Circular No. 6792
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)
BMARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or DGREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
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Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)


GRB 971214
     L. A. Antonelli, BeppoSAX, Rome; R. C. Butler, Agenzia
Spaziale Italiana, Rome; L. Piro, Istituto Astrofisica Spaziale,
CNR, Rome; and G. Celidonio, A. Coletta, A. Tesseri, and C. De
Libero, BeppoSAX, Rome, report on behalf of the BeppoSAX team:  "A
fast follow-up observation of GRB 971214 was carried out with
BeppoSAX 6.67 hr after the initial burst.  A previously unknown x-
ray source (1SAX J1156.4+6513) was clearly detected within the WFC
error circle (IAUC 6787) in the LECS and MECS x-ray telescopes, at
R.A. = 11h56m25s, Decl. = +65o13'11" (equinox 2000.0; uncertainty
about 1', currently dominated by systematics in the position
reconstruction with the new 1-gyro mode).  The position of the
optical transient (IAUC 6788) can be considered as consistent with
the x-ray source.  The average source countrate in the range 1.3-10
keV was 0.0056 +/- 0.0005 counts/s in two MECS units and 0.0036 +/-
0.0005 counts/s in the LECS (0.1-5 keV).  This corresponds to a 2-
10-keV flux of 4 x 10E-13 erg cmE-2 sE-1.  From a preliminary
analysis of the first day of observation, the source faded by a
factor of about 5.  These results strongly suggest that 1SAX
J1156.4+6513 is the x-ray afterglow of GRB 971214."
     M. R. Garcia, A. Muench, and E. Tollestrup, Harvard-
Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; and P. J. Callanan and J.
McCarthy, University College, Cork, report on observations made
with the Whipple Observatory 1.2-m telescope (+ STELIRCAM) in bands
J and K during Dec. 15.519-15.562 and 16.524-16.569 UT (limiting
mag K = 18.5, J = 20.0), in which the K-band and Dec. 16 J-band
images cover the entire revised (1'-radius) error circle reported
by Antonelli et al., above:  "We find a limit of 1 mag to the
variability of the dozen stars seen within the error circle; this
upper limit is applicable at the position of the fading optical
counterpart reported by Halpern et al. (IAUC 6788).  Our images
suffer due to light scattered from HR 103690, which covers about
half of the revised error box."


COMET C/1997 T1 (UTSUNOMIYA)
     Visual m_1 estimates:  Nov. 26.74 UT, 9.9 (B. H. Granslo,
Movatn, Oslo, Norway, 0.07-m refractor); Dec. 2.99, 9.9 (J. Bortle,
Stormville, NY, 0.41-m reflector); 6.08, 10.5 (C. E. Spratt,
Victoria, BC, 0.20-m reflector); 16.69, 9.8 (M. Lehky, Hradec
Kralove, Czech Rep., 25x100 binoculars).

                      (C) Copyright 1997 CBAT
1997 December 19               (6792)            Daniel W. E. Green