[IAUC] CBET 1343: 20080419 : COMET C/2008 H1 (LINEAR)

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 1343
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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COMET C/2008 H1 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object discovered by the LINEAR project
(discovery observation below) and posted on the Minor Planet Center's 'NEOCP'
webpage, was first reported as cometary by E. Reina L., Masquefa Observatory,
Hospitalet, Spain, on Apr. 19.0 UT (0.25-m f/3.3 Schmidt-Cassegrain);
he noted a 25-arcsec coma of total mag 16.6 and a 43-arcsec tail in
p.a. 233 deg.  E. Guido and G. Sostero, observing remotely from Mayhill,
New Mexico, on Apr. 19.5 (0.25-m f/3.4 reflector), report that stacking
20 unfiltered 60-second CCD exposures in strong moonlight showed the object to
be diffuse in comparison to stars of similar brightness.  J. M. Aymami,
Observatorio Carmelita, Tiana, Spain (0.13-m f/5.9 refractor), remarked
on a suspected coma in p.a. 209 deg on Apr. 19.8.  At the same time
R. Apitzsch, Wildberg, Germany (0.35-m f/4.2 reflector) noted a tail
to the southwest.

     2008 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Apr. 18.34722   17 02 01.68   +79 15 56.0   18.1

The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital
elements and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2008-H09.

     T = 2008 Mar. 11.781 TT          Peri. =  94.644
                                      Node  =  33.724  2000.0
     q = 2.78957 AU                   Incl. =  75.770


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                         (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT
2008 April 19                    (CBET 1343)              Brian G. Marsden