THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR OBSERVERS 25 Birch Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Tel. 617-354-0484 Fax 617-354-0665 INTERNET: aavso@aavso.org * * * AAVSO NEWS FLASH * * * Subject: SN 1998bp, HP Nor, VZ Pyx, TW Vir No. 293 May 1, 1998 ____________________________________________________________________________ SUPERNOVA 1998bp IN NGC 6495 We have been informed by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (IAU Circular 6890) of the discovery by Mark Armstrong, England, of a supernova in NGC 6495. Unfiltered CCD images taken as part of the U. K. Nova/Supernova Patrol on April 29 showed the supernova at magnitude 14.8. The supernova is located at: R.A. = 17h 54m 50.72s Decl. = +18 degrees 19' 50.2" (equinox 2000.0) which is about 1" west and 13" north of the nucleus of NGC 6495. For more information on this discovery please see AAVSO Alert Notice 248. This Alert Notice and a chart for SN 1998bp are available from our FTP site: ftp.aavso.org (198.116.78.2), in /pub/alerts/alert248/ This information may also be accessed through our Web site at the following address: http://www.aavso.org We congratulate Mark Armstrong on his most recent discovery! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- HP NORMAE The dwarf nova type (Z Cam subclass) cataclysmic variable HP Nor appears to be in outburst, as indicated by the following observations: AAVSO Observer UT Mag. Initials APR 28.5722 <14.5 SRX APR 30.3889 13.0 SRX ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VZ PYXIDIS The dwarf nova type (SU UMa subclass) cataclysmic variable VZ Pyx is in outburst, as indicated by the following observations: AAVSO Observer AAVSO Observer UT Mag. Initials UT Mag. Initials APR 28.5576 <15.0 SRX APR 30.3826 12.6 SRX APR 28.70 <13.8 MLF APR 30.4236 12.4 SRX APR 29.735 12.4 MLF APR 30.722 12.6 MLF APR 29.835 12.4 MLF ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TW VIRGINIS The dwarf nova type cataclysmic variable TW Vir is in outburst, as indicated by the following observations: AAVSO Observer AAVSO Observer UT Mag. Initials UT Mag. Initials APR 28.1215 14.6 TSC APR 30.4403 13.5 SRX APR 28.1640 14.89 CCDV ZRE MAY 01.0736 13.4 TSC APR 28.5618 14.9 SRX MAY 01.1900 13.77 CCDV ZRE APR 29.1810 14.41 CCDV ZRE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- We thank the following contributors for the data that they have provided for this News Flash: MLF - B. Monard, South Africa SRX - R. Stubbings, Australia TSC - S. Tracy, USA ZRE - R. Zissell, USA Please monitor these and other variable stars closely and phone-in, fax, or e-mail your observations to the AAVSO. Good observing! Rebecca Pellock, Technical Assistant on behalf of Janet A. Mattei, Director ____________________________________________________________________________ Symbols may include: < = fainter than magnitude given (variable not seen) : = uncertain CCDV = Charge-coupled device with (V) filter If you would like to contribute to AAVSO NEWS FLASH, please send observations of unusual variable star activity to: observations@aavso.org Those who wish to subscribe (free of charge) or unsubscribe to NEWS FLASH may do so by sending a message to: observations@aavso.org If you would like data from the AAVSO International Database for research purposes, please send your request to: Janet Mattei, AAVSO Director, at aavso@aavso.org We look forward to including your observations in future editions of AAVSO NEWS FLASH! ___________________________________________________________________________