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IAUC 8757: C/2006 T1

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 8757
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/2006 T1 (LEVY)
     David H. Levy, Tucson, AZ, reports his visual discovery with
his 0.41-m f/5 reflector of a diffuse comet that is close to Saturn
in the sky; the discovery position tabulated below is from CCD
astrometry obtained with a 0.36-m reflector, while the magnitude is
visual.  Following posting on the 'NEO Confirmation Page', other
observers have confirmed the object as a comet, including K.
Sarneczky (Szeged, Hungary, 0.60-m Schmidt telescope), who reports
that his CCD frames taken on Oct. 3.13-3.14 UT show a strong
central condensation of magnitude 15 and a coma of diameter 1'.  P.
Birtwhistle (Great Shefford, Berkshire, U.K., 0.40-m f/6 Schmidt-
Cassegrain telescope) writes that his CCD images taken on Oct. 3.2
show a circular coma of diameter 4'.5 with a concentrated but non-
stellar center and a thin, straight tail 14' long in p.a. 295 deg
(10" wide as it leaves the coma, fanning out to 2' wide as it fades
into the sky background).  R. Miles (Stourton Caundle, Dorset, U.K.,
0.06-m refractor) communicates that his CCD frames taken on Oct.
3.2 show a total V magnitude of 9.5 in a 3' aperture.  E. Guido and
G. Sostero (observing remotely with a 0.25-m f/3.4 reflector near
Mayhill, NM) write that their CCD images from Oct. 3.48 show a coma
diameter of 3' and a tail 2' long toward p.a. 297 deg.  A. Hale,
Cloudcroft, NM (0.41-m reflector) reports that his visual
observation on Oct. 3.47 yields a coma diameter of 2'.5 and total
magnitude 9.8.  J. E. McGaha (Tucson, AZ, 0.36-m f/10 Schmidt-
Cassegrain reflector + CCD) reports that six stacked 60-s frames
taken on Oct. 3.5 show a bright, round, inner coma of diameter 34"
with an outer coma of diameter 226", elongated toward a 30"-wide
tail that extends 600" in p.a. 287 deg.

     2006 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Oct.  2.50061    9 37 29.47   +15 52 43.1   10.5

The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic
orbital elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2006-T21.

     T = 2006 Oct.  9.226 TT          Peri. = 181.745
                                      Node  = 284.416   2000.0
     q = 1.07182 AU                   Incl. =  19.117

                      (C) Copyright 2006 CBAT
2006 October 3                 (8757)            Daniel W. E. Green

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