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IAUC 8267: P/2004 A1; N IN M32

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                                                  Circular No. 8267
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304
Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET P/2004 A1
     B. A. Skiff, Lowell Observatory, reports the discovery of a
comet found on CCD images taken by himself (discovery observation
tabulated below) in the course of the LONEOS program with the
0.59-m Schmidt telescope.  The LONEOS images showed stellar
appearance, but the motion led Skiff to request that a pair of
5-min R-band CCD exposures be taken of the object by H. R. Miller
at the Perkins 1.8-m reflector, and these images show a 3" well-
condensed coma and a 12" tail in p.a. 290 deg.  To get additional
observations, the object's ephemeris was then posted on the NEO
Confirmation Page, which resulted in CCD images taken by J. Young
(Table Mountain, CA, 0.6-m reflector) on Jan. 13.5 UT that show a
4" coma with a very faint 10" tail in p.a. 262 deg.

     2004 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Jan. 13.27307    8 45 26.75   +18 11 50.2   18.4

Additional astrometry (including prediscovery observations on 2003
Dec. 18 from Spacewatch at Kitt Peak and on 2004 Jan. 5 from the
Catalina Sky Survey), the following orbital elements, and an
ephemeris appear on MPEC 2004-A51.

     T = 2005 Mar.  4.815 TT          Peri. =  38.037
     e = 0.32868                      Node  = 125.304   2000.0
     q = 5.31259 AU                   Incl. =  10.920
       a =  7.91368 AU     n = 0.044273     P =  22.26 years


NOVA IN M32
     J. D. Neill, American Museum of Natural History and Columbia
University, reports the discovery of an apparent nova on V-band CCD
images taken on Jan. 5.120 (mag 17.2), 7.120 (mag 17.3), and 9.121
UT (mag 17.4) with a 0.81-m reflector at Tenagra Observatory (near
Nogales, AZ) in the course of a nova patrol of M31 companions.  The
new object is located at R.A. = 0h42m44s.991, Decl. = +40o53'04".76
(equinox 2000.0), which is approximately 35".7 east and 69".8 north
of the center of M32.  The new object is not present on Neill's
images from 2003 Dec. 29 (limiting mag 20.0), 28, and 27 or on
Palomar Sky Survey red and blue plates.  Spectra taken with the
2.4-m Hiltner Telescope (+ Modspec) at MDM Observatory by J.
Thorstensen on Jan. 12.101 show strong, broad Balmer lines and Fe
II lines, confirming the object as a slow nova (consistent with the
observed fading rate).

                      (C) Copyright 2004 CBAT
2004 January 13                (8267)            Daniel W. E. Green

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