[IAUC] CBET 2072: 20091212 : COMET P/2009 U6 = 1997 A2 = 2002 Q15 (LINEAR)

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 2072
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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CBAT en CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
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COMET P/2009 U6 = 1997 A2 = 2002 Q15 (LINEAR)
     S. Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, has identified observations of comet P/2009 U6
(cf. IAUC 9090, 9092) among single-night data from NEAT at the two preceding
apparitions:

     1997 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Jan. 11.47268   09 43 20.27   +18 56 25.9   18.0   Haleakala-NEAT/GEODSS

     2002 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Aug. 20.31992   22 43 40.76   -22 43 16.9   18.0   Palomar Mountain/NEAT
     Sept. 9.32374   22 27 01.88   -26 30 17.8   17.8     "

     R. Matson, Irvine, CA, independently located the images corresponding
to the above observations (now given the designations P/1997 A2 and P/2002
Q15) and provided measurements from them, together with measurements from NEAT
images on 1997 Jan. 10 and on five further nights during 2002 July 24-Sept. 16.

     The comet's approach to a distance of 0.88 AU from Jupiter in Sept. 2007
means that the orbital period, currently 6.27 years, was previously 6.48-6.49
years, with the comet's previous two perihelion passages occurring on
2003 Mar. 3 and 1996 Sept. 4.

     Further details are given on MPEC 2009-X47.


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2009 CBAT
2009 December 12                 (CBET 2072)              Brian G. Marsden