Circular No. 5394 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only) TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM EASYLINK 62794505 MARSDEN or GREEN@CFA.BITNET MARSDEN or GREEN@CFAPS2.SPAN COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY (1991d1) E. M. and C. S. Shoemaker communicate the following observation by C. Brewer, which is the average of 3 measurements of the trail visible on the Palomar 1.2-m Schmidt plate (cf. IAUC 5389): 1991 UT R.A. (1950) Decl. Nov. 16.36458 3 28 08.24 +43 56 55.0 Following are preliminary parabolic orbital elements from the 4 available observations. This may be a short-period comet. T = 1991 Sept.15.954 ET Peri. = 7.521 Node = 355.115 1950.0 q = 1.23118 AU Incl. = 10.361 1991 ET R.A. (1950) Decl. Delta r m1 Nov. 20 3 27.22 +43 39.2 0.623 1.577 16.9 25 3 26.22 +43 07.3 30 3 25.69 +42 29.1 0.720 1.670 17.5 Dec. 5 3 25.75 +41 46.9 10 3 26.47 +41 02.8 0.835 1.769 18.1 15 3 27.89 +40 18.5 20 3 29.97 +39 35.2 0.969 1.872 18.7 4U 1700-37 G. J. Fishman, B. A. Harmon, B. Rubin, M. H. Finger, R. B. Wilson, W. S. Paciesas, and C. A. Meegan, Marshall Space Flight Cen- ter, NASA, report for the BATSE Experiment Team: "Periods of high x-ray flux (20-160 keV) from the binary system containing the x-ray source 4U 1700-37 and optical companion HD 153919 have been observed from daily monitoring of the source by earth occultation. Count rates in excess of 1.5 Crab, between 20 and 100 keV, were measured from 4U 1700-37 at occultation on the following times: Sept. 21.12287, Sept. 23.87218, Oct. 23.95736, Oct. 25.44441, and Nov. 12.81656 UT. These measurements are evidence of occasional flaring episodes of the source lasting several hours. This behavior was ob- served superimposed on the normal 3.4-day modulation associated with its binary period." 1991 November 25 Daniel W. E. Green