Electronic Telegram No. 5099 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams Mailing address: Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University; 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA 02138; U.S.A. e-mail: cbatiau@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org) URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network COMET P/2022 C3 (PANSTARRS) R. Weryk, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, reports the discovery of another comet in four 45-s w-band survey images obtained on Feb. 9 UT with the Pan-STARRS2 1.8-m Ritchey-Chretien reflector at Haleakala, Hawaii (discovery observations tabulated below along with other pre-discovery Pan-STARRS2 observations identified later by Weryk). On the discovery night in 1".2 seeing, there was a very asymmetric point- spread function (PSF) with a tail > 6" long in p.a. 290 degrees and a very condensed coma of size 1".4 (full-width-at-half-maximum). 2022 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Jan. 19.62956 14 59 06.30 - 4 37 39.2 19.63259 14 59 06.39 - 4 37 39.1 20.7 20.64432 14 59 51.22 - 4 38 06.2 21.3 20.64695 14 59 51.31 - 4 38 06.0 21.0 22.64373 15 01 18.20 - 4 38 46.4 20.6 22.64646 15 01 18.34 - 4 38 46.2 20.6 Feb. 8.64921 15 12 02.76 - 4 32 29.2 20.7 8.65179 15 12 02.84 - 4 32 29.3 20.6 9.62153 15 12 33.97 - 4 31 29.4 20.9 9.63167 15 12 34.29 - 4 31 28.8 21.3 9.64185 15 12 34.60 - 4 31 28.2 21.0 9.65206 15 12 34.92 - 4 31 27.5 21.0 Weryk adds that two 60-s w-band follow-up Pan-STARRS2 exposures taken on Feb. 10.6 suggest that the cometary activity is not as clear on the previous night, but the PSF does have an asymmetry suggesting a tail about 4" long in p.a. 290 degrees that agrees with what is seen in the previous images, with a condensed coma of size 1".5 in 1".4 seeing. The available astrometry appears on MPEC 2022-D02. The following orbital elements by S. Nakano (CBAT) are from 22 observations spanning Jan. 19-Feb. 11 (mean residual 0".3), with the orbital period still highly uncertain (formal error +/- 0.77 yr) -- though there appears to be no close approach to major planets. T = 2022 July 2.43207 TT Peri. = 94.15503 e = 0.5433486 Node = 138.99238 2000.0 q = 4.3702146 AU Incl. = 12.81180 a = 9.5701331 AU n = 0.03329102 P = 29.6 years The following ephemeris by the undersigned from the above orbital elements uses photometric power-law parameters H = 10.5 and 2.5n = 10 for the magnitudes. Date TT R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase Mag. 2022 01 21 15 00.11 -04 38.2 4.598 4.479 76.9 12.4 20.3 2022 01 31 15 06.96 -04 38.3 4.438 4.466 85.3 12.7 20.2 2022 02 10 15 12.76 -04 31.1 4.279 4.454 93.8 12.8 20.1 2022 02 20 15 17.40 -04 16.7 4.122 4.443 102.6 12.5 20.1 2022 03 02 15 20.76 -03 55.7 3.972 4.433 111.6 12.0 20.0 2022 03 12 15 22.72 -03 28.9 3.832 4.423 120.8 11.1 19.9 2022 03 22 15 23.26 -02 57.7 3.706 4.414 130.1 9.9 19.8 2022 04 01 15 22.40 -02 23.7 3.598 4.406 139.5 8.5 19.7 2022 04 11 15 20.26 -01 49.1 3.512 4.399 148.6 6.8 19.7 2022 04 21 15 17.05 -01 16.3 3.450 4.392 156.9 5.2 19.6 2022 05 01 15 13.07 -00 47.8 3.415 4.387 162.6 3.9 19.6 2022 05 11 15 08.70 -00 26.0 3.407 4.382 162.7 3.9 19.6 2022 05 21 15 04.37 -00 12.8 3.427 4.378 157.2 5.1 19.6 2022 05 31 15 00.46 -00 09.5 3.473 4.375 149.2 6.8 19.6 2022 06 10 14 57.33 -00 16.4 3.543 4.372 140.3 8.5 19.7 2022 06 20 14 55.25 -00 33.3 3.634 4.371 131.2 10.1 19.7 2022 06 30 14 54.38 -00 59.5 3.742 4.370 122.3 11.3 19.8 NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2022 CBAT 2022 February 16 (CBET 5099) Daniel W. E. Green