Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 6098: lambda Eri; SATURN; Poss. GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENT
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Circular No. 6098
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM
MARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or GREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
lambda ERIDANI
S. Stefl, Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences,
Ondrejov, communicates: "Two Reticon observations (620.0-672.0 nm)
of the well-known B2e IV star lambda Eri were obtained at the coude
focus of the Ondrejov 2-m telescope on Oct. 19 and 21. They show
extraordinarily strong emission in H-alpha, He I (667.8 nm) and
Si II. H-alpha has a double-peaked emission profile with peak
intensities of 1.37 and 1.38, respectively, of the continuum level.
The bottom of the shell absorption declines to about half that of
the emission, corresponds to a radial velocity of 12 km/s and
shows different asymmetry in two spectra separated by two days.
The violet and red emission wings of He I (667.8 nm) rise 2 percent
above the continuum level. Emission up to 0.5 percent of the
continuum can be recognized also in the Si II 634.3- and 637.1-nm
lines. The last emission activity of the star was observed in
Jan. 1994 (Stefl 1994, Be Star Newsl. No. 28, p. 5). A concentrated
observing effort is desirable, assuming that the new emission
activity persists--like the previous one--only for up to a few
months. A multi-site observing campaign on lambda Eri is scheduled
in the period 1994 Nov. 12-18 (Hirata 1994, ibid. No. 28, p. 11)."
SATURN
J. Lancashire reports his timings (+/- 0.003 day) of the
transit of the white equatorial spot (IAUC 6079, 6092) on Saturn
with the 0.30-m refractor at the University of Cambridge
Observatories, and he notes that these are consistent with a
rotation rate of 10h22m for the spot: p (preceding edge), Oct.
13.842 UT; c (center), 13.851; f (following edge), 13.860;
p, 22.915; c, 22.922; f, 22.932; c, 23.788; f, 13.800; c, 25.944;
f, 25.953. The spot has appeared as bright as the brightest part
of the rings, with the rest of the equatorial zone slightly shaded
and the equatorial belts darker than usual. The spot has shown no
significant change over the past two dozen or so rotations.
B. L. Greiner, East Petersburg, PA, reports his timings for
transits of this white spot: Oct. 16.010 UT; 18.170; 19.035.
POSSIBLE GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENT
Further to his item on IAUC 6097, E. Giraud adds: "The
luminosity of the microlens candidate seems to have reached a
maximum. The magnitude difference between Oct. 18-19 and 20-21 is
only 0.04 +/- 0.08 mag."
1994 October 26 (6098) Gareth V. Williams
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