Circular No. 6808
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)


NOVA IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD 1997
     D. Welch, McMaster University; and W. Liller, Instituto Isaac
Newton, report that a more thorough inspection of the Kodak
Technical Pan films taken by Liller in June 1997 (see IAUC 6758)
reveals the presence of a definite image at the position of the
nova reported on IAUC 6756.  The estimated V magnitudes (+/- 0.3
mag) are as follows:  June 5.97 UT, > 13.7; 25.86, 12.7; 30.98,
13.1.  The images were revealed by 'stacking' the original
negatives taken with a 0.20-m f/1.5 Schmidt camera and comparing
the position with that of the nova as it appears on the discovery
frame taken by the MACHO collaboration.


GRB 980109
     K. C. Sahu, Space Telescope Science Institute; and C. Sterken,
University of Brussels, report:  "The field of GRB 980109 (cf. IAUC
6805) was imaged with the European Southern Observatory's Dutch
0.91-m telescope at La Silla on Jan. 12.04 and 13.03 UT using a
Gunn i filter, and on Jan. 10.11, 11.04, 12.06, and 13.06 using a V
filter.  The image size is about 3'.7 x 3'.7, and single images
centered on the position of the GRB were taken.  On Jan. 10 and 11,
the observing conditions were poor, the exposure times were 20 min,
and the limiting magnitude was about 18.5.  These images show no
new source when compared with the ESO/Digital Sky Survey fields.
On Jan. 12 and 13, the exposure time was 30 min for each image, the
sky was photometric, and limiting magnitude of the i images was
about 21 (at least 1 mag fainter than the limiting magnitude of the
DSS fields).  As a result, several new sources are seen, but none
of these sources has varied by more than the measurement
uncertainty of about 0.2 mag during this 1-day interval.  These
results indicate that, if the optical counterpart were brighter
than I = 20 (as in the case of GRB 970508; cf. IAUC 6654), it lies
beyond 1'.5 from the center of the BeppoSAX error box."


COMET 103P/HARTLEY 2
     Visual m_1 estimates:  1997 Dec. 21.97 UT, 8.2 (J. Bortle,
Stormville, NY, 20x80 binoculars); 26.75, 8.2 (M. Reszelski,
Szamotuly, Poland, 20x60 binoculars); 31.07, 8.4 (R. Keen, Mt.
Thorodin, CO, 7x50 binoculars); 1998 Jan. 2.55, 8.4 (A. Pearce,
Cowaramup, W. Australia, 20x80 binoculars); 11.72, 8.6 (M. Lehky,
Hradec Kralove, Czech Rep., 25x100 binoculars).

                      (C) Copyright 1998 CBAT
1998 January 15                (6808)            Daniel W. E. Green