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Special Notice #283: Supernova 2012cg IN NGC 4424 = PSN J12271283+0925132

May 23, 2012: IAU Central Bureau Electronic Telegram 3111 (Daniel W. E. Green, ed.) announces the LOSS discovery (reported by M. Kandrashoff, S. B. Cenko, W. Li, and A. V. Filippenko) of a supernova in NGC 4424 on 2012 May 17.22 at unfiltered magnitude 16.9.

Spectra indicating the object to be a Type Ia supernova discovered about two weeks before maximum were obtained by:

Spring 2012 Director's Report to be broadcast online!

Join us on Wednesday, May 23rd at approximately 7:15pm Pacific/10:15pm Eastern/2:15 UT for Arne Henden's Director's Report.  On the heels of the very successful "Astro-April" series of webinar broadcasts for the Citizen Sky celebration and as part of the Spring 2012 Meeting being held jointly with SAS in Big Bear, California we are using GoToWebinar to broadcast Arne's talk.

Click here any time between now and the talk to register for the broadcast. (Mac or Windows)

Special Notice #282: Apparent fading of V854 Cen

May 21, 2012: The R CrB star V854 Cen appears to be fading from maximum, according to recent observations reported to the AAVSO:

2012 May 17.1313 UT, 7.2 (B. Cudnik, Houston, TX);
17.380, 7.4 (P. Williams, Heathcote, NSW, Australia);
17.5069, 7.3 (D. Leys, Warrimoo, NSW, Australia);
17.5181, 7.4 (A. Plummer, Linden, NSW, Australia);
18.2125, 7.4 (Cudnik);
18.4917, 7.4 (Plummer);
19.1458, 7.5 (Cudnik);
19.3264, 7.35 (M. Linnolt, Ocean View, HI);

Special Notice #281: Revised timetable for AE Aqr MAGIC observations

15 May 2012: Dr. Christopher Mauche, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has informed us that the timetable of MAGIC telescope  observations of the intermediate polar cataclysmic variable AE Aqr announced in AAVSO Alert Notice 458 has been revised. Here is the revised timetable for the dates in May and early June:

2012 May
16, 3:30 - 4:49 UT
17, 3:21 - 4:49
18, 3:17 - 4:49
19, 3:13 - 4:47
20, 3:09 - 3:53
21, 3:06 - 3:49
22, 3:02 - 3:45