Comet P/2015 K5 (Panstarrs)
Abstract
R. Wainscoat, R. Weryk, and M. Micheli report the discovery of another apparent comet in CCD exposures taken with the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS1 telescope at Haleakala on May 29 and 30 and June 3 UT (discovery observations tabulated below); the object shows a diffuse faint halo around a central condensation, and it looks consistently "softer" than nearby stars. 2015 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. May 29.42663 16 34 48.53 +33 19 59.1 20.1 29.43954 16 34 48.01 +33 19 56.2 20.0 29.45249 16 34 47.50 +33 19 53.5 20.3 29.46545 16 34 46.97 +33 19 50.7 20.2 30.43326 16 34 09.89 +33 16 05.5 20.4 30.44629 16 34 09.37 +33 16 02.2 20.6 30.45937 16 34 08.83 +33 15 59.2 20.5 30.47246 16 34 08.32 +33 15 56.0 20.5 June 3.52915 16 31 33.13 +32 56 35.0 20.5 3.54305 16 31 32.59 +32 56 30.3 20.2 3.55691 16 31 32.04 +32 56 25.6 20.7 The available astrometry (including prediscovery Pan-STARRS1 from May 11, when the brightness was given as a half-magnitude fainter), the following preliminary elliptical orbital elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2015-L26. Epoch = 2015 May 18.0 TT T = 2015 June 6.6387 TT Peri. = 106.0647 e = 0.554086 Node = 134.2607 2000.0 q = 2.985988 AU Incl. = 39.9881 a = 6.696326 AU n = 0.0568786 P = 17.33 years
- Publication:
-
Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams
- Pub Date:
- June 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015CBET.4110....1W