position of component A can be defined by T = 1994 Aug. 23.230 and the other elements on MPC 18258, components B and C correspond to T = 1994 Aug. 23.516 and 23.518, respectively. The total magnitudes of components A, B and C are 12.8, 21.3 and 20.2, respectively, and A and C show westward tails 10' and 1' long. IAUC 6089 V344 LYRAE (Q1994/077) Gary Poyner, Birmingham, UK reports an outburst of V344 Lyr, a star on the TA Recurrent Objects Programme. On 1994 Oct 3.863UT mv=14.6 (0.40-m reflector). This was confirmed by an observation from W.Worraker of Oct 3.974UT when he reported it at mv=14.2. BZ UMA Patrick Schmeer, Bischmisheim, Germany has e-mailed us a report that he has detected an outburst of BZ UMa, also on the TA Recurrent Objects Programme. His estimates are: 1994 Oct 7.076UT, [13.9; 7.966, 11.4.(0.20-m T) Confirmed by Gary Poyner, Birmingham, UK: Oct 7.979UT, 11.3. Guy M Hurst