Circular No. 8133
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)
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Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET C/2003 J1 (NEAT)
     K. J. Lawrence, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reports the
discovery by NEAT of a comet (discovery observation below).
Following posting on the NEO Confirmation Page, other CCD observers
reported the following total magnitudes and coma diameters:  May
14.5 UT, m_1 = 16.4-17.0, 10" (P. Holvorcem, Tenagra II 0.81-m
telescope; three co-added 120-s exposures); 15.5, 17.5, 8" (J.
Young, Table Mountain, CA, 0.6-m reflector).

     2003 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1
     May  13.59182   21 00 45.37   -15 10 51.3   19.4

The available astrometry, the following very preliminary parabolic
orbital elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2003-K15.

     T = 2003 Sept.11.964 TT          Peri. = 192.477
                                      Node  = 122.095   2000.0
     q = 5.19493 AU                   Incl. =  98.041


GRB 030329 AND SUPERNOVA 2003dh
     K. S. Kawabata, G. Kosugi, M. Iye, T. Sasaki, and Y. Ohyama,
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; J. Deng and K. Nomoto,
University of Tokyo; P. Mazzali, Trieste Observatory, report, on
behalf of the Subaru Supernova/GRB ToO group, on optical
spectropolarimetry (range 590-1020 nm) and spectroscopy (ranges
420-600 and 590-1020 nm) of the afterglow of GRB 030329 (IAUC 8101)
and its supernova component SN 2003dh (IAUC 8108, 8114) obtained on
May 8.3 and 9.3 UT with the Subaru 8.2-m telescope (+ FOCAS):  "The
spectrum was compared to those of other type-Ic hypernovae.  The
red spectrum resembles closely those of the hypernova SN 1997ef at
34 or 42 days after explosion (Mazzali et al. 2000, Ap.J. 545,
407).  The match with SN 1998bw spectra is not as good between rest
wavelengths 700 and 800 nm, but the spectra obtained about 33-36
days after the outburst of GRB 980425 are preferred (Patat et al.
2001, Ap.J. 555, 900).  The epochs are comparable to the rest-frame
age of SN 2003dh at the time of the observations (days 34-35,
assuming z = 0.1685; GCN 2020; IAUC 8108).  The spectrum shows a
significant excess in the blue, which may be a contribution of the
gamma-ray-burst afterglow and/or some other sources such as the
host galaxy.  Also, our preliminary results imply that polarization
is not significant (< 1 percent), at least for rest wavelengths
500-600 nm.  Detailed analysis is in progress."

                      (C) Copyright 2003 CBAT
2003 May 17                    (8133)            Daniel W. E. Green