Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams -- Image credits

IAUC 3715: 1846 VI = 1982h

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 3714 SEARCH Read IAUC 3716
IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3715
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 PETERS-HARTLEY (1846 VI = 1982h)
     Further precise positions have been reported as follows:

     1982 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.        Observer
     July 11.46714    16 49 28.44   - 7 02 01.2    Hartley
          13.46319    16 50 07.31   - 6 17 34.9    Candy
          14.45139    16 50 29.01   - 5 56 53.8      "
          19.48403    16 52 42.70   - 4 21 58.4    Hartley
          20.56528    16 53 16.66   - 4 03 51.9    Candy

M. Hartley (U.K. Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring).
M. P. Candy and V. Flynn (Perth Observatory, Bickley).  Comet image
   involved with satellite trail on July 13.

     Candy, who also remarks on the possible identity with comet
1846 VI (cf. IAUC 3713), provides the following 1982 improved orbital
elements, derived from five observations July 11-20.  Numerical
integration by the undersigned of these elements backward 17 revolutions
around the sun gives (by chance!) a perihelion date within 10
days of that of comet 1846 VI.  The 1846 elements below were then
obtained from a minor adjustment to fit the three normal places provided
by Berberich (1887, Astron. Nachr. 117, 251); inspection of
the individual residuals suggests that the error of the orbit in
1846 was underestimated.  The identity is no longer in doubt, but it
is still possible that there are multiple solutions for the orbit;
nevertheless, the 17-revolution solution given here shows that the
current return is by far the most favorable one since 1854.

         T = 1846 June 3.683    1982 May 9.346 ET
     Peri. = 340.93             338.76
     Node  = 262.70             259.31
     Incl. =  28.90              29.80
         q =   1.4984             1.6265 AU
         e =   0.6217             0.5975
         a =   3.9604             4.0410 AU
         n =   0.12505            0.12133
         P =   7.88               8.12 years

     1982 ET     R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r      m1
     July 30    16 59.44    - 1 55.7    1.047   1.829   16.7
     Aug.  9    17 08.09    - 0 27.8
          19    17 18.53    + 0 25.2    1.311   1.926   17.4


1982 July 22                   (3715)              Brian G. Marsden

Read IAUC 3714 SEARCH Read IAUC 3716

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

Valid HTML 4.01!