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IAUC 3100: Poss. COMET; A0538-66; 1963 UA

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3100
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


POSSIBLE COMET
     A cablegram received from D. Ya. Martynov, Sternberg Astronomical
Institute, reports that N. S. Chernykh, Crimean Astrophysical
Observatory, has observed a possible comet, as follows:

      1977 UT         R. A. (1950) Decl.    m1
      Aug. 19.02412   0 20.4     - 3 08     14
           22.03410   0 20.2      -3 20     14

The object is diffuse, with condensation or nucleus, nothing reported
about a tail.


A0538-66
     N. E. White and P. J. N. Davison, Mullard Space Science Laboratory;
and G. Carpenter, Birmingham University, report: "Ariel 5 observations
of the Large Magellanic Cloud revealed two x-ray outbursts,
on June 30 and July 16, respectively.  The risetime of
these events was one to two hours, and there followed an exponential-like
fall with an e-folding time of eight hours.  The peak luminosity
was about one-sixth that of the Crab (5 x 10**-9 erg cm**-2 s**-1
in the 2-17 keV band), and there was some evidence from the second
outburst for a regular pulsation at about 80 seconds.  The data are
consistent with both events arising from the same source.  The rmc
experiment yields a 90-percent-confidence position of R.A. = 5h39m +/-
4m, Decl. = -66o.9 +/- 0o.2 for the earlier event.  This measurement was
made while the satellite pointing axis was drifting rapidly.  Consequently
an indirect method was required to obtain the position,
and this is reflected in the large uncertainties.  We note that the
above position is only 0o.4 from that of LMC X-4 and that the July
16 outburst occurred during an LMC X-4 eclipse (cf. IAUC 3095)."


1963 UA
     The following precise position has been measured by J. H.
Bulger from a plate taken by G. Schwartz with the 155-cm reflector
at the Harvard College Observatory's Agassiz Station:

     1976 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.
     July 23.29436     0 38 14.56   +19 10 04.5


1977 August 29                 (3100)              Brian G. Marsden

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