Comet C/2013 U1 (Catalina)
Abstract
An apparently asteroidal object found on CCD images taken by J. A. Johnson in the course of the Catalina Sky Survey (discovery observations tabulated below), and posted on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP webpage, has been found to show cometary appearance by CCD astrometrists elsewhere (after which time, it was moved to the MPC's new "Possible Comet Confirmation Page", whose website URL is http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/NEO/pccp_tabular.html). H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan; remotely using a 0.32-m f/8 astrograph located at the RAS Observatory near Nerpio, Spain) found a strongly condensed, compact coma of diameter 6" with a narrow tail 30" long toward p.a. 325 degrees in ten stacked 60-s exposures taken on Oct. 23.8 UT; ten stacked 60-s follow-up images taken on Oct. 24.1 (remotely with a 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph + luminance filter at the iTelescope site near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.) show a strongly condensed, diffuse coma of diameter 12" in diameter of total mag 18.1 as measured within a circular aperure radius of 7".6. R. Ligustri (Talmassons, Udine, Italy; remotely with an iTelescope 0.43-m f/4.5 reflector near Mayhill) notes a coma of size about 12" and mag 18.1 on Oct. 25.1. J. V. Scotti writes that his exposures taken with the Spacewatch 1.8-m f/2.7 reflector at Kitt Peak on Oct. 28.15-28.17 show the comet to be diffuse with a symmetric coma of diameter 19" and no obvious tail. L. Buzzi reports that images taken with the 2.0-m "Faulkes Telescope South" (+ Bessell R filter) at Siding Spring on Oct. 28.4 by a team of nine observers and measurers show a diffuse 8" coma and no tail. 2013 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer Oct. 22.10774 21 18 01.97 + 8 11 43.3 17.9 Johnson 22.11380 21 18 02.37 + 8 11 38.8 18.7 " 22.11985 21 18 02.66 + 8 11 35.0 18.2 " The available astrometry, the following elliptical orbital elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2013-U83. T = 2013 Nov. 18.6104 TT Peri. = 142.9399 e = 0.776927 Node = 211.5585 2000.0 q = 2.407949 AU Incl. = 23.8201 a = 10.794445 AU n = 0.0277910 P = 35.5 years
- Publication:
-
Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams
- Pub Date:
- October 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013CBET.3682....1J