[IAUC] IAUC 9015: P/2008 WZ_96; P/2009 B1 [25139-2009/08-R1]

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                                                  Circular No. 9015
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
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COMET P/2008 WZ_96 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object that was discovered by the
LINEAR survey in late November and again in late December (when the
Minor Planet Center linked the two sets of observations), and
designated 2008 WZ_96 (discovery observations tabulated below; cf.
MPS 267760, 270506), has been found to show cometary appearance by
CCD astrometrists elsewhere.  P. C. Sherrod (Conway, AR, U.S.A.,
0.51-m f/4.3 astrograph) reports that images taken on Jan. 20.05-
20.07 UT show a round, small, uniform nebulosity of total mag about
17.7 surrounding a slight central condensation of mag about 18.5;
he adds that images taken over the previous two weeks had also
shown suggestions of a diffuse nature.  J. Y. Young (Table Mountain
0.61-m f/16 Cassegrain reflector) writes that his images from Jan.
29.1 show a round coma of diameter 6" with only a moderate
condensation and no tail visible even in longer exposures.  J. E.
McGaha (Tucson, AZ, U.S.A., 0.36-m f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain
reflector) notes that twelve stacked 60-s exposures from Jan. 30.1
show a round 12" coma with a stellar nucleus condensation and no
tail.

     2008 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Nov. 30.06444   22 24 11.08   -16 41 49.6   18.3   LINEAR
     Dec. 28.06701   23 21 01.03   - 8 43 02.4   18.1     "

Additional astrometry, the following orbital elements by B. G.
Marsden, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2009-B73.  Marsden notes
that the comet passed 0.36 AU from Jupiter in Apr. 2006.

                    Epoch = 2009 Jan.  9.0 TT
     T = 2009 Jan. 23.9424 TT         Peri. = 337.6385
     e = 0.509060                     Node  =  59.1168  2000.0
     q = 1.646014 AU                  Incl. =   6.9574
       a =  3.352781 AU    n = 0.1605448    P =   6.14 years


COMET P/2009 B1 (BOATTINI)
     Additional astrometry (including pre-discovery Catalina
observations from 2008 Nov. 18) of this comet (cf. IAUC 9013) and
the following revised orbital elements by B. G. Marsden were
published on MPEC 2009-B50:  Epoch = 2009 Feb. 18.0 TT, T = 2009
Feb. 6.2408 TT, e = 0.637146, q = 2.426329 AU, Peri. = 128.6057
deg, Node = 297.4434 deg, i = 22.2273 deg (equinox 2000.0), P =
17.29 years.

                      (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT
2009 January 30                (9015)            Daniel W. E. Green