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IAUC 4677: 1988o

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                                                  Circular No. 4677
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


PERIODIC COMET GE-WANG (1988o)
     J.-x. Zhang, Purple Mountain Observatory, reports that Y.-l. Ge
and Q. Wang have discovered a moving object of somewhat diffuse
appearance.  The object's cometary nature has been confirmed from
prediscovery exposures by C. and E. Shoemaker at Palomar:

     1988 UT             R.A. (1950) Decl.        m1    Observer
     Oct. 11.48385    3 03 42.04   + 6 30 27.8   16.5   Shoemaker
          11.51510    3 03 41.43   + 6 30 13.3              "
     Nov.  4.36736    2 50 58.46   + 3 47 17.7   16         "
           4.59666    2 50 50.19   + 3 45 59.4   17     Ge
           4.63797    2 50 48.50   + 3 45 43.7           "

Y.-l. Ge and Q. Wang (Xinglong Station, Beijing Observatory).
   0.60-m Schmidt telescope.
C. S. and E. M. Shoemaker (Palomar).  0.46-m Schmidt telescope.
   Measurer C. S. Shoemaker.  Object diffuse with strong condensation,
   no tail.

     Computations by B. G. Marsden, Center for Astrophysics, indicate
that this is a short-period comet.  The poor distribution of
observations introduces substantial uncertainty, but a parabolic
solution seems out of the question.

     T = 1988 June 22.77 ET           Peri. = 185.10
     e = 0.4815                       Node  = 175.68    1950.0
     q = 2.3917 AU                    Incl. =  10.38
       a =  4.6126 AU      n = 0.09949      P =   9.91 years

     1988 ET      R.A. (1950) Decl.     Delta      r       m1
     Nov.  5     2 50.58    + 3 43.7    1.625    2.603    16.2
          10     2 47.51    + 3 17.5
          15     2 44.57    + 2 55.5    1.673    2.633    16.3
          20     2 41.89    + 2 38.0
          25     2 39.54    + 2 25.5    1.747    2.664    16.5
          30     2 37.61    + 2 17.8
     Dec.  5     2 36.14    + 2 15.1    1.844    2.697    16.6
          10     2 35.19    + 2 17.0
          15     2 34.77    + 2 23.4    1.962    2.731    16.8


1988 November 19               (4677)             Daniel W. E. Green

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