[IAUC] IAUC 9174: P/2010 U1; P/2010 U2; P/2010 T2 [25139-2011/04-R1]

[quai en eps.harvard.edu]

                                                  Circular No. 9174
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
New postal address:  Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
CBATIAU en EPS.HARVARD.EDU           ISSN 0081-0304
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


COMET P/2010 U1 (BOATTINI)
     A. Boattini reports his discovery of a comet on CCD images
taken with the Mt. Lemmon 1.5-m reflector (discovery observation
tabulated below); he notes a very strong condensation with a coma
about 4" wide and a very narrow, well-defined tail 50" long in p.a.
240-245 deg.  Following posting on the 'NEOCP', R. S. McMillan
reports that CCD mosaic images taken with the 0.9-m Spacewatch
reflector on Oct. 17.4 and 18.4 UT show a faint tail 8" and 10"
long (respectively) in p.a. 250 deg.

     2010 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Oct. 17.23352    1 48 47.91   +21 34 11.2   19.3   Boattini

The available astrometry (including prediscovery La Sagra Sky
Survey observations from Oct. 1), preliminary elliptical orbital
elements T = 2010 May 15.407 TT, e = 0.26662, q = 4.88416 AU,
Peri. = 93.794 deg, Node = 281.247 deg, i = 8.234 deg, equinox
2000.0, P = 17.2 years), and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2010-U18.


COMET P/2010 U2 (HILL)
     R. E. Hill reports his discovery of a comet on Catalina 0.68-m
Schmidt telescope CCD images (discovery observation tabulated below);
co-added images show a diffuse nucleus with a 1"-2" coma and a thin
tail about 15"-20" long in p.a. 240 deg.  Following posting on the
'NEOCP', other CCD astrometrists have reported on the object's
cometary appearance on Oct. 18 UT, including H. Sato (0.30-m
reflector; diffuse 10" coma); E. Guido, G. Sostero, V. Gonano, and L.
Donato (0.25-m reflector; slightly diffuse); L. Buzzi and S. Foglia
(0.36-m reflector; faint tail); P. Miller, P. Roche, A. Tripp, and S.
Foglia (2.0-m reflector; round 8" coma); and R. Ligustri (0.25-m
reflector; coma diameter about 10"-15");

     2010 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Oct. 17.31577    2 06 43.63   +30 14 15.5   18.2   Hill

The available astrometry (including prediscovery La Sagra Sky
Survey observations from Oct. 1 and Catalina observations from
Oct. 9), preliminary elliptical orbital elements (T = 2010 Nov.
9.746 TT, e = 0.40365, q = 2.55669 AU, Peri. = 44.270 deg, Node =
357.247 deg, i = 16.910 deg, equinox 2000.0, P = 8.9 years), and
an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2010-U19.


COMET P/2010 T2 (PANSTARRS)
    Corrigendum.  On IAUC 9173, line 13, FOR  Spacewatch  READ  Bok

                      (C) Copyright 2010 CBAT
2010 October 18                (9174)            Daniel W. E. Green