[Iaude] CBET 5426: COMET P/2024 N6 = P/2002 QU_151

quai at eps.harvard.edu quai at eps.harvard.edu
Sun Aug 4 15:08:16 EDT 2024


                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 5426
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Mailing address:  Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
e-mail:  cbatiau at eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat at iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


COMET P/2024 N6 = P/2002 QU_151 (NEAT-PANSTARRS)
     R. Weryk, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western
Ontario, reports the discovery of another comet in images obtained with the
Pan-STARRS2 1.8-m Ritchey-Chretien reflector at Haleakala (discovery
observations tabulated below).

     2024 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     July  9.58965    1 35 51.69   +16 27 27.2   20.6
           9.59435    1 35 52.18   +16 27 32.4   20.5
           9.60374    1 35 53.18   +16 27 43.0   20.4

Weryk arranged for three 40-s gri-band images to be taken (with R. Wainscoat)
at the 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope atop Mauna Kea on 2024 Sept. 11.6
UT (queue observer L. Wells; queue coordinator V. Khatu), which show this
object to be clearly cometary in 1".0 seeing, with a condensed head of size
1".5 (full-width-at-half-maximum) and a straight tail 8" long toward p.a. 230
degrees (at which point Weryk moved the comet from the Minor Planet Center's
NEOCP webpage to its PCCP webpage).  Three additional 30-s gri-band CFHT
images obtained on July 13.58 (queue observer J. Silva; queue coordinator H.
Flewelling) in 2".0 seeing show a condensed head of size 2".3 and a straight
8" tail in p.a. 230 deg.  Weryk also identified this comet with an apparently
asteroidal object discovered by the NEAT survey in 2002 (and given the
minor-planet designation 2002 QU_151 on MPS 428166; discovery observations
tabulated below); there was a 2-month arc of observations in 2002.

     2002 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     July  6.46470   20 51 31.90   -30 41 23.0   20.4
           6.47516   20 51 31.72   -30 41 18.1   20.6
           6.48564   20 51 31.52   -30 41 14.7   19.7
          16.36907   20 48 20.94   -29 28 46.0   20.1
          16.39347   20 48 20.09   -29 28 34.5   19.2
          16.41959   20 48 19.24   -29 28 20.9   19.4
     Aug. 18.18108   20 29 17.28   -22 50 14.2   19.0
          18.20190   20 29 16.68   -22 49 55.9   18.8
          18.22270   20 29 16.14   -22 49 37.3   19.3
          29.21512   20 27 05.61   -20 01 27.5   19.0
          29.23632   20 27 05.53   -20 01 07.7   19.0
          29.25767   20 27 05.45   -20 00 48.1   19.6

H. Sato (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan) writes that ten stacked 60-s CCD exposures
taken remotely on 2024 July 18.4 UT with a "Deep Sky Chile" 0.51-m f/6.8
astrograph located at Rio Hurtado, Chile, show only a stellar appearance; the
PCCP P21WnsB appeared stellard on 10-stacked images of 60-sec exposure.
magnitude was 21.0 as measured within a circular aperture of radius 2".2.
     S. Deen (Simi Valley, CA, USA) relates that he found archival images of
this comet in DECam images taken with the 4-m Cerro Tololo reflector on two
nights in April of this year.  on 2024 Apr. 18.4, there appears to be a coma
of size 1".5 (FWHM) in 0".6 seeing and possibly a faint 2".5 tail in p.a. 250
degrees (magnitude r = 21.8-22.3).  On Apr. 19.4, there is a coma of size 1".2
(FWHM) in 0".7 seeing but no clear tail.
     The available astrometry appears on MPEC 2024-P41.  The following linked
orbital elements by S. Nakano (Central Bureau) are from 66 observations
spanning 2002 July 6-2024 Aug. 2 (mean residual 0".4).  The comet passed 0.38
AU from Jupiter on 1991 June 3 UT, and it will pass 0.71 AU from Jupiter on
2026 June 27 and 0.55 AU from Jupiter on 2051 Jan. 7 UT.

                    Epoch = 1995 June 12.0 TT
     T = 1995 June  3.35428 TT        Peri. =   1.16670
     e = 0.5484207                    Node  = 324.22168 2000.0
     q = 1.6892906 AU                 Incl. =  11.36163
       a =  3.7408505 AU   n = 0.13622240   P =   7.24 years

                    Epoch = 2002 Sept. 3.0 TT
     T = 2002 Sept. 3.92009 TT        Peri. =   1.25292
     e = 0.5471001                    Node  = 324.16139 2000.0
     q = 1.6985286 AU                 Incl. =  11.34129
       a =  3.7503402 AU   n = 0.13570570   P =   7.26 years

                    Epoch = 2009 Nov. 25.0 TT
     T = 2009 Dec.  3.57038 TT        Peri. =   1.26578
     e = 0.5487151                    Node  = 324.15829 2000.0
     q = 1.6900048 AU                 Incl. =  11.36186
       a =  3.7448732 AU   n = 0.13600297   P =   7.25 years

                    Epoch = 2017 Feb. 16.0 TT
     T = 2017 Feb. 25.12006 TT        Peri. =   1.29960
     e = 0.5495924                    Node  = 324.15045 2000.0
     q = 1.6834277 AU                 Incl. =  11.35621
       a =  3.7375655 AU   n = 0.13640204   P =   7.23 years

                    Epoch = 2024 May  10.0 TT
     T = 2024 May  19.15645 TT        Peri. =   1.44687
     e = 0.5504216                    Node  = 324.07491 2000.0
     q = 1.6777942 AU                 Incl. =  11.36468
       a =  3.7319278 AU   n = 0.13671124   P =   7.21 years

                    Epoch = 2031 Nov. 30.0 TT
     T = 2031 Dec.  2.27973 TT        Peri. =   5.86698
     e = 0.5224243                    Node  = 321.81561 2000.0
     q = 1.8513430 AU                 Incl. =  11.83611
       a =  3.8765431 AU   n = 0.12913297   P =   7.63 years

                    Epoch = 2039 July 31.0 TT
     T = 2039 July 28.60105 TT        Peri. =   5.97995
     e = 0.5216783                    Node  = 321.77774 2000.0
     q = 1.8600198 AU                 Incl. =  11.81924
       a =  3.8886377 AU   n = 0.12853099   P =   7.67 years

                    Epoch = 2047 Mar. 31.0 TT
     T = 2047 Mar. 23.62556 TT        Peri. =   6.04588
     e = 0.5231779                    Node  = 321.73672 2000.0
     q = 1.8482451 AU                 Incl. =  11.83833
       a =  3.8761737 AU   n = 0.12915143   P =   7.63 years

The following ephemeris by the undersigned from the above orbital elements
uses photometric power-law parameters H = 16.0 and 2.5n = 10 for the
magnitudes.

Date    TT    R. A. (2000) Decl.     Delta      r     Elong.  Phase  Mag.
2024 07 29    02 07.57   +21 59.7    1.524    1.814    88.8    34.0  19.5
2024 08 03    02 14.59   +23 18.2    1.498    1.832    91.6    33.6  19.5
2024 08 08    02 21.04   +24 33.6    1.472    1.852    94.5    33.1  19.5
2024 08 13    02 26.85   +25 45.9    1.447    1.872    97.5    32.4  19.5
2024 08 18    02 31.98   +26 54.9    1.422    1.893   100.8    31.7  19.5
2024 08 23    02 36.35   +28 00.5    1.397    1.915   104.2    30.8  19.5
2024 08 28    02 39.92   +29 02.4    1.374    1.938   107.8    29.8  19.6
2024 09 02    02 42.59   +30 00.5    1.351    1.961   111.6    28.6  19.6
2024 09 07    02 44.33   +30 54.2    1.330    1.985   115.5    27.3  19.6
2024 09 12    02 45.09   +31 43.2    1.311    2.010   119.7    25.8  19.6
2024 09 17    02 44.85   +32 26.9    1.294    2.035   124.0    24.2  19.6
2024 09 22    02 43.61   +33 04.8    1.280    2.060   128.5    22.4  19.7
2024 09 27    02 41.40   +33 36.0    1.269    2.086   133.1    20.5  19.7
2024 10 02    02 38.26   +34 00.0    1.261    2.113   137.8    18.5  19.8
2024 10 07    02 34.31   +34 16.1    1.258    2.140   142.6    16.5  19.8
2024 10 12    02 29.71   +34 23.9    1.259    2.167   147.3    14.4  19.9
2024 10 17    02 24.63   +34 23.4    1.265    2.194   151.7    12.4  19.9
2024 10 22    02 19.28   +34 14.6    1.277    2.222   155.6    10.7  20.0
2024 10 27    02 13.88   +33 58.2    1.295    2.250   158.7     9.2  20.1
2024 11 01    02 08.63   +33 35.0    1.319    2.278   160.5     8.4  20.2
2024 11 06    02 03.74   +33 06.1    1.348    2.307   160.5     8.3  20.3
2024 11 11    01 59.37   +32 33.1    1.385    2.335   158.8     8.8  20.4
2024 11 16    01 55.67   +31 57.4    1.427    2.364   155.8     9.9  20.5
2024 11 21    01 52.69   +31 20.6    1.475    2.393   152.0    11.2  20.6
2024 11 26    01 50.49   +30 43.7    1.529    2.422   147.8    12.5  20.8

2024 12 06    01 48.49   +29 34.4    1.653    2.480   138.7    15.2  21.0
2024 12 16    01 49.57   +28 36.2    1.796    2.539   129.6    17.4  21.3
2024 12 26    01 53.37   +27 51.9    1.954    2.598   120.7    19.0  21.6
2025 01 05    01 59.49   +27 22.1    2.125    2.656   112.1    20.1  21.9
2025 01 15    02 07.55   +27 05.9    2.305    2.715   103.9    20.6  22.2
2025 01 25    02 17.18   +27 01.4    2.492    2.773    96.0    20.7  22.4
2025 02 04    02 28.09   +27 06.6    2.682    2.832    88.4    20.4  22.7
2025 02 14    02 40.06   +27 19.4    2.873    2.890    81.1    19.7  22.9


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2024 CBAT
2024 August 4                    (CBET 5426)              Daniel W. E. Green




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