Circular No. 5169 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only) TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM EASYLINK 62794505 MARSDEN or GREEN@CFA.BITNET MARSDEN or GREEN@CFAPS2.SPAN SUPERNOVA 1991A IN IC 2973 A. V. Filippenko, University of California at Berkeley, communicates: "Fully-calibrated spectra of SN 1991A (cf. IAUC 5155) confirm that the object is a type-Ic supernova, probably within two weeks past maximum brightness. However, a very weak, broad component of H-alpha emission is almost certainly present, suggesting that type-Ic supernovae are related to type-II objects. Careful scrutiny of the two-dimensional CCD spectra reveals that the very strong, narrow H-alpha emission mentioned in IAUC 5155 is actually a hot spot on the detector. Furthermore, in comparison with [O III] 500.7-nm, [O III] 436.3-nm emission is very weak if present at all. Thus, there is no compelling evidence for dense circumstellar material, and the classification of SN 1991A is unlikely to change as it ages. The object is superposed on a relatively compact H II region whose Balmer decrement yields a visual extinction of 0.4 mag. The very small equivalent width of the Na I D absorption line in the spectrum of the SN is consistent with an upper limit of about 0.4 mag for the extinction." PERIODIC COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY 1 (1990o) Extension to the ephemeris on IAUC 5143, from orbital elements on MPC 17595: 1991 ET R.A. (1950) Decl. Delta r m1 Jan. 24 2 27.47 +25 19.8 1.734 2.132 15.0 Feb. 3 2 41.74 +27 18.4 13 2 57.12 +29 03.8 2.113 2.287 15.7 23 3 13.41 +30 37.5 Mar. 5 3 30.42 +32 00.8 2.503 2.446 16.4 15 3 48.01 +33 14.3 25 4 06.05 +34 18.6 2.891 2.607 17.0 Apr. 4 4 24.40 +35 14.1 14 4 42.97 +36 01.1 3.264 2.768 17.5 24 5 01.65 +36 40.0 May 4 5 20.34 +37 11.1 3.608 2.929 18.0 14 5 38.95 +37 35.0 24 5 57.39 +37 52.1 3.914 3.089 18.4 1991 January 18 (5169) Daniel W. E. Green
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