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IAUC 5885: 1993r

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                                                  Circular No. 5885
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM     EASYLINK 62794505
MARSDEN@CFA or GREEN@CFA (.SPAN, .BITNET or .HARVARD.EDU)


PERIODIC COMET SPITALER (1993r)
     On Oct. 24 a comet was discovered by J. V. Scotti with the
Spacewatch telescope.  He suggested that the object was P/Spitaler,
not seen since its discovery in 1890, and for which S. Nakano (1992,
Nakano Note No. 584) had predicted T = 1993 Oct. 4.0 TT.  The comet
was within a few arcmin of the line of variation at Delta T = +108.7
days.  Follow-up observations were obtained on Oct. 26 and 27 by S.
Larson with the 1.5-m Catalina reflector.

     1993 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1    Observer
     Oct. 24.29677    1 43 06.34   +13 35 43.3          Scotti
          24.31248    1 43 05.54   +13 35 42.8   17.2     "
          24.42589    1 42 59.86   +13 35 37.2            "
          26.25626    1 41 32.66   +13 34 21.8          Larson
          26.31402    1 41 29.76   +13 34 19.2            "
          27.32148    1 40 41.71   +13 33 34.9   17.5     "
          27.32421    1 40 41.57   +13 33 34.9            "

J. V. Scotti (Kitt Peak).  Nuclear mag m2 = 19.6.  Coma diameter 18".
   Tail 0'.76 long in p.a. 234 deg.
S. M. Larson (Lunar and Planetary Laboratory).  CCD images measured by
   C. Hergenrother, secondary references from the Oct. 24 CCD scans.

     Computations by the undersigned confirm identity with P/Spitaler,
perihelion dates for which are 1890 Oct. 27, 1897 Mar. 1, 1903 Dec. 15,
1910 Oct. 24, 1917 Aug. 30, 1924 July 8, 1931 May 21, 1938 Mar. 11,
1944 Dec. 18, 1951 Nov. 16, 1958 Nov. 18, 1965 Nov. 15, 1972 Nov. 6, 1979
Nov. 1, 1986 Dec. 26 and 1994 Jan. 28.

                    Epoch = 1994 Feb. 17.0 TT
     T = 1994 Jan. 28.2251 TT         Peri. =  50.2047
     e = 0.422305                     Node  =  14.5105  2000.0
     q = 2.133171 AU                  Incl. =   5.7713
       a =  3.692555 AU    n = 0.1389037    P =   7.096 years

1993 TT     R. A. (2000) Decl.     Delta      r    Elong. Phase      m1
Oct. 20     1 46.53    +13 38.2    1.269    2.264  176.2    1.7     17.1
     30     1 38.60    +13 31.6    1.255    2.240  170.6    4.2     17.0
Nov.  9     1 31.48    +13 24.6    1.265    2.218  159.1    9.2     17.0
     19     1 26.32    +13 22.7    1.298    2.199  147.9   13.8     17.0
     29     1 23.96    +13 30.5    1.351    2.182  137.4   17.8     17.0


1993 October 28                (5885)              Brian G. Marsden

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