Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 3659: 1982a; MARS; Occn OF SAO 042418 BY (344)
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Read IAUC 3660
Circular No. 3659
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
PERIODIC COMET GRIGG-SKJELLERUP (1982a)
J. Gibson reports that he has recovered this comet on exposures
with the 1.2-m Schmidt telescope at Palomar as follows:
1982 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1
Jan. 15.28683 7 12 47.75 -20 35 52.8 ~19
16.31669 7 11 13.04 -20 46 14.8
The comet was essentially stellar; moonlight interfered, and the
long star trails made measurement difficult. The position is in
close agreement with the predictions on MPC 6215 (elements on MPC
6193), Nakano Note No. 380 and in BAA. Hbk for 1982, p. 73.
MARS
C. F. Capen, Braeside Observatory, Flagstaff, writes: "During
the late spring season at the Martian aphelic apparition of 1888,
Schiaparelli found the north polar cap to be divided into two unequal
parts by a dark fissure along the 150o-325o (west) areographic
meridians. This fissure, named Rima Tenuis, was later confirmed
by Perrotin and Terby. It was again well seen at the same Martian
season (areocentric solar longitude Ls = 61o-65o) in 1901 and again
in 1903 at the Lowell Observatory; a similar appearance was reported
in 1918 by Maggini. I made an unsuccessful search for Rima
Tenuis with telescopes of 0.61 to 2.08-m aperture in the 1960s, and
Mariner and Viking photography showed no trace of it in the 1970s.
The fissure unexpectedly reappeared at Ls = 66o-71o in 1980 Feb.,
when members of the Mars Section of the Association of Lunar and
Planetary Observers photographed it for the first time. Rima
Tenuis was sighted at longitude 325o during 1981 Dec. 26-31 (Ls =
63o.5-65o) by J. Beish, Miami, confirmed by myself and photographed
by D. Parker, Coral Gables, Florida. Further observations will be
useful as Mars approaches opposition on 1982 Mar. 31 (Ls = 105o)."
OCCULTATION OF SAO 042418 BY (344) DESIDERATA
J. O. Puronen and H. Jantunen, Department of Astronomy,
University of Oulu, report the photoelectric observation, with a 0.4-m
telescope at the Aarne Karjalainen Observatory, of a possible
occultation of duration 0s.6 +/- 0s.1 beginning on 1982 Jan. 11d20h17m
59s.0 +/- 0s.2 UT (cf. B.A.A. Hbk for 1982, p. 27).
1982 January 19 (3659) Brian G. Marsden
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