Comet McNaught-Tritton (1978 XXVII)
Abstract
On Aug. 2 R. H. McNaught, Anglo-Australian Observatory, informed us that he had been able to find another image of the 1978 May 1 comet he reported on IAUC 5471. This was on a U.K. Schmidt exposure on 1978 Apr. 12 by K. P. Tritton and H. T. MacGillivray. The undersigned then suggested identity with the other comet mentioned on IAUC 5471, i.e., the one discovered by S. B. Tritton on a 1979 Mar. 5 plate (taken by W. J. Zealey) and the measurements of which were published with an erroneous date on IAUC 3662. A parabolic orbit solution (T = 1978 Aug. 25, q = 6.28 AU, i = 153 deg) then allowed S. B. Tritton to find a faint image of the comet on a plate taken by J. A. Dawe on 1980 Jan. 23. The 1978 May 1 image was also independently noticed by D. F. Malin.
- Publication:
-
International Astronomical Union Circular
- Pub Date:
- September 1993
- Bibcode:
- 1993IAUC.5866....2M