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Circular No. 8265 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions) CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science) URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html ISSN 0081-0304 Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only) SUPERNOVA 2004A IN NGC 6207 S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, reports the discovery by K. Itagaki (Teppo-cho, Yamagata, Japan) of an apparent supernova (mag 15.7) on several 30-second unfiltered CCD frames taken with a 0.28-m f/10 reflector on Jan. 9.84 UT. Itagaki found the new object at mag 15.7 on a confirming image taken on Jan. 10.75. SN 2004A is located at R.A. = 16h43m01s.90, Decl. = +36o50'12".5 (equinox 2000.0), which is approximately 22" west and 17" north of the center of NGC 6207 (noting that the center of the galaxy is very difficult to define). Nothing was visible at this position on Itagaki's CCD frames taken on 2000 Aug. 8, 2002 May 2, and 2003 Feb. 13 (limiting mag 18.5), or on his image from 2003 Dec. 27 (limiting mag 18). Nakano reports that SN 2004A was also observed at mag 15.7 on an unfiltered CCD image taken by R. Kushida (Yatsugatake South Base Observatory, 0.40-m f/10 reflector) on Jan. 9.877; from this image, Y. Kushida measured position end figures 01s.90, 12".3 for the new object. (1089) TAMA R. Behrend, Geneva Observatory; R. Roy, Blauvac, France; C. Rinner, Ottmarsheim, France; P. Antonini, Bedoin, France; P. Pravec, Ondrejov Observatory; A. W. Harris, Space Science Institute; S. Sposetti, Gnosca, Switzerland; R. Durkee, Minneapolis, MN; and A. Klotz, Guitalens, France, report that photometric observations of the minor planet (1089), obtained on five nights between 2003 Dec. 24 and 2004 Jan. 5, strongly suggest that the object is a binary system showing mutual eclipses and/or occultations. The orbital period of the system is 0.6852 +/- 0.0002 day. A regular-appearing lightcurve of amplitude 0.38 mag is synchronized with the eclipse events, indicating that at least one of the two bodies is elongated and rotates synchronously with the orbital motion. The sharp eclipse/occultation events occur at both rotational lightcurve minima and have a duration of about 0.08 day and depth about 0.5 mag, indicating a secondary-to-primary mean-diameter ratio of about 0.7. The first observed event occurred (centered) on 2003 Dec. 26.03 UT. The orbital separation should be about 20 km, center to center, corresponding to a maximum separation observed from earth of about 0".03. Continued photometric monitoring of (1089) is warranted to confirm the binary nature and to derive geometric and orbital parameters of the system as the mutual events evolve. Resolved imaging using adaptive optics or the Hubble Space Telescope could likewise be of high value. (C) Copyright 2004 CBAT 2004 January 10 (8265) Daniel W. E. Green
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