Circular No. 6838
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)


SAX J1810.8-2609
     P. Ubertini, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale (IAS), CNR, Rome;
J. in 't Zand, Space Research Organization of the Netherlands,
Utrecht; A. Tesseri and D. Ricci, BeppoSAX Science Operation Center,
Rome; and L. Piro, IAS, report on the detection of a new weak x-ray
transient in the galactic bulge with the Wide Field Camera 2
onboard BeppoSAX.  The source has been detected since Mar. 10.18 UT
at a steady level of 15 mCrab (2-9 keV), at R.A. = 18h10m46s, Decl.
= -26o09'.1 (equinox 2000.0; preliminary error radius 3').  An
x-ray burst of duration 45 s was detected from this source on Mar.
11.06634.  The peak intensity is about 1.6 Crab.  The only
catalogued source in the error box is IRAS 18077-2609, located 1'.7
away.  A BeppoSAX target-of-opportunity observation is in progress.
Observations at other wavelengths are encouraged.


SUPERNOVA 1998S IN NGC 3877
     Visual magnitude estimates:  Mar. 11.79 UT, 12.0, (K. Hornoch,
Lelekovice, Czech Republic; comparison stars from GSC); 11.83, 12.0
(L. Brat, Brno, Czech Republic); 11.83, 12.3 (L. Novak, Brno, Czech
Republic).


COMET C/1997 J2 (MEUNIER-DUPOUY)
     Ephemeris extension to IAUC 6801 (orbital elements MPC 31069):

1998 TT     R. A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong. Phase    m1
Mar. 28    21 48.02   +31 43.9   3.647   3.056   47.1   13.8   11.2
Apr.  7    21 58.77   +31 26.8   3.617   3.063   49.5   14.4   11.2
     17    22 08.17   +31 13.3   3.570   3.073   53.0   15.1   11.1
     27    22 16.13   +31 01.5   3.507   3.087   57.6   16.0   11.1
May   7    22 22.54   +30 48.9   3.427   3.103   63.1   16.8   11.1
     17    22 27.26   +30 32.8   3.333   3.122   69.3   17.6   11.1
     27    22 30.14   +30 10.2   3.227   3.145   76.3   18.2   11.0
June  6    22 31.00   +29 37.1   3.111   3.170   84.0   18.6   11.0
     16    22 29.70   +28 49.2   2.990   3.198   92.4   18.5   10.9

     Total magnitude estimates, visual unless otherwise noted: Feb.
1.72 UT, 10.6 (M. Reszelski, Szamotuly, Poland, 0.25-m reflector);
5.18, 11.1 (K. Hornoch, Lelekovice, Czech Rep., 0.35-m refl.); Mar.
10.17, 12.3 (H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia, 0.36-m
reflector + CCD + V filter).

                      (C) Copyright 1998 CBAT
1998 March 11                  (6838)            Daniel W. E. Green