Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3047: Occns BY URANUS AND (6); 1977c; A1540-53
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Read IAUC 3048
Circular No. 3047
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
OCCULTATIONS BY URANUS AND (6) HEBE
R. Barrow, Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory, has relayed
word from Perth of successful observations by J. L. Elliot in the
southern Indian Ocean of last night's occultation of SAO 158687 by
Uranus. A secondary occultation was also observed, this presumably
being caused by a small body (not Miranda) in orbit about Uranus.
J. Hers reports that heavy rain prevented observations in the
vicinity of Johannesburg.
Preliminary reports reaching D. Dunham, Computer Sciences Corporation,
suggest that the central line of the occultation of gamma Cet
by (6) Hebe passed between 50 and 90 km north of Mexico City. Near
the latter point the event lasted 55, beginning on Mar. 5d02h34m54s
UT. A 2.5s-duration occultation was observed in Mexico City itself.
COMET LOVAS (1977c)
Yamamoto Circ. No. 1847 and Orient. Astron. Assoc. Comet Bull.
No. 144 give the following approximate position by N. Kojima:
1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1
Feb. 24.62396 10 30.6 +34 57 16
The image is diffuse, without a tail, and the position is in good
agreement with the data on IAUC 3042. Subsequently, however, a
report from the Tokyo Observatory casts doubt on the reality of this
image and notes that T. Seki failed to find the comet near the
expected position. Observations are urgently desired.
A1540-53
P. J. N. Davison, University College, London, writes that news
of his discovery of an x-ray pulsator near 3U 1538-52 (cf. IAUC
3039) was contained in a preprint issued in Nov. 1976 (Monthly Notices
Roy. Astron. Soc. in press). The observation was made on
l976 Sept. 6-7, and the period was determined to be 528s.7 +/- 0s.4.
The best estimate of the source's position, R.A. = 15h41m.2, Decl. = -53o.4
(equinox 1950.0), is > 1o from 3U 1538-52, which appeared to be at
an intensity well below that given in the Uhuru catalogue. The
90-percent-confidence box for A1540-53 is a 0o.5 x 0o.2 ellipse, the
major axis being approximately in the direction of 3U 1538-52.
1977 March 11 (3047) Brian G. Marsden
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