Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 6525: 1996cc; GRS 1915+105
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 6526
.dvi or
.ps format.
Circular No. 6525
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)
BMARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or DGREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)
SUPERNOVA 1996cc IN NGC 5673
S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by Shunji
Sasaki, Hasaki-machi, Ibaraki-ken, of an apparent supernova (mpg =
15) on two 4-min T-Max 400 films taken on Dec. 19.769 and 19.773 UT
with a 0.20-m f/4.8 reflector. Sasaki reports the new star as
being about 20" northwest of the center of NGC 5673, noting that a
brighter foreground star (mag 12.5) is located about 40" northwest
of the galaxy's nucleus. Sasaki's patrol films in 1996 show no
star at the location of SN 1996cc. R. Kushida, Yatsugatake South
Base Observatory, confirms the presence of SN 1996cc (at mag 14.9)
on an unfiltered CCD frame taken on Dec. 20.733; nothing was
present at this location on a similar frame taken on 1996 May 25.
Y. Kushida provides the following measurement of SN 1996cc from the
Dec. 20 exposure: R.A. = 14h31m28s.45, Decl. = +49o57'43".8
(equinox 2000.0), which is 25" west and 14" north of the galaxy's
center. A star of mag 15 is located at position end figures 30s.0,
35".
GRS 1915+105
C. R. Robinson, B. A. Harmon, W. S. Paciesas, K. J. Deal, S.
N. Zhang, M. L. McCollough, and C. A. Wilson, for the Compton
Observatory BATSE Team; E. B. Waltman, Naval Research Laboratory;
and E. Morgan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, report: "The
galactic superluminal jet source GRS 1915+105 has reached the
highest flux levels detected in prior outbursts from BATSE, for
data averaged over one day. Previously, three strong outbursts
were observed, with peaks averaging around 350 mCrab (20-100 keV)
and characterized by a power law with photon index between -3.0 and
-2.5. This latest hard x-ray outburst has lasted 8 months, rising
slower to its peak flux than the other outbursts and exhibiting,
until recently, a spectrum steeper than -3.0. Starting around Nov.
24, the source has remained above 350 mCrab, reaching at times 500
mCrab. The spectrum is now harder, with an index of -2.82 +/- 0.04.
During this same interval, the RXTE/ASM data (2-10 keV) show
average countrates and variability at around their lowest levels
thus far detected from this source. Public-domain data from the
NSF-NRAO-NASA Green Bank Interferometer, however, reveal the source
to be flaring during this interval of high, hard x-ray flux. The
largest flare was detected on Dec. 6 at a flux level of nearly 150
mJy (2.25 GHz). Additional observations of this source are
encouraged."
(C) Copyright 1996 CBAT
1996 December 21 (6525) Daniel W. E. Green
Read IAUC 6526
.dvi or
.ps format.
Our Web policy. Index to the CBAT/MPC/ICQ pages.
