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IAUC 6916: C/1998 K3

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                                                  Circular No. 6916
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
BMARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or DGREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html
Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET C/1998 K3 (LINEAR)
     Another comet has been found among the fast-moving asteroidal
objects reported by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid
Research project and included on The NEO Confirmation Page
(http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/NEO/ToConfirm.html):

     1998 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m2
     May  23.36714   16 36 54.32   + 2 27 43.5   18.4

On sending the first confirmatory observations on May 24.5 UT, F. B.
Zoltowski (Woomera, 0.3-m Schmidt-Cassegrain) remarked on the "poor"
nature of the images, and on May 25.5 he added that they were diffuse
and difficult to measure (unlike those of the six other LINEAR objects he
also observed at that time).  Initial orbit computations at the Minor
Planet Center suggested that the orbit was retrograde.  In response to
our request, M. Tichy (Klet, 0.6-m reflector), observing on May 25.9,
also remarked that the object seemed slightly diffuse (coma about 8").
In better conditions on May 26.2, W. B. Offutt (Cloudcroft, 0.6-m
reflector) remarked on a faint coma, some 3" in diameter, and a faint,
but discernible, tail extending about 10" from the central condensation
in p.a. approximately 120 deg.  S. Nakano reports that A. Sugie (Dynic,
0.6-m reflector), observing on May 26.6, independently noted the object's
cometary nature, with a 6"-8" coma and a 6" tail to the east.

     The following parabolic orbital elements, computed by the undersigned
from 45 observations May 23-26, are taken from MPEC 1998-K19:

     T = 1998 Mar.  3.897 TT          Peri. =  46.986
                                      Node  = 307.813   2000.0
     q = 3.53934 AU                   Incl. = 160.184

1998 TT     R. A. (2000) Decl.     Delta      r    Elong. Phase      m1
May  22    16 40.27    + 2 15.1    2.671    3.612  154.8    6.9     17.7
     27    16 27.94    + 3 00.0    2.675    3.622  155.5    6.6     17.7
June  1    16 15.67    + 3 40.3    2.693    3.631  153.9    7.1     17.8
      6    16 03.66    + 4 15.5    2.726    3.642  150.3    7.9     17.8
     11    15 52.10    + 4 45.0    2.771    3.653  145.4    9.1     17.8
     16    15 41.13    + 5 08.9    2.829    3.664  139.9   10.3     17.9
     21    15 30.87    + 5 27.2    2.897    3.676  134.0   11.5     18.0
     26    15 21.40    + 5 40.3    2.976    3.689  127.9   12.6     18.0
July  1    15 12.79    + 5 48.4    3.063    3.702  121.9   13.5     18.1
      6    15 05.03    + 5 52.3    3.157    3.715  115.9   14.2     18.2

                      (C) Copyright 1998 CBAT
1998 May 26                    (6916)              Brian G. Marsden

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