[Iaude] CBET 5359: COMET P/2014 VF_40

[quai at eps.harvard.edu]

                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 5359
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/2014 VF_40 (PANSTARRS)
     An apparently asteroidal object that was discovered in images obtained on
2014 Nov. 10 UT with the Pan-STARRS1 1.8-m Ritchey-Chretien reflector at
Haleakala, and observed only by Pan-STARRS1 from then through 2021 Aug. 9
(including on 2015 Jan. 24 and three nights in 2016), has been found to show
cometary appearance in 2024.  The discovery observations from MPS 1096216 are
tabulated below, when it was given the minor-planet designation 2014 VF_40.

     2014 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Nov. 10.41420    3 34 12.41   -20 27 15.5   20.2
          10.42676    3 34 11.84   -20 27 17.2   20.0
          10.43929    3 34 11.25   -20 27 18.8   20.2

Additional astrometry appears on MPEC 2024-D133.  L. Buzzi, Varese, Italy,
writes that two sets of ninety 30-s stacked CMOS exposures taken by G. Galli
and himself with a 0.84-m f/3.5 reflector on 2024 Jan. 20.2 UT show this
object to be clearly cometary in appearance, with a condensed coma 4" wide
(mag 21.0) and with a broad, fan-shaped tail at least 15" long (possibly more)
centered at p.a. 280 degrees.  H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan) writes that he heard
about the cometary nature of 2021 VF_40 from M. Kelley and M. Jaeger, which
led him to obtained ten stacked 60-s CCD exposures on 2024 Jan. 21.34-21.35
with a "Deep Sky Chile" 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph located at Rio Hurtado,
Chile; this shows a poorly condensed coma 7" in diameter with a diffuse tail
30" long toward p.a. 265 degrees (the magnitude was 19.6 as measured within a
circular aperture of radius 3".6).  After the comet was placed on the Minor
Planet Center's PCCP webpage, fourteen additional stacked 60-s exposures
taken remotely by Sato with the same telescope on 2024 Feb. 7.36 show a
poorly condensed coma 5" in diameter with a fan-like tail 25" long spanning
p.a. 225-300 degrees; the magnitude was 20.4 as measured within a circular
aperture of radius 2".8.
     The following linked orbital elements by S. Nakano (Central Bureau) are
from 66 observations spanning 2014 Nov. 10-2024 Feb. 7 (mean residual 0".4).
The comet passed 0.30 AU from Jupiter on 2021 Feb.15 UT.

                    Epoch = 2015 May  18.0 TT
     T = 2015 May   8.07242 TT        Peri. = 330.70226
     e = 0.4232645                    Node  = 127.87539 2000.0
     q = 2.3505445 AU                 Incl. =  25.27825
       a =  4.0756022 AU   n = 0.11978885   P =   8.23 years

                    Epoch = 2023 May  16.0 TT
     T = 2023 June  1.94372 TT        Peri. = 339.62825
     e = 0.4920945                    Node  = 126.10570 2000.0
     q = 1.9063111 AU                 Incl. =  24.48660
       a =  3.7532792 AU   n = 0.13554633   P =   7.27 years

                    Epoch = 2030 Sept.16.0 TT
     T = 2030 Sept.15.64980 TT        Peri. = 339.75950
     e = 0.4911936                    Node  = 126.04865 2000.0
     q = 1.9132218 AU                 Incl. =  24.47226
       a =  3.7602158 AU   n = 0.13517143   P =   7.29 years

                    Epoch = 2037 Dec.  8.0 TT
     T = 2037 Dec. 26.58374 TT        Peri. = 339.74883
     e = 0.4916234                    Node  = 126.04034 2000.0
     q = 1.9106597 AU                 Incl. =  24.49719
       a =  3.7583547 AU   n = 0.13527185   P =   7.29 years

The following ephemeris by the undersigned from the above orbital elements
uses photometric power-law parameters H = 14.5 and 2.5n = 8 for the
magnitudes.

Date    TT    R. A. (2000) Decl.     Delta      r     Elong.  Phase  Mag.
2024 02 20    14 42.21   +14 30.8    2.284    2.833   113.9    18.6  19.9
2024 03 01    14 43.78   +16 12.2    2.233    2.883   121.9    17.0  19.9
2024 03 11    14 42.74   +17 57.1    2.197    2.933   129.7    15.1  19.9
2024 03 21    14 39.23   +19 38.1    2.179    2.983   136.7    13.2  20.0
2024 03 31    14 33.58   +21 07.4    2.182    3.033   142.1    11.7  20.0
2024 04 10    14 26.36   +22 17.9    2.207    3.083   145.1    10.7  20.1
2024 04 20    14 18.33   +23 03.5    2.257    3.132   144.8    10.6  20.2
2024 04 30    14 10.33   +23 21.8    2.330    3.181   141.6    11.3  20.4
2024 05 10    14 03.10   +23 12.9    2.425    3.230   136.2    12.5  20.5
2024 05 20    13 57.24   +22 39.4    2.540    3.279   129.6    13.8  20.6
2024 05 30    13 53.11   +21 45.6    2.672    3.327   122.4    14.9  20.8
2024 06 09    13 50.84   +20 36.1    2.819    3.375   114.9    15.8  21.0
2024 06 19    13 50.43   +19 15.0    2.976    3.422   107.5    16.4  21.1
2024 06 29    13 51.77   +17 46.3    3.141    3.469   100.2    16.8  21.3
2024 07 09    13 54.68   +16 12.8    3.312    3.515    93.0    16.8  21.5
2024 07 19    13 59.00   +14 37.0    3.486    3.561    86.0    16.5  21.6
2024 07 29    14 04.52   +13 00.8    3.659    3.607    79.1    16.0  21.8
2024 08 08    14 11.09   +11 25.5    3.830    3.652    72.3    15.3  21.9
2024 08 18    14 18.55   +09 52.2    3.996    3.697    65.7    14.5  22.1
2024 08 28    14 26.78   +08 22.0    4.156    3.741    59.2    13.4  22.2
2024 09 07    14 35.65   +06 55.4    4.308    3.784    52.8    12.2  22.3


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

                         (C) Copyright 2024 CBAT
2024 Feb. 29                     (CBET 5359)              Daniel W. E. Green