[IAUC] CBET 3134: 20120605 : COMET C/2012 L1 (LINEAR)

[quai en eps.harvard.edu]

                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 3134
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 L1 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object discovery by the LINEAR survey (discovery
observations tabulated below), and posted on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP
webpage, has been found to show cometary appearance by other CCD
astrometrists.  S. Gajdos and J. Vilagi (Modra, Slovakia; 0.6-m f/5.5
reflector presumed) write that thirty stacked 60-s images taken on June 2.9
UT show a condensed coma with a diameter of up to 7", elongated in p.a. about
210 deg with a tail as long as 40" in the same position angle.  H. Sato
(Tokyo, Japan; remotely with a 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph at the RAS Observatory
near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.; June 3.25) finds a moderately condensed coma 10" in
diameter; Sato also obtained images with a 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph on June 5.4
that show a moderately condensed coma 10"-12" in diameter with a hint of a
tail 15" long toward p.a. 210 deg.  Stacked images taken by R. Holmes (Ashmore,
IL, USA; 0.61-m f/4 astrograph; June 3.3; measured by T. Vorobjov, L. Buzzi,
and S. Foglia) show a 8" coma of mag 18.4-18.5 and a tail 25" long in p.a. 220
deg; additional frames taken by Holmes on June 5.3 (measured by Buzzi, H.
Devore, Foglia, and Vorobjov) show a 10" coma and a tail 30" long in p.a. 215
deg.  E. Bryssinck (Kruibeke, Belgium) obtained images on June 4.3 with a
0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph located at the RAS Observatory (iTelescope network)
near Mayhill; his stacked unfiltered images show a coma of size 9" x 16",
elongated toward the southwest (p.a. 228 deg).  Images taken by T. Vorobjov
(1.3-m f/13 Cassegrain reflector) on June 5.4 shows a tail 20" long in p.a.
220 deg.

     2012 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     June  1.32994   19 35 39.81   +66 31 09.9   19.0   LINEAR
           1.34053   19 35 38.89   +66 31 26.3   18.7     "
           1.35121   19 35 37.74   +66 31 42.9   19.2     "
           1.36203   19 35 37.04   +66 32 00.0   19.3     "

The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital
elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2012-L12.

     T = 2012 Dec. 23.0799 TT         Peri. = 138.4481
                                      Node  = 271.8547  2000.0
     q = 2.313772 AU                  Incl. =  87.2278


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

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 June 5                      (CBET 3134)              Daniel W. E. Green