Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 4240: 1986k
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Circular No. 4240
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 617-495-7244/7440/7444
PERIODIC COMET KOHOUTEK (1986k)
This comet has been recovered by T. Gehrels and J. Scotti
with the SPACEWATCH camera 0.91-m telescope on Kitt Peak.
1986 UT R.A. (1950.0) Decl. m1
July 30.35050 21 38 52.31 - 7 30 42.2 19.5
30.36348 21 38 51.79 - 7 30 43.9
30.37067 21 38 51.55 - 7 30 44.4
31.32277 21 38 12.01 - 7 32 44.5
31.32749 21 38 11.68 - 7 32 45.7
31.33995 21 38 11.29 - 7 32 48.1
31.34948 21 38 10.81 - 7 32 48.5
The comet is diffuse and uncondensed and difficult to measure. On
July 30 the image was elongated in an east-west direction by ~ 15".
The July 30.37067 image was involved with that of a star.
The position of this third-apparition comet is relatively far
from the prediction on MPC 10522/10554, evidently because of the
influence of unusually large nongravitational forces. A computation
by the undersigned from 40 observations 1975-1986 yields
nongravitational parameters (assumed constant) A1 = +6.1, A2 = +0.84
and the following orbital elements:
T = 1987 Oct. 29.8145 ET Epoch = 1987 Oct. 12.0 ET
Peri. = 175.7188 e = 0.497927
Node = 268.9826 1950.0 a = 3.535576 AU
Incl. = 5.9157 n = 0.1482565
q = 1.775119 AU P = 6.648 years
1986 ET R.A. (1950.0) Decl. p r m2
July 29 21 39.79 - 7 27.9 2.761 3.729 19.7
Aug. 8 21 32.57 - 7 51.5
18 21 24.73 - 8 21.1 2.635 3.642 19.3
28 21 16.91 - 8 54.1
Sept. 7 21 09.73 - 9 27.8 2.626 3.552 19.5
17 21 03.79 - 9 59.1
27 20 59.54 -10 25.8 2.720 3.460 19.7
Oct. 7 20 57.26 -10 46.1
17 20 57.07 -10 58.7 2.883 3.366 19.9
27 20 58.94 -11 03.0
Nov. 6 21 02.79 -10 58.7 3.078 3.269 20.0
1986 July 31 (4240) Brian G. Marsden
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