Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3023: N Vul 1976; Poss. OPTICAL COUNTERPART FOR LMC X-4; 1976 UA; 1976 WA; 1976k
The following International Astronomical Union Circular may be linked-to from your own Web pages, but must not otherwise be redistributed (see these notes on the conditions under which circulars are made available on our WWW site).
Read IAUC 3024
Circular No. 3023
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Cable Address: SATELLITES, NEWYORK Telex: 921428
Telephone: (617) 864-5758
NOVA VULPECULAE 1976
E. P. Ney, J. Stoddart and R. Hubbard, O'Brien Observatory,
University of Minnesota, write: "Between Nov. 28.0 and Dec. 23.9 UT
the nova underwent an extreme change in the infrared. On Nov. 28.0
the energy spectrum between 1.2 and 12 um had the free-free slope
and a brightness of 10 +/- 2 f.u. On Dec. 23.9 the infrared energy
distribution resembled a black body of temperature 1100 K. The
bolometric magnitude was nearly the same as in late October, but the
wavelength of maximum energy emission had changed to 3.5 um.
Apparently a dust shell has condensed, but there is no evidence of a
silicate feature in emission or absorption. Magnitudes, including
some on Dec. 26.8 that confirm the trend, are as follows:
1976 UT 1.2 um 1.6 um 2.2 um 3.6 um 4.8 um 8.5 um 10.6 um 12.5 um 18 um
Nov. 28.0 5.0 4.6 4.5 3.7 3.0 2.0 1.3
Dec. 23.9 5.5 4.5 2.8 1.1 0.3 -0.3 -0.5 -0.6
26.8 2.6 0.6 -0.4 -0.9 -1.2 -1.4 -1.7
P. Pinto, Observatorio Astronomico, Universidade do Porto,
provides the following photovisual magnitudes: Nov. 13.896 UT, 7.6 +/-
0.1; 17.795, 7.2 +/- 0.1; 19.799, 7.6 +/- 0.1; Dec. 10.772, 8.3 +/- 0.1.
POSSIBLE OPTICAL COUNTERPART FOR LMC X-4
P. Pesch, Warner and Swasey Observatory, communicates: "N.
Sanduleak and A. G. D. Philip report that on very deep objective-prism
plates taken with the Curtis Schmidt telescope at Cerro
Tololo Interamerican Observatory they can confirm that the optical
candidate for LMC X-4 (IAUC 3017) has a composite spectrum of OB +
M1. However, the same plates show that there is another OB star,
also of photographic magnitude about 14 and about 25" directly
southeast of the composite star; it is even closer to the x-ray
position and should also be considered as an optical candidate."
1976 UA
Further precise positions have been reported as follows:
1976 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. Mag. Observer
Oct. 25.79311 0 02 40.86 + 1 02 46.7 13-14 Chernykh
26.82880 0 06 21.59 - 0 33 20.6 13-14 Smirnova
27.81692 0 09 01.77 - 1 39 38.2 13-14 Zhuravleva
28.41668 0 10 25.82 - 2 10 46.2 Tomita
28.42084 0 10 26.19 - 2 10 58.3 "
N. S. Chernykh, T. M. Smirnova and L. V. Zhuravleva (Crimean Astrophysical
Observatory). The note about an independent discovery
(IAUC 3008) refers to the Oct. 25 observation, not that of Oct.
30. Reduced at I.T.A., Leningrad. Communicated by G. Kastel'.
K. Tomita (Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, Okayama Station). 188-cm
reflector.
1976 WA
R. M. West, European Southern Observatory, provides further
measurements from plates taken by H.-E. Schuster at La Silla:
1976 UT R. A. (1950) Decl.
Nov. 30.20081 2 11 35.65 -35 01 24.3
30.20635 2 11 35.94 -35 01 13.8
Dec. 3.12405 2 13 56.48 -33 35 48.1
E. Roemer, University of Arizona, reports that observations on
Dec. 27 showed the object at magnitude 18.6. Exposures on Dec. 24
failed to show the object (i.e., it was fainter than magnitude 17.5).
COMET LOVAS (1976k)
T. Seki, Kochi Observatory, Geisei Station, provides the
following precise positions, some of them improvements of earlier
measurements (cf. IAUC 3013, 3016 and 3018):
1976 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1
Nov. 23.72361 9 20 21.58 +72 12 41.6
29.75486 9 11 25.92 +72 36 42.3
Dec. 3.83889 9 04 15.80 +72 51 41.6
14.60764 8 41 16.58 +73 21 14.1
14.63333 8 41 13.57 +73 21 19.8
16.62847 8 36 20.97 +73 24 37.7
20.67917 8 25 58.97 +73 28 53.2 18
The following parabolic elements, by the undersigned, satisfy
nine observations Nov. 22 to Dec. 20 within 2":
T = 1976 July 4.755 ET Peri. = 118.612
Node = 285.455 1950.0
q = 5.84532 AU Incl. = 86.508
1976 December 30 (3023) Brian G. Marsden
Read IAUC 3024
Our Web policy. Index to the CBAT/MPC/ICQ pages.
