[IAUC] CBET 3340: 20121212 : COMET C/2012 X1 (LINEAR)

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 3340
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
CBAT Director:  Daniel W. E. Green; Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
e-mail:  cbatiau en eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat en iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


COMET C/2012 X1 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object discovered by the LINEAR survey
(discovery observations tabulated below), and posted at the Minor Planet
Center's NEOCP webpage, has been reported to show cometary appearance by
numerous CCD astrometrists elsewhere.  L. Buzzi (Varese, Italy; 0.38-m f/6.8
reflector; Dec. 9.2 UT) reports that stacked images obtained in good
conditions show a compact coma 8" wide of red mag 18.8 with no tail, the
object's profile clearly extended with respect to nearby stars.  H. Sato
(Tokyo, Japan; remotely with a 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph at the RAS Observatory
near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.; Dec. 9.3) writes that six stacked 120-s exposures
show a strongly condensed round coma of diameter 12" with total V-band mag
18.8 as measured within a circular aperture of radius 5".7; no obvious tail
was seen.  Four stacked 180-s images obtained remotely by R. Ligustri (Udine,
Italy) on Dec. 9.34 with a 0.43-m f/4.5 reflector at the same site near
Mayhill show a 20" coma of red mag 18.5-18.7 elongated toward p.a. 315 deg.
E. Bryssinck (Kruibeke, Belgium) reports that his Bessel R-band exposures
obtained remotely with a 0.5-m f/6.8 reflector, also at the same Mayhill site
(see http://www.itelescope.net) on Dec. 9.4 show a condensed circular coma of
diameter 13" with no tail.  Red images obtained by G. Masi and F. Nocentini
(Ceccano, Italy; 0.43-m f/6.8 reflector; Dec. 10.1; measured by G. Masi and
U. Masi) show a diffuse coma about 10" in size.  P. Birtwhistle (Great
Shefford, Berkshire, England; 0.40-m f/6 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector; Dec.
10.2) found an almost stellar nuclear condensation of diameter 4"-6" with a
broad stubby tail extending 11" in p.a. 310 degrees.  Sixty-eight stacked 30-s
mages taken by R. Holmes (Ashmore, IL, USA; 0.76-m f/3 astrograph; Dec. 11.4;
measured by T. Vorobjov, L. Buzzi, and S. Foglia) show a coma 10" across.
William H. Ryan (Magdalena Ridge Observatory; 2.4-m f/8.9 reflector; Dec.
12.43-12.45) reports a distinct coma with magnitude R = 18.5.

     2012 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Dec.  8.38874    9 36 50.45   +29 49 15.6   19.4
           8.40186    9 36 50.47   +29 49 20.4   19.9
           8.42818    9 36 50.49   +29 49 29.9   19.9
           8.44137    9 36 50.41   +29 49 36.9   19.7

The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements
by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2012-X70.

     T = 2014 Mar. 11.6456 TT         Peri. = 128.6862
                                      Node  = 114.2593  2000.0
     q = 1.744126 AU                  Incl. =  46.2874


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

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 December 12                 (CBET 3340)              Daniel W. E. Green