Circular No. 5404
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
 
 
SUPERNOVA 1991bi IN NGC 5127
     Christian Pollas, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, reports his
discovery, on Schmidt plates taken Dec. 13.2 and 14.2 UT, of a sup-
ernova (magnitude Bj = 18.5) located 13" west and 6" south of the
center of the elliptical galaxy NGC 5127 (R.A. = 13h21m.44, Decl. =
+31 49'.6, equinox 1950.0).  Nothing appears at the position of the
supernova either on similar plates taken two years ago or on the
Palomar Sky Survey images.
     A. V. Filippenko, T. Matheson, M. Cyrot, and A. Hammond, Uni-
versity of California at Berkeley, report that inspection of uncali-
brated CCD spectra (range 390-990 nm, resolution 1 nm), obtained on
Dec. 14 UT with the Shane 3-m reflector at Lick Observatory, shows
that the object is a type-Ia supernova, probably a few weeks past
maximum brightness.
 
SUPERNOVA 1991bf IN ESO 471-G30
   A. V. Filippenko and T. Matheson, University of California at
Berkeley, report that inspection of an uncalibrated CCD spectrogram
(range 390-710 nm, resolution 1 nm), obtained on Dec. 14 UT with the
Shane 3-m reflector at Lick Observatory, shows that SN 1991bf (cf.
IAUC 5389) is of type Ia, probably about 1 month past maximum
brightness.
 
SUPERNOVA 1991bh IN ANONYMOUS GALAXY
     Filippenko and Matheson also report that a spectrum of SN
1991bh (cf. IAUC 5401), obtained with the same equipment as above,
shows that SN 1991bh is of type Ia, several weeks past maximum
brightness.
 
PERIODIC COMET SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN 1
     H. Mikuz, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, reports that a 1-min exposure
with a 0.19-m f/4 flat field camera (+ CCD) taken on Dec. 11.853 UT
shows a starlike central condensation of diameter 40" and a round
delicate coma extending out to about 6'.
     Total visual magnitude estimates (cf. IAUC 5349, 5396):  Dec.
5.21 UT, 12.6 (A. Hale, Las Cruces, NM, 0.41-m reflector); 5.77,
13.4 (S. Garro, Merlette, France, 0.20-m reflector); 5.85, 13.7
(Mikuz, 0.36-m reflector); 6.22, 12.7 (Hale); 6.80, 13.6 (Garro);
9.83, 14.0 (Mikuz); 11.87, 13.2 (Mikuz).
 
 
1991 December 14                                  Daniel W. E. Green