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IAUC 3719: ANOTHER Prob. SUNGRAZING COMET; SATURN VIII (IAPETUS)

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3719
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


ANOTHER PROBABLE SUNGRAZING COMET
     D. J. Michels, Naval Research Laboratory, reports the probable
discovery of a third sungrazing comet in the P78-1 SOLWIND data.  A
total of 34 observations were obtained at 5-min intervals on 1981
July 19-20, but some were affected by instrumental aberrations and
need to be revised.  The data below, given in the same form as on
IAUC 3718, include the six best, most self-consistent set of observations.
Observations resumed on July 20.332 UT, evidently around
the time of the comet's perihelion passage, but no additional trace
of cometary material was detected.  The object is estimated to have
been of mag -0.8 at ~ 8 solar radii.  The discovery team included
R. Seal, R. Chaimson and W. Funk.

       1981 UT        rho     theta      R. A. (1950) Decl.
       July 19.999    9.56    237.0      7 46.22   +19 39.0
            20.030    8.96    238.1      7 46.82   +19 45.4
            20.069    8.21    238.5      7 47.66   +19 51.2
            20.096    7.67    239.9      7 48.20   +19 57.2
            20.135    6.84    241.6      7 49.04   +20 05.2
            20.162    6.30    242.9      7 49.64   +20 10.3

     The following parabolic orbital elements, by the undersigned,
confirm the high probability that all three SOLWIND objects are
members of the Kreutz group of sungrazing comets and that they may
be related to each other rather directly.  The orbit, whose
perihelion direction is in very close agreement with that of
other members of the Kreutz group, satisfies the observations within 1':

     T = 1981 July 20.321 ET                Peri. =  73.732
                                            Node  = 352.231   1950.0
     q = 0.00427  AU  (= 0.92 Rs)           Incl. = 143.178


SATURN VIII (IAPETUS)
     The following precise positions have been measured by E.
Bowell from exposures obtained at the Lowell Observatory's
Anderson Mesa station:

     1982 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.
     Apr. 18.22083    13 09 36.01   - 4 26 29.3
          18.25417    13 09 35.34   - 4 26 25.8


1982 July 30                   (3719)              Brian G. Marsden

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