Circular No. 5420
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 MUELLER (1991h1)
     On 1991 Dec. 18 Jean Mueller reported her discovery of a probable
comet on a single exposure on Dec. 13 by C. Brewer, D. Mendenhall and
herself with the 1.2-m Oschin telescope in the course of Palomar Sky
Survey II.  The object was diffuse with a possible faint tail to the
southwest.  The discovery has now been confirmed on a film obtained on
Dec. 31 by E. M. Shoemaker, C. S. Shoemaker and D. H. Levy with the
0.46-m Schmidt.   The following measurements are all by Mueller:
 
     1991 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1    Observer
     Dec. 13.48264    9 38 56.16   +42 31 23.9   17.5   Mueller
          13.52778    9 38 53.58   +42 31 53.0            "
          31.35486    8 58 02.50   +47 38 09.3   16     Shoemaker
          31.39444    8 57 52.55   +47 38 58.2            "
 
 
SUPERNOVA 1991bj IN IC 344
     C. Pollas, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, reports his discovery
of a supernova of mag 18.8 in IC 344 (mag 15) on exposures with the
0.9-m Schmidt telescope on 1991 Dec. 30.9 and 31.9 UT.  The object is
at R.A. = 3h39m01s.27, Decl. = -4d49'23".5  (equinox 1950.0),
the offset from the nucleus being 14".0 east, 7".6 north.  A nearby star
of mag 16 is located at R.A. = 3h38m59s.67, Decl. = -4d49'14".8, and one
of mag 17 is at end figures 58.81, 15.2.
     A. V. Filippenko, University of California at Berkeley, reports that
inspection of an uncalibrated CCD spectrum (range 410-730 nm, resolution
1 nm) obtained on 1992 Jan. 1 UT with the Shane 3-m reflector at Lick
Observatory shows that the supernova is probably of type Ia about one
month past maximum brightness.
     E. Cappellaro and M. Della Valle, European Southern Observatory,
report that a spectrum obtained with NTT + EMMI (range 400-1000 nm,
resolution about 2 nm) on Jan. 1.06 UT shows the object to be a
type Ia SN about one month after maximum.  Strong emissions are
measured at 506, 562, 575, 667, 796 and 877 nm.  The galaxy redshift
determined from the emission of the underlying H II region is 5450 km/s.
From a CCD frame the supernova was estimated at V = 18.3.
 
 
1992 January 1                                     Brian G. Marsden