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IAUC 8619: C/2005 T4

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                                                  Circular No. 8619
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)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304
Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET C/2005 T4 (SWAN)
     R. D. Matson, Newport Coast, California; and M. Mattiazzo,
Wallaroo, South Australia, have independently reported the presence
of a comet in SOHO SWAN images during the first half of October
(the object appearing rather faint in the ultraviolet images).  The
SWAN positions below are from Matson.  E. J. Christensen reports
that Catalina Sky Survey (0.68-m Schmidt telescope) images on Oct.
22.1 UT show a moderately condensed, roughly circular coma of
diameter about 2' in three coadded 20-second exposures.  R. H.
McNaught, observing with the 1.0-m f/8 reflector at Siding Spring
Observatory on Oct. 22.4, reports a diffuse 1' coma with a 3" (FWHM)
central condensation (used for the magnitude estimates below).  J.
E. McGaha (Tucson, Arizona, 0.62-m f/5.1 reflector) reports that
his images on Oct. 23.1 show a fan-shaped coma of size 20" x 30"
toward p.a. 120 deg.  A. Hale (Cloudcroft, New Mexico, 0.41-m
reflector) writes that a visual observation on Oct. 23.08 showed a
diffuse coma of diameter 1'.5 and total mag 12.1.

     2005 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Oct.  6         15 00.7       - 0 20               SWAN
           9         15 29.2       - 3 28                 "
          11         15 47.9       - 5 10                 "
          13         16 06.9       - 6 43                 "
     Oct. 22.06892   16 27 47.50   - 9 13 25.2   12.4   Christensen
          22.07064   16 27 47.68   - 9 13 27.0            "
          22.07230   16 27 47.91   - 9 13 28.7            "
          22.39354   16 28 24.32   - 9 17 53.4   18.1   McNaught
          22.39504   16 28 24.50   - 9 17 55.1   18.0     "
          22.39654   16 28 24.67   - 9 17 56.3   18.0     "
          22.39809   16 28 24.83   - 9 17 57.4   17.9     "
          22.39960   16 28 24.99   - 9 17 58.8   17.9     "
          22.40110   16 28 25.18   - 9 18 00.0   17.7     "

     Additional precise positions, the following preliminary
parabolic orbital elements by B. G. Marsden (from 12 precise
positions, Oct. 22-23), and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2005-U19:

     T = 2005 Oct.  9.602 TT          Peri. =  40.696
                                      Node  =  25.945   2000.0
     q = 0.64699 AU                   Incl. = 160.126

                      (C) Copyright 2005 CBAT
2005 October 24                (8619)            Daniel W. E. Green

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