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                        THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA

                                 COMET AND NOVA SECTION

DISCOVERY OF A COMET OR NOVA:

If you note an unusual object in the sky, please follow this procedure:

1.  Make a drawing of the immediate region around the object, marking several known objects.
    Note the date, time, and seeing conditions.

2.  With the aid of a star atlas, estimate the Right Ascension and Declination of the
    object.

3.  Estimate the magnitude by comparison with stars of known brightness.

4.  Contact another observer quickly and ask him to confirm your discovery.    If there
    is an observatory in your area, request their staff to check it.

5.  Observe the object again in an hour or two later to determine if any motion can be
    detected in this interval.

6.  Send a telegram to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, followed by a letter
    giving more detailed information.   The cable address is "SATELLITES NETWORK" (Western
    Union: RAPID SATELLITE CAMBMASS)" and the postal address is "Central Bureau for Astro-
    nomical Telegrams, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Mass. 02138, USA".

    The telegram should contain the date, time, position, brightness and motion (if any).

    A special delivery letter to the National Co-ordinator of the Comet and Nova Section
    should follow.


This is an example of a discovery telegram for a hypothetical object:

    SATELLITES NEWYORK

    NEW OBJECT JULY 24 0655 U.T.  RA 19H 40M DEC PLUS 25 DEG 00 MIN.  MAG 7.  MOTION
    TO NW 3 MIN ARC PER HOUR
                                                            NAME
                                                            ADDRESS

C & N Form #3 (rev.8/65)