Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3272: 1978l; N Cyg 1978
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Circular No. 3272
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM Telephone 617-864-5758
COMET MACHHOLZ (1978l)
M. P. Candy, Perth Observatory, provides the following parabolic
elements and ephemeris, satisfying more than three observations
over a 4-day arc with residuals exceeding 5":
T = 1978 Aug. 25.359 ET Peri. = 233.21
Node = 292.18 1950.0
q = 1.7890 AU Incl. = 131.60
1978 ET R. A. (1950) Decl. Delta r m1
Sept.19 6 34.17 -23 50.2 1.717 1.817 10.8
24 6 28.48 -28 29.6
29 6 20.60 -33 34.0 1.574 1.843 10.6
Oct. 4 6 09.79 -38 59.2
9 5 55.00 -44 37.2 1.483 1.878 10.6
m1 = 7.0 + 5 log Delta + 10 log r
An additional decimal place in R.A. and Decl. and also the magnitude have
been added at the Central Bureau.
D. E. Machholz, Los Gatos, California, provides the following
additional total visual magnitude estimate, difficult to make in
the moonlight: Sept. 19.51 UT, 10.5 (25-cm reflector, 36 x).
NOVA CYGNI 1978
H. W. Duerbeck, Hoher List Observatory, reports that the field
of the nova was photographed on 14 nights between July 25 and Aug.
26 by U. Hopp, M. Kiehi, R. Lukas, S. Witzigmann and M. T. Larimie
with the 30-cm f/5 astrograph. No image of the nova was found, and
on Aug. 26.863 UT the nova was therefore fainter than magnitude 17.
T. B. Ake, H. Lanning and S. W. Mochnacki, Hale Observatories,
report that results from Sept. 12-14 UT with the coude vari-reticon
on the 250-cm telescope indicate that the nova is a moderately slow
one observed just after maximum light. On Sept. 12.3 the Balmer,
Fe II and Ca II lines exhibit single, diffuse absorption features
at a heliocentric velocity of -620 km/s and weak, broad emission at
-85 km/s. The following nights show increasing emission, and by
Sept. 14.2 emission at H-alpha had nearly obliterated its absorption
component. Equivalent-width measures of the interstellar K and D2
lines yield a distance of 1.3 +/- 0.3 kpc and suggest E(B-V) = 0.6,
giving MV = -6.2 +/- 0.5 at maximum light.
1978 September 21 (3272) Brian G. Marsden
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