A Visit to Gaspra This is a ground-based photo of the first minor planet ever to be visited by a spacecraft. On October 29, 1991, the NASA spacecraft Galileo flew past minor planet No. 951 Gaspra on its way to Jupiter where it will arrive in De- cember 1995. The distance to Gaspra from the Earth was 410 million km at the time of the fly-by. Although Galilw's high-galn antenna has not yet been un- folded and could therefore not be used, JPL engineers succeeded In getting a 300-line Image via the low-gain antenna; the others will be sent when Gallleo is again near the Earth. The first image showed the irregular form of Gaspra and Several craters on its surface with a res- otution of ht130 metres. The diarne- ter was measured as 16 kilornetms. Gaspra was discovered on July 30, 191 6 at the Simeis Observatq in the mountains of Cximea, the Russia. The sofi on the southern coast of Crimea, in On this date, Its distance from the Earth discoverer was the welt-known Russian which the famous Russian writer Lev was 262 million km and the magnitude astronomer Grigorij Nikolaevich Neuj- Nikolaevfch Tolstoy (1828- 1910) spent was about 15. min (born 1886 in Tbilisi, Georgia; died many years of his life." The village of The background of the photo is a I946 in Leningrad), who later became Gaspra is located about 10 krn south- region in the southern constellation Director of that observatory (1925- 1931 west of Yalta. Ophlochus (the Serpent-holder) which is and 1936-1941) and Director of the The present photo was obtained with characterld by relatively few stars, but Pulkovo Obsewatoty near St. Peters- the 1-metre ESO Schmidt telescope at many bright and dark nebulae. The burg (1 944- 1946). During three de- La SIlla on April 9, 1991 and served brightest of the three stars in the top cades he discovered 72 minor planets to measure an accurate position of right corner is the 5th-magnitude Rho and 6 comets. Gaspra, in support of the navigation of Ophiuchl, a hot and young double star. Neujmin's dedication for (951) Gaspra Galilm. The exposure lasted 10 minutes It is surrounded by nebulostty that re- reads as follows: 'Named after the re and Gaspra is indicated with an arrow. flects the light from the stars. copic Study of UM673 ABB: on the 801. Bo Reipurth, S. Heathcote and Fre- New ESO Preprints Size of Lyman-a Clouds. AstmphyeW derick Vrba: Star Fomlation In Bok (September-November 1991) JoumI. Globules and Low-Mass Clouds. 1V. 794. P. Meller and P. Kjargaard: The Ex- Herbig-Ham Objects in 6335. As- Scientific Preprints pected Ionization of HI by UW of Sight trvnutny and Astrophvsiw. 789. F. Bertola, G. Gall& and W.W. Neighbour Qum: Measuring the 802. Bo Reipurth, A.C. Raga and S. Heath- ZeHinger: The Mlnw-Axis Dust-Me Quasar Beaming. Astronomy and As- cote; Structure and Kinemath of the Elliptical NGC 1947. Astronomy and trophysics. HH 1 1 1 Jet. Astrophp'caI Journal. Astrophysh 795. M.R. Rosa, H. iiinnecker, A. Moneti and 790. P. Padovanl and C.M, Urry: Luminosity J. Melnick: The Galactic Center In the Technical Preprints Functions, Relativistic Beaming, and Far-Red. Astronomy and Astrwhph. 34. P. DMckx: Optical Performanee of Unlfied Theories of High-Luminosity 796. M, Beraanelli, P. Bouchet, R. Falorno Large GroundM Telescopes. Jour- Radlo Sources. AslrophysiEaI Journal. and E.O. Tami: Homogeneous J, H, K, nal of Modem Optb, 791. (3. BerHn, F. Bertda, L.M. Buson, IJ. L Photomeby of a Sample of BL lac 35. W. SchrMer, H. Dahlmann, B. Huber, L Danziger, H. Dejonghe, E.M. Sadler, Objects. The Aslronmical JwmaII Sch~de,F. MsrWe and M. Ravens- R.P. Saglii, P.T. de Zeeuw and W.W. 797. T. Pnrstl, ti.-M. Adorf and E.JA. Meurs: bergen: Telescope Polntlng and Tacking Ullnger: The ESO Key Programme: A Young Stellar Qbieets in the lRAS Pdnt with Optical Gym. To be publishM in Search for Dark Matter in Elliptical Source Catalog. Astronomy an$ A& the Proceedings of SWE, Vol. 1585 Galaxies. Presented by F. Bertola at the froph-. (Issl). 2nd DAEC meeting "The Distribution of 798. R.M. West and R.H. McNaught: Earliest 36. 6. L8pm and M. Sarazin: Optimum Ex- Matter In the Unhrem", Observatdre Photometry of SN 1987A, Asmy posure Times for Intederometry. ESO de Muon. and Asirophysics. Conference on High Resolution Imaging 792. D. Baade: Binary Be Stars and Be 799. M. Della Valltn: Nova LMC 1991: Evi- by Interferometry II, Garching, Oct. Binaries. Invited talk presented at IAU dence for a Super-Bright Nova Poputa- 14-18,1991. Symp. 151 UE~l~tjoiwyROCBSSBS in ti.Astronomy and AGtrophy&~, kt- Interacting Binary Stars", held Aug. ters. 5-8,1991 in Cordoba, Argentina. 800. M. Fdte, F. Pasian and P. hvenuti: New ESO Scientific Report 793. k Smeite, J. Surdej, PA Shaver, C.B. HST Ohationsof the Inner Coma of No. 10 - October 1991. M.-P. VBron-Cetty Foltz, F.H. Chaffee, R.J. Weyrnann, R.E. Cornet tsvy 1990~.Anuaim Gmphy- and P. Vhn: A Catalogue d Quasars and Witliams and P. Magain: A Spectros- sicaa Actlve NucM (5th Edition). .