Comet P/2013 P1 (Panstarrs)
Abstract
Bryce Bolin, Marco Micheli, Henry Hsieh, and Peter Veres report the discovery of a comet in two i'-band exposures and two r'-band exposures from the Pan-STARRS1 telescope on Haleakala on Aug. 1 (discovery observations tabulated below); the object then showed a diffuse, non-stellar appearance with a tail about 8"-10" long in p.a. 250 degrees. Follow-up images taken by Micheli and Richard Wainscoat on Aug. 3.5 UT with the 3.6-m Canada-France- Hawaii Telescope (queue observer David Woodworth) show a thin 20" tail in p.a. 260 deg and a coma with FWHM about 1".4 in 1".0 seeing; they measured r magnitude 19.3-19.5. After posting on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP webpage, H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan) reported that eight stacked 60-s exposures taken on Aug. 3.56 with an iTelescope 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph (+ luminance filter) at Siding Spring show a 10" tail toward p.a. 240 degrees and a strongly condensed coma 8" in diameter with a magnitude of 18.8 as measured within a circular aperure of radius 6".5. 2013 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Aug. 1.54103 22 29 02.41 - 4 06 36.7 19.8 1.55327 22 29 02.19 - 4 06 40.9 19.9 1.56705 22 29 01.93 - 4 06 45.6 20.1 1.57821 22 29 01.72 - 4 06 49.8 20.3 The available astrometry (including Spacewatch observations from July 28 that were identified by T. Spahr, MPC), the following preliminary elliptical orbital elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2013-P18. T = 2013 Feb. 13.3273 TT Peri. = 133.4686 e = 0.652787 Node = 161.0449 2000.0 q = 3.272203 AU Incl. = 18.0388 a = 9.424202 AU n = 0.0340673 P = 28.93 years
- Publication:
-
Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams
- Pub Date:
- August 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013CBET.3618....1B