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IAUC 3199: 1978a; 1978c

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3199
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Cable Address: SATELLITES, NEWYORK     Telex: 921428
Telephone: (617) 864-5758


COMET WEST (1978a)
     R. D. Eberst, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, reports the following
prediscovery observations, identified near the edge of plates
taken with the U.K. 122-cm Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring:

     1976 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.         m1
     Mar. 30.7675     17 02 33.89   -77 34 37.6    17-18
     Apr.  1.1710     16 58 14.54   -77 42 01.9
           2.7198     16 56 06.62   -77 45 26.4

     The following hyperbolic elements, by B. G. Marsden, satisfy
the above positions and 13 current positions within ~ 2".
Perturbations by all nine planets were taken into account.

                      Epoch = 1977 Aug. 5.0 ET
       T = 1977 July 21.5148 ET     Peri. = 343.2828
       e =   1.004982               Node  = 210.9301   1950.0
       q =   5.607815 AU            Incl. = 116.9355


COMET BRADFIELD (1978c)
     The following precise position, by T. Seki, Geisei, is from
Yamamoto Circ. No. 1880:

     1978 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.         m1
     Mar. 12.85017    22 01 54.5    - 4 06 57       ~6

     G. H. Herbig, Lick Observatory, communicates the following
spectroscopic information, obtained on Mar. 15.5 UT by E. A. Harlan
as described on IAUC 3198.  The usual C2 and NH2 emissions were
present on the solar continuum from the nucleus.  Features of the
H2O+ (8-0) and (7-0) complexes were unusually intense and extended
to the edge of the slit, 50" from the nucleus.  Cometary Na I and
[O I] were confused with their airglow counterparts on account of
the comet's low altitude.

     Further total visual magnitude estimates: Mar. 14.50 UT, 5.5
(P. Maley, Houston, Texas, 13-cm refractor; tail 8' long in p.a.
240o); 16.55, 5.5 (M. J. Mayo and J. Truxton, Agoura, California,
13-cm refractor); 17.48, 5.5 (Maley), 19.48, 5.5 (Maley); 20.46,
~ 5.6 (Maley, observing from Huntsville, Alabama).


1978 March 21                  (3199)              Brian G. Marsden

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