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IAUC 3668: 1945 II = 1982b, 1982c

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                                                  Circular No. 3668
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 DU TOIT-HARTLEY (1945 II = 1982b, 1982c)
     H. Kosai, Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, communicates the
following precise positions by T. Seki, Geisei:

             1982 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.         m1
     1982b   Feb. 17.71875    13 05 03.31   -12 26 36.9    17.5

     1982c   Feb. 17.71875    13 08 20.28   -12 46 21.2    17.0

     Kosai adds that S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, suggests that the
comets are identical with P/du Toit 2 (1945 II), for which Nakano
has published a prediction (with T = 1982 Feb. 10.8 ET) on Yamamoto
Circ. No. 1970 (1982 Feb. 11).  The following orbital elements, by
the undersigned, are from an approximate linkage of the observations
of comets 1945 II and 1982c.

       T = 1945 Apr. 18.717      1982 Mar. 30.470 ET
   Peri. = 201.529               251.699
   Node  = 358.856               308.590        1950.0
   Incl. =   6.922                 2.941
       q =   1.24989               1.19459 AU
       e =   0.58799               0.60238
       P =   5.28                  5.21 years

The corresponding perihelion time T for comet 1982b (which indeed
seems to have faded as predicted by Z. Sekanina on IAUC 3665) is
1982 Mar. 30.839 ET.  The comet passed 0.34 AU from Jupiter in 1963
Dec.  The ephemerides continue as follows:

                  Comet 1982b          Comet 1982c
     1982 ET   R. A. (1950) Decl.   R. A. (1950) Decl.    Delta     r
     Feb. 20   13 12.50  -13 36.1   13 15.92  -13 56.1    0.411   1.282
          25   13 29.65  -16 13.2   13 33.37  -16 33.2
     Mar.  2   13 47.96  -18 53.7   13 51.98  -19 13.1    0.360   1.244
           7   14 07.42  -21 34.0   14 11.72  -21 52.1
          12   14 27.93  -24 09.7   14 32.49  -24 25.7    0.325   1.216
          17   14 49.22  -26 35.7   14 54.01  -26 48.9
          22   15 10.91  -28 47.1   15 15.86  -28 57.1    0.304   1.199
          27   15 32.48  -30 39.9   15 37.53  -30 46.5
     Apr.  1   15 53.37  -32 11.7   15 58.45  -32 14.8    0.295   1.195
           6   16 13.04  -33 21.9   16 18.10  -33 22.0
          11   16 30.97  -34 11.8   16 35.98  -34 09.2    0.295   1.203


1982 February 19               (3668)              Brian G. Marsden

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