Comet and Fast-Moving Object

R. D. Eberst, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, writes that he has recently found images of a comet and a fast-moving asteroidal object on plates taken on consecutive nights a year ago with the U.K. 122-cm Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring. The comet has a tail 3' long; the object, designated 1977 OA, was near the edge of each plate, particularly the first one. The following positions of the ends of each trail are probably accurate to +/- 2": 1977 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. Mag. Comet July 18.57526 20 52 54.20 -34 03 10.7 ~18 18.62387 20 52 52.25 -34 03 10.3 19.61292 20 52 06.84 -34 02 51.6 19.68848 20 52 04.48 -34 02 51.2 1977 OA July 18.57526 21 01 50.47 -37 59 26.9 ~17 18.62387 21 01 35.43 -37 58 55.1 19.61292 20 56 40.87 -37 46 31.5 19.66848 20 56 24.26 -37 45 48.8