Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams -- Image credits

IAUC 3638: Poss. COMET STATTMAYER; 1981 QB; AM Her

The following International Astronomical Union Circular may be linked-to from your own Web pages, but must not otherwise be redistributed (see these notes on the conditions under which circulars are made available on our WWW site).

Read IAUC 3637 SEARCH Read IAUC 3639
IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3638
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


POSSIBLE COMET STATTMAYER
     On Sept. 6 the Central Bureau received a cablegram from Peter
Stittmayer, of Herrsching, near Munich, reporting his discovery
that morning of a comet.  The object, of mag 13, was in the vicinity
of M33, and no information was given about its motion.  A visual
search in rather poor conditions on Sept. 7.2 UT by E. Everhart,
Denver, failed to confirm the comet.  On Sept. 10 the Central Bureau
received prints from two 25-min exposures (separated by 20 min)
by Stattmayer, obtained with a 0.3-m f/6 reflector.  At the same
time the original negatives were inspected and measured at the
European Southern Observatory by R. M. West, with the followirg
result:

     1981 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.        m1
     Sept. 6.009       1 31 46.4    +30 49 25      13
           6.040       1 31 47.4    +30 50 28

The corresponding daily motion, dR.A. = +0m.55, dDecl. = +33'.3, is
consistent with the apparent motion during and between the exposures.
The trails are diffuse but condensed, and it would seem that there
is a tail ~50" long to the south-southeast.  The above information
was relayed to selected telegram subscribers on Sept. 11.  An
exposure by C.-Y. Shao with the 0.4-m astrograph at Oak Ridge
Observatory on Sept. 12.2 UT did not show any comet; strong moonlight
limited this exposure to 8 min, and stars of mag 14 were visible.


1981 QB
       Orbital elements by B. G. Marsden, arc Aug. 28 to Sept. 6:

       T = 1981 Nov. 15.624 ET
   Peri. = 248.319                    e =   0.51389
   Node  = 154.065    1950.0          a =   2.21580 AU
   Incl. =  36.958                    n =   0.298820
       q =   1.07712 AU               P =   3.30 years


AM HERCULIS
     J. Mattei, AAVSO, reports further visual magnitude estimates:
July 8.9 UT, 15.0 (H. Grzelczyk, West Germany); 24.1, 15.2 (T.
Fetterman, Bridgewater, NJ); 28.1, 14.9 (Fetterman); 30.1, 15.0
(Fetterman); 30.2, 15.3 (E. Mayer, Barberton, OH); Aug. 1.2, 14.8
(J. Vlasic, El Centro, CA); 17.1, 14.8 (C. Scovil, Stamford, CT).


1981 September 14              (3638)              Brian G. Marsden

Read IAUC 3637 SEARCH Read IAUC 3639

Our Web policy. Index to the CBAT/MPC/ICQ pages.

Valid HTML 4.01!