[Iaude] CBET 5342: COMET P/2023 X6 = P/2014 A3

quai at eps.harvard.edu quai at eps.harvard.edu
Wed Jan 31 17:59:16 EST 2024


                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 5342
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/2023 X6 = P/2014 A3 (PANSTARRS)
     M. Rudenko, Minor Planet Center, reports on MPEC 2024-B170 that comet
P/2014 A3 (cf. CBET 3782) has been recovered in incidental astrometry from
presumably stellar images obtained with the Pan-STARRS1 1.8-m Ritchey-Chretien
reflector at Haleakala (astrometry tabulated below).

     2023 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Dec.  9.52995    8 54 00.75   + 1 08 34.4   21.5
           9.54708    8 54 00.66   + 1 08 29.8   21.4
           9.56264    8 54 00.56   + 1 08 25.6   21.3

     2024 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Jan.  7.52833    8 44 42.64   - 0 12 45.3   21.0
           7.53972    8 44 42.25   - 0 12 46.4   21.0
           7.55111    8 44 41.88   - 0 12 46.7   21.0
          20.44847    8 37 07.26   - 0 13 12.6   21.1
          20.46387    8 37 06.66   - 0 13 11.8   21.1
          20.47627    8 37 06.19   - 0 13 11.1   20.9
          20.48869    8 37 05.70   - 0 13 10.6   21.0

The residuals from the prediction in NK 2902 (and the ICQ's 2023 Comet
Handbook) are +10" in R.A. and -3" in Decl., with a corresponding correction
of Delta(T) = -0.02 day.  The following linked orbital elements by S. Nakano
(Central Bureau) are from 66 observations spanning 2014 Jan. 9-2024 Jan. 20
(mean residual 0".4).  These indicate that the comet passed 0.0017 AU on 1971
May 21 and 0.62 AU on 2006 Sept. 10 from Jupiter; it also passed 0.70 AU from
Saturn in 1942 December.  Nakano computed the following orbital elements for
prior to the close encounter in 1971:  T = 1954 Feb. 11, q = 5.212 AU, e =
0.247, Peri. = 205.9 deg, Node = 68.4 deg, i = 18.6 deg, a = 6.920 AU, P =
18.2 years.

                    Epoch = 2013 Apr. 18.0 TT
     T = 2013 Apr. 21.96896 TT        Peri. = 213.59639
     e = 0.2436019                    Node  = 230.76944 2000.0
     q = 3.5494006 AU                 Incl. =  13.69921
       a =  4.6925035 AU   n = 0.09696102   P =  10.16 years

                    Epoch = 2023 Apr.  6.0 TT
     T = 2023 Apr. 22.44191 TT        Peri. = 214.16936
     e = 0.2463923                    Node  = 229.97790 2000.0
     q = 3.4721192 AU                 Incl. =  13.71753
       a =  4.6073297 AU   n = 0.09966212   P =   9.89 years

                    Epoch = 2033 Mar. 24.0 TT
     T = 2033 Mar. 21.75644 TT        Peri. = 214.14264
     e = 0.2453907                    Node  = 229.96959 2000.0
     q = 3.4936380 AU                 Incl. =  13.69611
       a =  4.6297311 AU   n = 0.09893966   P =   9.96 years

                    Epoch = 2043 Mar. 12.0 TT
     T = 2043 Mar. 24.09116 TT        Peri. = 214.31228
     e = 0.2444166                    Node  = 229.84559 2000.0
     q = 3.5117035 AU                 Incl. =  13.68156
       a =  4.6476713 AU   n = 0.09836735   P =  10.02 years

The following ephemeris by the undersigned from the above orbital elements
uses photometric power-law parameters H = 14.0 and 2.5n = 7.5; the absolute
magnitude here is 1 mag fainter than what was derived for the 2014-2015
observations.

Date    TT    R. A. (2000) Decl.     Delta      r     Elong.  Phase  Mag.
2024 01 11    08 42.81   -00 15.1    2.777    3.668   151.0     7.5  20.5
2024 01 21    08 36.77   -00 12.7    2.749    3.682   158.6     5.6  20.4
2024 01 31    08 30.41   +00 02.7    2.749    3.697   161.7     4.8  20.5
2024 02 10    08 24.30   +00 29.2    2.777    3.712   158.2     5.7  20.5
2024 02 20    08 19.06   +01 03.7    2.834    3.727   150.6     7.5  20.5
2024 03 01    08 15.13   +01 42.8    2.916    3.742   141.4     9.5  20.6
2024 03 11    08 12.81   +02 23.1    3.021    3.758   131.9    11.3  20.7
2024 03 21    08 12.25   +03 01.7    3.144    3.774   122.5    12.9  20.8
2024 03 31    08 13.46   +03 36.3    3.282    3.791   113.4    14.0  20.9
2024 04 10    08 16.33   +04 05.1    3.430    3.808   104.6    14.8  21.0
2024 04 20    08 20.75   +04 27.1    3.585    3.825    96.1    15.1  21.1
2024 04 30    08 26.51   +04 41.7    3.742    3.842    88.1    15.2  21.2
2024 05 10    08 33.44   +04 48.5    3.900    3.860    80.3    14.9  21.4
2024 05 20    08 41.35   +04 47.5    4.055    3.878    72.8    14.4  21.5
2024 05 30    08 50.09   +04 38.9    4.205    3.896    65.5    13.7  21.5
2024 06 09    08 59.49   +04 22.9    4.347    3.914    58.5    12.8  21.6
2024 06 19    09 09.44   +03 59.8    4.481    3.933    51.7    11.7  21.7


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

                         (C) Copyright 2024 CBAT
2024 January 31                  (CBET 5342)              Daniel W. E. Green



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