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IAUC 4668: 1988n; N Oph 1988

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                                                  Circular No. 4668
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM     EASYLINK 62794505
MARSDEN or GREEN@CFA.BITNET    MARSDEN or GREEN@CFAPS2.SPAN


COMET 1988n (SMM 5)
     O. C. St. Cyr, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, reports his
discovery of yet another probable sungrazing comet during routine
inspection of images obtained with the white-light coronagraph/
polarimeter (C/P) aboard the Solar Maximum Mission (cf. IAUC 4660 and
earlier).  The following measurements (accuracy 0.1 solar radii, and
0.1 deg in p.a.) were made by A. Stanger, High Altitude Observatory, and
reduced by D. Pitone and B. Twambly at the SMM Flight Dymamics Facility:

     1988 UT            R.A. (1950) Decl.
     Oct. 11.88403    13 02 46     - 7 31.2
          11.90139    13 03 19     - 7 30.0
          11.90694    13 03 26     - 7 30.0
          11.91875    13 03 53     - 7 28.2
          11.95486    13 05 07     - 7 25.2
          11.97222    13 05 41     - 7 23.4

SMM 5 had the longest tail (> 2 solar radii) and is the brightest
comet seen by C/P.  Much of the tail saturated the vidicon detector.
There was a conspicuous bulge (almost doubling the width of the tail)
on the northern side, about halfway along its length.  There appeared
to be a wispy structure extending further north and sunward from this
bulge, and the wispy structure appears to track with the comet in
several images.  This comet was certainly much brighter than mag -4.
The head disappeared into the occulting disk by about Oct. 12.00 UT.
The tail continued to appear in several more images but was gone by
about Oct. 12.10.  Although observations continued, the comet was
not detected as it receded from the sun.  Computations by B. G.
Marsden, Center for Astrophysics, yield the Kreutz-type orbit T = 1988
Oct. 12.07 UT, Peri. = 88.0, Node = 9.8, Incl. 144.8, q = 0.0053 AU.


NOVA OPHIUCHI 1988
     Visual magnitude estimates (cf. IAUC 4654):  Sept. 8.50 UT, 11.6
(P. Williams, Heathcote, N.S.W.); 17.45, 12.6 (Williams); 17.80, 11.2
(M. Verdenet, Bourbon-Lancy, France); 28.13, 12.0 (R. Royer,
Wrightwood, CA); 28.44, 12.7 (Williams); Oct. 5.40, 12.7 (Williams);
6.43, 12.4 (Williams); 8.39, 12.6 (Williams); 9.41, 13.0 (Williams);
10.41, 13.0 (Williams).


1988 October 25                (4668)             Daniel W. E. Green

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