[IAUC] CBET 4148: 20151012 : COMET P/2015 T1 = P/2003 WC7 (LINEAR-CATALINA)

[quai en eps.harvard.edu]

                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 4148
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Mailing address:  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 P/2015 T1 = P/2003 WC7 (LINEAR-CATALINA)
     R. Weryk, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, reports what
was apparently the discovery of an unknown comet in four w-band exposures
taken with the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS1 telescope at Haleakala on Oct. 10
(astrometry tabulated below), noting that there is evidence of a faint-but-
broad tail, extending towards position angle approximately 70 degrees; in
his report, Weryk commented that the object may be a recovery of comet
P/2003 WC7 (cf. IAUC 8280).

     2015 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Oct. 10.53427    4 45 34.52   - 6 53 50.1   19.7
          10.54536    4 45 35.12   - 6 53 48.1   19.6
          10.55644    4 45 35.72   - 6 53 46.2   19.6
          10.56753    4 45 36.31   - 6 53 44.3   19.7

Following posting of the object on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP webpage,
other astrometry contributed by observers elsewhere confirmed the
identification with P/2003 WC7, though no other reports of cometary
appearance have been received; the additional astrometry appear on MPEC
2015-T72.  The indicated correction to the prediction by G. V. Williams on
MPC 79352 is Delta(T) = +0.70 day; the indicated correction to the predictin
by S. Nakano in the ICQ's 2015 Comet Handbook is Delta(T) = +0.37 day.
The following linked orbital elements by Williams are from 115 observations
spanning 2003 Nov. 18-2015 Oct. 12 (mean residual 0".6):

                    Epoch = 2015 Dec.  4.0 TT
     T = 2015 Dec.  5.55231 TT        Peri. = 342.37913
     e = 0.6797392                    Node  =  88.77513 2000.0
     q = 1.6595560 AU                 Incl. =  21.46164
       a =  5.1818895 AU   n = 0.08355489   P =  11.80 years


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2015 CBAT
2015 October 12                  (CBET 4148)              Daniel W. E. Green