Electronic Telegram No. 5492
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Mailing address:  Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
e-mail:  cbatiau@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


COMET P/2024 S2 (RANKIN)
     K. W. Wierzchos and D. Rankin, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL),
University of Arizona; R. Weryk, Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Western Ontario; D. C. Fuls, LPL; and R. J.  Wainscoat,
Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawaii, report on the likely
disintegration of comet P/2024 S2 (cf. CBET 5457).  Four 30-s unfiltered
survey images obtained on 2024 Oct. 14.47 with the Mt. Lemmon Survey 1.5-m
reflector reveal a diffuse object of magnitude 20.3 with circular morphology
7".5 in diameter with no apparent central condensation.  A stack of four
additional survey images (same exposure and telescope) obtained on Oct. 27.42
shows a very diffuse object barely visible above the noise with a diameter
between 2" and 5"; the 30-s limiting magnitude on this night was 21.9, and
due to its marginal signal-to-noise ratio, photometry of the object was not
obtained, but a lower limit of magnitude > 22.0 can be inferred.  Three 60-s
gri-band images obtained with the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at
Mauna Kea on 2024 Nov. 2.62 show a very diffuse and highly elongated object
(elongation spanning p.a. about 85 to about 275 degrees, in agreement with
the JPL Horizons predicted apparent sub-solar-point position angle of 90.4
degrees, which may indicate the presence of a debris field).  A point-spread-
function fitted magnitude around the "nuclear" position gives a G-band
magnitude of 24.2, but the total magnitude integrated in a 5"-radius
photometric aperture yields a G-band magnitude of 21.0.  This is several
magnitudes fainter than would be predicted with a healthy comet.  Furthermore,
the comet was not visible in a stack of four additional unfiltered 30-s Mt.
Lemmon Survey survey images obtained on 2024 Nov. 12.37 to a limiting
magnitude of 21.8.  Wierzchos adds that observations purported to be of
this comet at mag 17-19 as published by the Minor Planet Center recently
(cf. MPECs 2024-X74, 2025-A40) are apparently just spurious detections.


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2025 CBAT
2025 January 9                   (CBET 5492)              Daniel W. E. Green