Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
IAUC 4784: 1989k
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Circular No. 4784
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 WEST-HARTLEY (1989k)
On May 11 Richard M. West, European Southern Observatory, found a
cometary trail on a 60-min exposure obtained by G. Pizarro with the 1-m
Schmidt in March for the ESO Quick Blue Survey extension. The comet
appeared as a condensation in a diffuse halo, and there was a tail 0'.5
long in p.a. 310 deg. The daily motion was initially given as 210" in
p.a. 45 deg or 225 deg, and search ephemerides were prepared by the
undersigned on each possibility and the assumption of parabolic and
representative elliptical motion. The failure by R. H. McNaught to find
the comet on an exposure with the U.K. Schmidt on Apr. 28 eliminated the
225-deg parabolic case and rendered the elliptical case unlikely.
Accurate measurements by West on May 14 refined the daily motion, and the
southwest possibility was abandoned as less probable. Malcolm Hartley
accidentally discovered a comet on a J survey plate taken by S. M.
Hughes with the U.K. Schmidt on May 28, and McNaught notes that it is
in fact close to the southwest elliptical solution and that the comet
would have been just off the edge of the Apr. 28 plate. On May 28 the
comet had a tail 4' long in p.a. 305 deg. The orbit below satisfies
the trail ends within 0".2 but is obviously still very uncertain.
1989 UT R.A. (1950) Decl. m1 Observer
Mar. 14.32376 14 50 30.59 - 7 34 55.8 17.5 Pizarro
14.36542 14 50 30.05 - 7 35 03.0 "
May 28.47164 13 56 18.16 -10 38 48.4 17.0 Hughes
28.51678 13 56 16.75 -10 38 58.6 "
T = 1988 Oct. 1.55 ET Peri. = 112.44
e = 0.3140 Node = 45.64 1950.0
q = 2.4156 AU Incl. = 16.97
a = 3.5211 AU n = 0.14917 P = 6.61 years
1989 ET R.A. (1950) Decl. Delta r m1
Apr. 4 14 40.94 - 8 22.6 1.732 2.659 16.9
14 14 32.89 - 8 42.3
24 14 23.66 - 9 02.4 1.706 2.709 17.0
May 4 14 14.24 - 9 24.6
14 14 05.65 - 9 50.9 1.790 2.761 17.2
24 13 58.72 -10 22.7
June 3 13 53.95 -11 00.6 1.974 2.815 17.5
13 13 51.56 -11 45.1
23 13 51.54 -12 35.8 2.232 2.871 17.8
1989 May 29 (4784) Brian G. Marsden
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