THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR OBSERVERS
25 Birch Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
INTERNET: aavso@aavso.org
Tel. 617-354-0484 FAX 617-354-0665
AAVSO ALERT NOTICE 224 (July 24, 1996)
2327-54 SUPERNOVA 1996al IN NGC 7689
We have been informed by the Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams (IAU Cincular 6437) of the
visual discovery of a supernova in NGC 7689 by Robert Evans and R. Benton, Coonabarabran, New
South Wales, and Samantha Beaman, Pimpama, Queensland, Australia, on July 22.71 UT at magnitude
approximately 14.0, using the Australian National University 1-m telescope at Siding Spring. The
supernova is about 30" north of the center of the galaxy, and does not appear on earlier European
Southern Observatory (ESO) survey films or CCD survey images.
The position of SN 7689 was measured by J. Pogson and S. Ryan, Anglo-Australian Observatory (IAU
Circular 6437) as:
RA = 23h 33m 16.1s Decl. = -54o 05' 02" (2000).
The supernova was confirmed by S. Benetti, ESO, and R. Neuhauser, Max-Planck- Institut, Garching,
Germany, on inspection of a preliminarily-reduced CCD spectrum taken with the ESO 1.52-m telescope
at La Silla, Chile, on July 23.35 UT, as a type II supernova discovered soon after explosion (IAU Circular
6438). The spectrum also showed evidence of circumstellar material, probably lost by the supernova
progenitor before exploding, and is expected to evolve rapidly (IAU Circular 6438).
Accompanying is a chart from the AAVSO Variable Star Atlas showing the location of NGC 7689, and a
chart, with insets, of the galaxy and the supernova from the Deep Space CCD Atlas: South by Vickers
and Wassilieff. Magnitudes on this chart are taken from the Guide Star Catalog, using The Sky software.
Please monitor SN 7689 and report your observations to AAVSO Headquarters.
Congratulations to Bob Evans, R. Benton, and Samantha Beaman on their discovery!
CHARTS AVAILABLE ON AAVSO FTP SITE AND AAVSO WEB SITE HOME PAGE
Chart links are obsolete; 11/2013 create charts using VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp
Electronic copies of the charts mentioned in this Alert Notice are available from our FTP site:
ftp.aavso.org (198.116.78.2), in /pub/alert224
The charts have also been placed on our Web site at the following address:
http://www.aavso.org
The answering machine at AAVSO Headquarters is on nights and weekends for your convenience.
Please call our charge-free number (800-642-3883) to report your observations. If you are cut off when
you telephone in your observations, please wait a few minutes and call back to complete your call. We
have learned that if someone calls to leave observations on the answering machine and while they are
speaking someone else calls, the first person may be cut off. We also encourage observers to send
observations by fax to 617-354-0665 or by e-mail through the Internet to observations@aavso.org. We
would appreciate it very much if you would report your observations in Universal Time.
Many thanks for your valuable astronomical contributions and your efforts.
Good observing!
Janet A. Mattei
Director
---------------------------------------------------
SUBMIT OBSERVATIONS TO THE AAVSO
Information on submitting observations to the AAVSO may be found at:
http://www.aavso.org/webobs
ALERT NOTICE ARCHIVE AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
An Alert Notice archive is available at the following URL:
http://www.aavso.org/alert-notice-archive
Subscribing and Unsubscribing may be done at the following URL:
http://www.aavso.org/observation-notification#alertnotices
-------------------------------------------------
Please support the AAVSO and its mission -- Join or donate today:
http://www.aavso.org/apps/donate/