Circular No. 2745 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Cable Address: SATELLITES, NEWYORK Western Union: RAPID SATELLITE CAMBMASS COMET BOETHIN Letters received in mid-January from the Rev. Leo Boethin, Abra, The Philippines, reported observations of a possible comet discovered by him on Jan. 4. Bright moonlight made confirmation impossible, and there was no further news of the comet until Feb. 3, when a cablegram from the Rev. Boethin brought a single, very rough observation made on Feb. 1. With the help of a tentative ephemeris by the undersigned, C. Scovil obtained a suspected visual observation of the comet with the 56-cm Maksutov telescope at the Stamford Museum, but he was unable to obtain a convincing photographic confirmation. The first definite confirmations were obtained visually by J. E. Bortle, Brooks Observatory, with a 32-cm reflector; and by R. E. McCrosky photographically with the 41-cm refractor and 155-cm reflector at Harvard Observatory's Agassiz Station on Feb. 9. All observers described the comet as very diffuse, with some very slight confirmation. The observations are as follows: 1975 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1 Observer Jan. 4.521 23 00 56 - 5 13 12.3 Boethin 5.479 23 05 32 - 4 37 12.0 " 7.479 23 12 54 - 3 37 12.0 " 8.500 23 17 14 - 3 02 12.0 " Feb. 1.458 0 55 +10 " 4.035 1 07.5 +11 38 12 Scovil 9.00 1 29.2 +14 05 11.3 Bortle 9.069 1 29.2 +14 09 McCrosky 10.00 1 33.3 +14 38 11.3 Bortle PERIODIC COMET SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN 1 Further precise positions have been reported as follows: 1974/75 UT R. A. (1950) Decl. m1 Observer Dec. 14.74071 23 05 27.51 + 0 45 26.0 17.0 Mrkos 14.75512 23 05 27.91 + 0 45 27.3 " Jan. 15.10630 23 20 42.39 + 2 10 03.9 15.6 Giclas 15.12812 23 20 43.27 + 2 10 08.1 " A. Mrkos (Klet Observatory). H. L. Giclas (Lowell Observatory). Measurer: Mary Lou Kantz. 1975 February 10 (2745) Brian G. Marsden
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