[IAUC] IAUC 9067: P/2009 Q1 [25139-2009/08-R1]

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                                                  Circular No. 9067
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
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COMET P/2009 Q1 (HILL)
     R. E. Hill reports his discovery of a diffuse comet with no
clear condensation and a 12"-15" coma with a broad, diffuse tail
about 20" long in p.a. 250 deg on co-added 30-s exposures taken in
2"-3" seeing on Aug. 27 with the Catalina Sky Survey 0.68-m Schmidt
telescope (discovery observation tabulated below).  Hill adds that
Catalina images taken on Aug. 28.3 UT show a diffuse nuclear
condensation with a 16"-20" coma, the broad, diffuse tail being
about 1'-2' long, with similar appearance also on Aug. 29.3 images.
After posting on the Minor Planet Center's 'NEOCP' webpage, other
CCD astrometrists have also noted the object's cometary appearance.
L. Buzzi (Varese, Italy, 0.60-m reflector; Aug. 28.1) notes a quite
strong condensation and a diffuse tail about 30" long in p.a. about
260 deg.  G. Hug (Scranton, KS, U.S.A., 0.56-m reflector; Aug. 28.3)
measured a tail in p.a. about 250 deg.  E. Guido and G. Sostero
(remotely using a 0.25-m reflector near Mayhill; Aug. 28.3, fifteen
120-s unfiltered exposures) report a diffuse coma almost 15" in
diameter.  H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan, remotely using a 0.25-m reflector
near Mayhill; Aug. 28.3) finds a diffuse 30" coma with a wide tail
of length about 1'.6.  K. Kadota (Ageo, Saitama-ken, Japan, 0.25-m
reflector; Aug. 28.7) notes a diffuse coma of diameter 0'.4 with a
hint of tail toward the west.  J. Lacruz (Madrid, Spain, 0.40-m
reflector; Aug. 29.0, twenty co-added 2-min images) finds the
object to be very diffuse with a round coma of size 12" and a tail
20" long in p.a. 249 deg.  F. Fratev (Sofia, Bulgaria, 0.35-m
reflector; Aug. 29.1, five 60-s unfiltered exposures) notes a
diffuse coma nearly 10" in diameter.  D. Chestnov (remotely using a
0.41-m reflector at the Tzec Maun Observatory near Mayhill; Aug.
29.27) reports a diffuse 15" coma with a short tail in p.a. 255 deg.

     2009 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Aug. 27.40082   23 28 45.19   - 0 00 44.8   17.9   Hill

     The available astrometry (including pre-discovery Spacewatch
observations on Aug. 16), the following preliminary elliptical
orbital elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2009-Q67.

     T = 2009 July 19.299 TT          Peri. = 162.358
     e = 0.48459                      Node  = 173.964   2000.0
     q = 2.84860 AU                   Incl. =  14.964
       a =  5.52688 AU     n = 0.075855     P =  12.99 years

                      (C) Copyright 2009 CBAT
2009 August 29                 (9067)            Daniel W. E. Green