Circular No. 8656
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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COMET P/2005 XA_54 (LONEOS-HILL)
     A new comet (with a well-developed tail approximately 20" long
to the west-northwest) discovered by R. Hill on Catalina survey
images taken on Jan. 6 was found by T. Spahr, Minor Planet Center,
to be identical with an object found by LONEOS on Dec. 4 and
designated 2005 XA_54 (with two nights of observations on MPS
155505).  Additional astrometry and orbital elements (T = 2006 Mar.
8.04 TT, q = 1.7764 AU, Peri. = 15.45 deg, Node = 144.23 deg, i =
16.90 deg, equinox 2000.0, P = 15.1 years) appear on MPEC 2006-A26.

     2005/6 UT           R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Dec.  4.37744    9 20 54.64   + 3 00 13.2   18.5   LONEOS
     Jan.  6.41154    9 56 51.97   + 3 42 03.8   17.1   Hill


(60558) 2000 EC_98
     Y.-J. Choi and P. R. Weissman, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
report the detection of a cometary coma on B, V, R, and I images of
the Centaur object (60558) taken on 2005 Dec. 30.50 UT with the
Palomar 5-m reflector (+ Large Format Camera); a 600-second R-band
exposure shows a coma of total mag 17.5 extending about 20" from
the nuclear condensation.  Confirming images of the cometary nature
were obtained by Choi on 2006 Jan. 1 and by D. Polishook on images
obtained at Wise Observatory on Jan. 2.  The object was discovered
by Spacewatch (discovery observation below from MPEC 2000-E64 and
MPS 11487).

     2000 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Mar.  3.41164   11 10 57.58   + 4 40 25.0   21.0


SUPERNOVA 2006A IN NGC 7753
     Further to IAUC 8646, T. Boles the discovery, on an unfiltered
CCD image taken on Jan. 2.856 UT, of an apparent supernova (mag
18.1) located at R.A. = 23h47m03s.78, Decl. = +29o28'55".7, which
is approximately 13".6 west and 5".1 south of the center of NGC
7753.  W. Li, confirmed 2006A on a Lick Observatory image from Jan.
5.108 (Boles measuring position end figures 03s.81, 55".6 from the
KAIT image).  Traces of 2006A are also visible on an unfiltered CCD
image taken by G. Rogers (Long Crendon, England, 0.40-m reflector)
on Jan. 4.794.  Nothing is visible at this position on Boles'
images from 2005 Sept. 24 and Oct. 10 (limiting mag 19.5) or on
Digitized Sky Survey images from 1991 (limiting red mag 21.0) and
1993 (limiting blue mag 20.5).

                      (C) Copyright 2006 CBAT
2006 January 6                 (8656)            Daniel W. E. Green