[vsnet-chat 609] Stationary Asteroids and SN

[Bill Dillon <bdillon@houston.geoquest.slb.com>]

I assume that most SN hunters subscribe to the IAU Circulars.  For about
$72/year they can subscribe to the Computer Service offered by CBAT.  With
that subscription, they can login and query the Minor Planet Center
database for all known asteroids and comets within a certain radius of
coordinates of interest.  This is your best source for up-to-date asteroid 
positions (the Lowell database is great too).

Perhaps if MPC asteroid positions were consulted, the new two-day
rule could be relaxed.

Regarding the "lack of references", it seems to me that the best reference
a SN hunter could have is an image of the target galaxy previously taken
by the hunter.  That way you don't have problems introduced by different
color sensitivities (e.g. comparing a blue-sensitive photograph with a
red-sensitive CCD image) and resolutions.  The caution level should be
ten times higher if you are contemplating reporting a SN based on your
first image of the galaxy.

Regards,

Bill Dillon
bdillon@houston.geoquest.slb.com
http://vsnet.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/7477/

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