Comet P/2011 FR143 (Lemmon)
Abstract
Following a suggestion by Sergio Foglia, L. Buzzi (Varese, Italy) reports that he obtained CCD images of 2011 FR143, which was announced as an asteroidal discovery by R. E. Hill on images taken at Mount Lemmon on 2011 Mar. 29 (discovery observations tabulated below; cf. MPS 377447), on 2012 Mar. 29.104 UT with a 0.38-m f/6.8 refector that show (via stacking by Foglia and Buzzi) a compact coma 5" in diameter and a 10" tail in p.a. around 270 deg. Stacked images taken by Tomas Vorobjov on 2012 Mar. 31.46 with the Western Kentucky University 1.3-m f/13 reflector at Kitt Peak reveal a coma about 6" across and a tail 10" long in p.a. 275 deg. Stacked images taken by R. Holmes (Ashmore, IL, USA; 0.81-m f/4 astrograph; 2012 Apr. 6.4; measured by L. Buzzi, H. Devore, S. Foglia, and T. Vorobjov) show a coma of about 6" in diameter and a 12" tail in p.a. around 270 deg. Stacked images taken by P. Miller, P. Roche, A. Tripp, R. Miles, R. Holmes, S. Foglia, and L. Buzzi on 2012 Apr. 11.6 with the 2-m f/10 "Faulkes Telescope North" at Haleakala (measured by Buzzi and Foglia) show the object to be clearly diffuse with a coma at least 5" wide, even though the moon was only 25 deg away. 2011 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer Mar. 29.40540 12 06 23.54 - 3 33 06.0 19.4 Hill 29.41100 12 06 23.40 - 3 33 03.6 19.5 " 29.41655 12 06 23.25 - 3 33 01.4 19.4 " Additional 2012 astrometry, the following elliptical orbital elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2012-G36. Epoch = 2011 Mar. 20.0 TT T = 2011 Mar. 10.74431 TT Peri. = 349.94149 e = 0.4529925 Node = 191.02265 2000.0 q = 3.7355809 AU Incl. = 16.01362 a = 6.8291225 AU n = 0.05522767 P = 17.85 years
- Publication:
-
Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams
- Pub Date:
- April 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012CBET.3082....1B