Comet P/2012 WX_32 (Tenagra)
Abstract
Astrometry of an apparently asteroidal object reported by M. Schwartz and P. R. Holvorcem (discovery observations tabulated below) from images obtained with a 0.41-m f/3.75 astrograph at the Tenagra II Observatory near Nogales, AZ, U.S.A., were assigned the minor-planet designation 2012 WX_32 by the Minor Planet Center. Several days later, Holvorcem noted that thirty stacked 60-s unfiltered exposures taken in 2".3 seeing between Dec. 3.34 and 3.38 UT in strong moonlight (moon only 18 deg away) show the object to be diffuse with a coma of diameter 9", and a possible elongation toward p.a. 270 deg. G. V. Williams and C. L. Marsden report that stacking of three R-band 300-s CCD exposures, obtained on Dec. 4.35-4.39 remotely with a 0.50-m reflector at the iTelescope Mayhill site, show a 10" coma and a short tail in p.a. 285 deg. Images taken remotely by H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan; 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph at the RAS Observatory near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.) on Dec. 4.5 show a round coma of diameter 10". R. A. Kowalski (Mount Lemmon 1.5-m reflector) found mag 17.5-17.6 and a straight tail approximately 30" long in p.a. 270 deg on his exposures from Dec. 4.5. 2012 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Nov. 27.49856 7 21 24.74 +26 54 06.3 18.2 27.51372 7 21 24.71 +26 54 13.5 18.2 27.52853 7 21 24.53 +26 54 20.8 18.3 28.38251 7 21 24.70 +27 01 35.4 18.0 28.39679 7 21 24.71 +27 01 43.2 18.0 28.41138 7 21 24.67 +27 01 50.5 18.2 The available astrometry, the following elliptical orbital elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2012-X13. T = 2013 Feb. 26.5527 TT Peri. = 39.7594 e = 0.432818 Node = 81.1720 2000.0 q = 2.420637 AU Incl. = 15.6677 a = 4.267834 AU n = 0.1117874 P = 8.82 years
- Publication:
-
Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012CBET.3329....1S