Circular No. 3092 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 PERIODIC COMET ENCKE The following positions have been reported: 1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1 Observer July 14.78681 5 39.27 +29 27.1 13 Seki 20.45972 6 16 28.62 +29 05 54.7 Giclas T. Seki (Geisei). Comet image very diffuse, no tail. H. L. Giclas (Lowell Observatory). Measurer: M. L. Kantz. The indicated correction to the ephemeris on IAUC 3072 is Delta-T = +0d.013. PERIODIC COMET TEMPEL 1 (1977i) The following precise position was obtained by R. E. McCrosky and C.-Y. Shao at Harvard Observatory's Agassiz Station: 1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. June 16.10693 9 10 05.32 +25 13 14.7 PERIODIC COMET TEMPEL 2 (1977d) The following precise position was measured by J. H. Bulger on an exposure by Shao at Harvard Observatory's Agassiz Station: 1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. Apr. 17.26939 12 18 02.74 +16 08 10.8 PERIODIC COMET GRIGG-SKJELLERUP (1977b) Further precise positions have been reported as follows: 1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1 Observer Apr. 16.35716 20 16 54.16 - 9 27 45.9 Shao 16.78507 20 17 41.82 - 8 36 30.5 Suzuki 16.78854 20 17 42.22 - 8 36 01.2 " 20.77986 20 24 20.79 - 1 24 39.6 " 20.78507 20 24 20.93 - 1 24 07.0 " 28.77535 20 34 18.06 + 9 27 44.7 " 28.78750 20 34 18.52 + 9 28 29.5 " May 13.99551 20 44 41.23 +22 03 20.8 15 Dykes 17.34044 20 45 35.47 +23 57 22.6 Shao 20.02352 20 45 58.24 +25 18 59.6 16.3 Griffiths C.-Y. Shao (Harvard College Observatory, Agassiz Station). 155-cm reflector. Measurer: J. H. Bulger. K. Suzuki (JCPM Oi Station). 21-cm f/5 reflector. Measurer: T. Urata. From Nihondaira Obs. Circ. Nos. 857 and 859. M. R. Dykes and A. Griffiths (Woolston Observatory). Measurer: R. L. Waterfield. Small, fairly well condensed coma on May 20. Although little or no meteor activity from P/Grigg-Skjellerup was apparent to observers in the northern hemisphere (cf. IAUC 3069), reports received from M. Buhagiar, Perth Observatory, and indirectly via K. Simmons, Jacksonville, Florida, show that a significant shower was observed in Australia and New Zealand, peaking around Apr. 23.5-23.6 UT. Several observers remarked that many of the meteors were very bright (a few were of magnitude -3 to -4), and the zenith hourly rate could have been as high as 40. A few related meteors seem to have been observed on Apr. 22 and 24. COMET SCHUSTER (1975 II) The following precise positions have been measured by R. M. West from exposures by H.-E. Schuster with the 100-cm Schmidt telescope at the European Southern Observatory: 1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. Feb. 18.16590 9 01 55.54 -50 49 57.2 May 13.00995 8 14 05.31 -43 32 05.8 MXB0512-40 G. Clark and F. Li, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, report that SAS 3 has recorded an x-ray burst from a high-latitude source located in a 2-square-degree region that includes the globular cluster NGC 1851. The burst had a conventional form (risetime < 0s.4, duration ~10s) and a peak flux equal to about 0.2 Crab. They believe that the source is identical with the variable x-ray source in NGC 1851 (cf. IAUC 2735) and with the source of a burst found in Uhuru data (Forman et al. 1976, Astrophys. J. 207, L177). FG SAGITTAE I. Kupo, Wise Observatory, communicates the following photometric observations, obtained on June 5: V = 8.80 +/- 0.01, B-V = +1.31 +/- 0.02; U-B = +0.28 +/- 0.02. It appears that the rate of change of B-V has now changed sign (cf. IAUC 2985). Spectroscopic observations carried out at the Wise Observatory in 1976 showed an irregular weakening of the Ca II H and K lines. The complete disappearance of these lines on one occasion was associated with a strong increase in intensity in the blue and near-ultraviolet, suggesting that the change in B-V is not a completely systematic effect. 1977 July 25 (3092) Brian G. Marsden
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