[IAUC] IAUC 9013: C/2009 B1 [25139-2009/08-R1]

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                                                  Circular No. 9013
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
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COMET C/2009 B1 (BOATTINI)
     A. Boattini reports his discovery of a comet with a strong
condensation, a 10" coma, and a wide tail about 30" long in p.a. 60
deg on images taken with the Catalina Sky Survey's 0.68-m Schmidt
telescope (discovery observation tabulated below).  Following
posting on the Minor Planet Center's 'NEOCP' webpage, numerous
other CCD astrometrists have commented on the object's cometary
appearance.  W. H. Ryan (Magdalena Ridge Observatory, Socorro, NM,
U.S.A., 2.4-m f/8.9 reflector, Jan. 21.2 UT) reports a "fuzzy
appearance" with a faint tail in p.a. approximately 60 deg.  J.
Bedient (2.0-m "Faulkes Telescope North" at Haleakala, Jan. 21.3)
writes that a co-added 180-s R-band exposure shows a 6" coma and a
10"-long tail in p.a. 55 deg.  Five stacked 300-s exposures taken
by T. Kryachko and S. Korotkiy (Astrotel Observatory, Kazan State
University, 0.30-m Takahashi telescope, Jan. 21.7) show a faint 18"
tail in p.a. 60 deg and a coma diameter of about 9".  L. Buzzi
(Varese, Italy, 0.60-m reflector, Jan. 21.8) finds the comet to be
diffuse with an asymmetric coma about 10" wide with a central
condensation but no noticeable tail.  R. Holmes (Charleston, IL,
U.S.A., 0.81-m astrograph, Jan. 22.0) reports that a 15-min stack
of images reveals a nuclear condensation 9".0 wide and a broad,
diffuse, 21".8 tail in p.a. 78.9 deg.  D. T. Durig and M. F.
Mansfield (Sewanee, TN, U.S.A., 0.30-m reflector, Jan. 22.1) notes
that twenty stacked 120-s frames show a coma of diameter 8"-10"
with a hint of an 10" tail in p.a. 75-80 deg.  E. Guido,
Castellammare di Stabia, Italy, writes that eighteen co-added 120-s
unfiltered exposures that he took remotely with G. Sostero and P.
Camilleri using a 0.25-m reflector near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A., on
Jan. 22.1 show a coma diameter of about 11" and a tail about 15"
long in p.a. 70 deg.

     2009 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Jan. 21.07424    1 48 22.96   +34 00 22.5   18.2   Boattini

The available astrometry, the following very preliminary parabolic
orbital elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2009-B46.  It is
possible that this comet is of short period.

     T = 2009 Apr. 14.471 TT          Peri. = 158.062
                                      Node  = 304.744   2000.0
     q = 1.96025 AU                   Incl. =  20.617

                      (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT
2009 January 22                (9013)            Daniel W. E. Green