Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams -- Image credits

IAUC 2865: 1975o

The following International Astronomical Union Circular may be linked-to from your own Web pages, but must not otherwise be redistributed (see these notes on the conditions under which circulars are made available on our WWW site).

Read IAUC 2864 SEARCH Read IAUC 2866
IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 2865
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 GEHRELS (1975o)
     The following precise positions have been reported of the
object announced on IAUC 2861.  All observers have remarked on the
very strong condensation, but there is definitely also some coma.

     1975 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.        m2    Observer
     Oct. 27.14534     1 51 39.58   +12 17 59.6   17     Gehrels
          28.15645     1 51 00.93   +12 14 13.4            "
          30.14568     1 49 44.82   +12 06 53.4            "
     Nov.  7.16956     1 44 48.17   +11 37 31.2   18     Bulger
           9.15630     1 43 38.45   +11 30 28.5          McCrosky

T. Gehrels (Palomar Mountain Observatory).  122-cm Schmidt telescope.
   R. Adams assisted.  Measurers: R. Sather and C. Vesely.
J. H. Bulger and R. E. McCrosky (Harvard College Observatory,
   Agassiz Station).  155-cm reflector.  Measurer: C. Y. Shao.

     Although the departure from great-circle motion is only 7",
attempts by the undersigned to determine the orbit suggest that the
comet is a short-period one.  The following elements, especially T
and Peri. are extremely uncertain; nevertheless, they indicate that
the comet made a close approach to Jupiter in 1972.

       T = 1977 July 6.1 ET
   Peri. = 241.2                      e =   0.144
   Node  = 242.2   1950.0             a =   4.008 AU
   Incl. =   1.1                      n =   0.1228
       q =   3.429 AU                 P =   8.02 years

     1975/76 ET  R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r     Mag.
     Nov.  4     1 46.73    +11 49.0    2.962   3.939   17.8
          14     1 40.97    +11 14.1
          24     1 36.26    +10 44.4    3.060   3.914   17.9
     Dec.  4     1 32.95    +10 22.2
          14     1 31.27    +10 09.3    3.253   3.889   18.0
          24     1 31.31    +10 06.4
     Jan.  3     1 33.05    +10 13.5    3.507   3.864   18.1
          13     1 36.39    +10 30.0
          23     1 41.22    +10 54.9    3.786   3.839   18.2

              m2 = 9.5 + 5 log Delta + 10 log r


1975 November 12               (2865)              Brian G. Marsden

Read IAUC 2864 SEARCH Read IAUC 2866

Our Web policy. Index to the CBAT/MPC/ICQ pages.

Valid HTML 4.01!