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IAUC 3461: 1980b

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3461
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM     Telephone 617-864-5758


COMET BOWELL (1980b)
     Edward L. G. Bowell, Lowell Observatory, reports the discovery
of a comet near Jupiter.  Available positions are:

     1980 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.        m1    Observer
     Feb. 11.32292    10 40 40.40   + 9 39 09.8   16.5   Bowell
          11.34653    10 40 39.94   + 9 39 14.7            "
     Mar. 13.28333    10 28 58.57   +10 51 06.0   16.5     "
          13.32153    10 28 57.61   +10 51 12.1            "
          14.25694    10 28 36.72   +10 53 15.8            "
          14.27500    10 28 36.29   +10 53 18.3            "
          16.21042    10 27 53.67   +10 57 30.0            "
          16.22708    10 27 53.25   +10 57 32.5            "
          19.23677    10 26 48.10   +11 03 53.2   16.0   Fogelin

E. Bowell (Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station).  0.33-m
   photographic telescope.  Object diffuse, no obvious condensation.
   The Feb. 11 predlscovery images were found following an
   orbit determination from the March observations.
E. Fogelin (Harvard College Observatory, Agassiz Station).  0.4-m
   astrograph.  Object diffuse, without condensation.

     The following parabolic orbital elements, by the undersigned,
satisfy the above nine observations within 1":

       T = 1982 Apr. 24.04 ET    Peri. = 135.32
                                 Node  = 122.15    1950.0
       q = 3.0455 AU             Incl. =   1.87

     1980 ET     R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r      m1
     Mar. 12    10 29.46    +10 48.3
          22    10 25.84    +11 09.5    6.441   7.342   16.2
     Apr.  1    10 22.66    +11 27.6
          11    10 20.11    +11 41.8    6.498   7.205   16.1
          21    10 18.31    +11 51.4
     May   1    10 17.37    +11 55.9    6.634   7.067   16.1

The low orbital inclination suggests that the comet may be a
short-period one, but a general solution yields e = 0.92 +/- 0.05 (m.e.).
It is also suggested that the comet may currently be located near
Jupiter in space, but attempts to determine such an orbit, allowing
also for possible perturbations by Jupiter, were not successful.


1980 March 21                  (3461)              Brian G. Marsden

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