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IAUC 3528: 1980p; Obs OF COMETS; NEW METEOR SHOWER

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3528
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 HELIN-DUNBAR (1980p)
     Eleanor Helin, California Institute of Technology, reports
that she and R. Scott Dunbar have discovered a comet on exposures
with the 1.2-m Schmidt telescope at Palomar, as follows:

     1980 UT          R. A. (1950) Decl.        m1
     Oct. 18.491      9 44.4     +12 20       18-19
          19.488      9 47.5     +12 15

The object is diffuse, with condensation, and a tail ~ 3' long.


OBSERVATIONS OF COMETS
     Selected total visual magnitude estimates and coma diameters:

Periodic Comet Encke.  Sept. 19.35 UT, 12.7, 3'.1 (J. Bortle,
   Stormville, NY, 0.32-m reflector); Oct. 2.98, 10.8, 2'.1 (G. Keitch,
   Wrington, Eng., 0.30-m reflector); 7.47, 9.4, 8' (D. Machholz,
   San Jose, CA, 0.25-m reflector); 10.34, 9.4, 5' (Bortle); 14.34,
   8.9, 8' (C. S. Morris, Harvard, MA, 0.25-m reflector).

Periodic Comet Stephan-Oterma (1980g).  Sept. 21.44 UT, 12.2, 1-1.5'
   (Machholz); Oct. 3.04, 10.4, 1'.4 (Keitch); 7.46, 10.3, 4'
   (Machholz); 10.40, 11.0, 1'.5 (Bortle); 14.30, 10.7, 1'.5 (Morris)

Periodic Comet Tuttle (1980h).  Oct. 7.48 UT, 10.5, 3' (Machholz);
   10.37, 11.1, 1'.5 (Bortle); 14.37, 10.6, 2'.5 (Morris).


NEW METEOR SHOWER
     P. MacKinnon and R. A. Keen, Boulder, Colorado, report the
observation of a substantial meteor shower from a previously
unsuspected radiant.  On Sept. 16, 17 and 18 UT, in relatively poor
conditions, G. Kilardes noted an hourly rate of 15-20 meteors from a
radiant near R.A. = 19h.0, Decl. = +25o (+/- 5o); a fair number of meteors
were of mag 2 or brighter.  Apparent confirmation was made on Oct.
1 (radiant R.A. = 20h.3, Decl. = +32o) by MacKinnon and on Oct. 5 and 6
(radiant R.A. = 21h.2, Decl. = +32o) by Keen; these observers reported a
comparable hourly rate, but conditions were better than in Sept.,
and the meteors were generally fainter.  Computations by the
undersigned from Kilardes' data give for an approximate orbit: q = 0.99
AU, Peri. = 196o, Node = 172o, Incl. = 14o (for e=0.7) to 17o (for e = 1.0).


1980 October 20                (3528)              Brian G. Marsden

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