Comet C/1999 F1 (Catalina)
Abstract
On Apr. 17, T. B. Spahr, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, reported the automatic discovery of an object of unusual motion and stellar appearance in the course of the Catalina Sky Survey (0.41-m Schmidt + CCD): 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m2 Mar. 23.31633 13 22 09.56 - 8 27 59.9 18.3 Spahr obtained follow-up data on Apr. 16 and 17. Computations by B. G. Marsden suggested that the object was a long-period comet in a highly-inclined orbit, yielding an identification in Mar. 13 Spacewatch data. Further observations (given on MPEC 1999-H09) produce the orbital elements below. CCD images (660 s total exposure) obtained with the Catalina 1.5-m reflector by J. Bialozynski, D. Dietrich, C. Greenberg, E. Hooper, D. McBee, D. McCarthy, J. Pici, G. Rudnick, and C. Vedeler, and co-added by C. W. Hergenrother, show a faint coma of diameter 8"-10". T = 2002 Feb. 13.883 TT Peri. = 254.994 Node = 20.036 2000.0 q = 5.80301 AU Incl. = 92.160 1999 TT R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase m2 Apr. 12 13 12.07 - 8 24.1 8.140 9.142 178.0 0.2 18.9 22 13 06.80 - 8 21.4 8.111 9.093 167.1 1.4 19.0 May 2 13 01.71 - 8 19.1 8.114 9.045 156.2 2.6 19.1 12 12 56.94 - 8 18.3 8.147 8.996 145.4 3.7 19.2 22 12 52.67 - 8 19.6 8.206 8.948 134.8 4.6 19.2
- Publication:
-
International Astronomical Union Circular
- Pub Date:
- April 1999
- Bibcode:
- 1999IAUC.7148....1S