Comet C/2011 U2 (Bressi)

Terry H. Bressi reports the discovery of a diffuse comet on CCD mosaic images taken with the Spacewatch 0.9-m f/3 reflector at Kitt Peak (discovery astrometry tabulated below); a short tail extends 7" from the central condensation in p.a. 260 deg. Follow-up observations by Bressi on Oct. 24.4 UT with the Spacewatch 1.8-m f/2.7 reflector confirm the tail length and direction; additional images with the same telescope taken by Bressi and R. S. McMillan through clouds on Oct. 26.2 show a 9" tail in p.a. 260 deg. Stacked R-band images taken by R. S. McMillan, J. V. Scotti, and D. Means on Oct. 24.37 with the Steward Observatory 2.3-m Bok telescope on Kitt Peak show a coma diameter of 5" and a narrow, straight tail that extends 0'.26 in brighter form, and faintly out to 0'.52, in p.a. 254 degrees. After posting on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP webpage, E. Guido (Castellammare di Stabia, Italy) writes that three stacked 60-s R-band exposures taken remotely on Oct. 25.5 with the 2.0-m f/10 "Faulkes Telescope North" at Haleakala by D. Cirelli, Guido, N. Howes, and G. Sostero show a compact coma about 4" x 3" in size, elongated toward p.a. 250 deg, with a sharp central condensation and a tail about 20" long in p.a. 250 deg. R. Ligustri (Udine, Italy) finds total red mag 18.8-18.9 and a thin tail 20"-25" long in p.a. about 250 deg on five stacked 300-s images taken remotely on Oct. 26.2 with a 0.50-m f/4.5 reflector located at the RAS Observatory near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A. 2011 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer Oct. 24.20595 2 59 13.56 +25 10 56.7 19.4 Bressi 24.22375 2 59 12.92 +25 10 54.1 19.4 " 24.24155 2 59 12.44 +25 10 51.9 19.4 " The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2011-U85. T = 2012 Oct. 9.205 TT Peri. = 222.890 Node = 263.794 2000.0 q = 2.49387 AU Incl. = 9.813