Circular No. 7002 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) URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only) SGR 1900+14 T. L. Cline, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC); and E. P. Mazets and S. V. Golenetskii, Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg, write: "A > 50-keV transient of intensity comparable to a strong gamma-ray burst triggered the GRB monitor on the Global Geo-Science Wind spacecraft on Aug. 27.432148 UT, exhibiting a persistent periodicity of 5.15 +/- 0.02 s. This is the first gamma-ray transient seen to clearly exhibit a periodic response in an uncollimated GRB detector since the 1979 March 5 event, itself the progenitor of the first known soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR). This transient is assumed to originate from SGR 1900+14, in view of its current state of activity (see, e.g., IAUC 6929), although there is no directional information from the Konus instruments other than a north-ecliptic-hemisphere indication, consistent with SGR 1900+14. Since the GGS-Wind spacecraft is not in a near-earth orbit, comparison with other observations may be able to provide a source directional annulus and confirmation of this identity." R. Remillard, D. A. Smith, and A. Levine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), report on behalf of the RXTE/ASM teams at MIT and at NASA/GSFC: "The RXTE All Sky Monitor has detected an x-ray flare at a location consistent (+/- 0o.2 deg) with the position of the candidate x-ray counterpart for SGR 1900+14 (Hurley et al. 1996, Ap.J. 463, L13). Two consecutive detections were made in each of two cameras on Aug. 27, showing a 2-12-keV intensity of 78 +/- 12 mCrab at Aug. 27.5174 UT and 114 +/- 11 mCrab at Aug. 27.5185. During the preceeding week, there were no significant detections made, and on Aug. 26, the average of 13 measurements implies a 3-sigma upper limit of 14 mCrab. On the day following the flare, seven measurements indicate a mean intensity 18 +/- 5 mCrab. During all of the 90-s exposures associated with ASM detections, the time-series data indicate steady emission with no evidence of SGR bursts." V592 HERCULIS E. O. Waagen, AAVSO, reports that this 'tremendous outburst amplitude dwarf nova' (cf. Howell et al. 1995, Ap.J. 439, 337) is in outburst for only the third time since 1968, as indicated by the following visual magnitude estimates: Aug 24.901 UT, [15.3 (G. Poyner, Birmingham, England); 25.90, [13.2 (P. Schmeer, Bischmisheim, Germany); 26.835, 12.0 (T. Kinnunen, Espoo, Finland); 27.181, 13.0 (L. Shaw, Pinole, CA); 27.192, 13.0 (G. Hanson, Cave Creek, AZ); 28.051, 13.5 (J. Bortle, Stormville, NY); 28.233, 12.9 (Shaw). (C) Copyright 1998 CBAT 1998 August 30 (7002) Daniel W. E. Green