Electronic Telegram No. 5178 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/2004 A1 = P/2022 Q3 (LONEOS) M. Rudenko, Minor Planet Center, reports on MPEC 2022-T106 the recovery of comet P/2004 A1 (cf. IAUC 8267) by C. A. Schambeau from images obtained in August with the 8.1-m Gemini North Telescope at Mauna Kea (astrometry tabulated below from measuring by M. Micheli). The comet is presumed to be asteroidal in appearance. 2022 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer Aug. 21.52078 3 10 17.08 + 6 27 13.1 24.9 Schambeau 21.52978 3 10 17.12 + 6 27 12.5 24.7 " 21.53877 3 10 17.17 + 6 27 11.7 24.7 " 23.54592 3 10 27.98 + 6 25 13.4 24.6 " 23.56140 3 10 28.05 + 6 25 12.3 24.5 " The residuals for the recovery observations were -18" in R.A. and -6" in Decl. from the prediction on NK 1707, with a corresponding correction of Delta(T) = +0.12 day. The following linked orbital elements by S. Nakano (Central Bureau) are from 513 observations spanning 2003-2022 (mean residual 0".6). These indicate that the comet passed 0.031 AU from Saturn on 1992 July 30 UT. Before that close approach, the comet had an orbit with approximate elements T = 1951 Oct. 6 TT, q = 9.809 AU, e = 0.197, Peri. = 199.9 deg, Node = 135.2 deg, i = 13.3 deg (equinox J2000.0), a = 12.219 AU, P = 42.7 years. The comet will pass 0.50 AU from Jupiter on 2026 July 11 UT. Nakano was unable to find additional observations of this comet in archival astrometry. Epoch = 2004 Aug. 23.0 TT T = 2004 Aug. 25.84406 TT Peri. = 20.48542 e = 0.3081989 Node = 125.24588 2000.0 q = 5.4625390 AU Incl. = 10.57679 a = 7.8961118 AU n = 0.04442057 P = 22.19 years Epoch = 2027 July 14.0 TT T = 2027 July 24.51198 TT Peri. = 39.91833 e = 0.2155608 Node = 122.88990 2000.0 q = 5.3130977 AU Incl. = 10.85841 a = 6.7731162 AU n = 0.05591409 P = 17.63 years Epoch = 2043 July 10.0 TT T = 2043 June 24.76441 TT Peri. = 36.72155 e = 0.1689799 Node = 119.26084 2000.0 q = 5.3001554 AU Incl. = 10.93483 a = 6.3778904 AU n = 0.06119113 P = 16.11 years At its first apparition, the comet was observed from r = 5.6 AU pre-perihelion through perihelion and to r = 6.8 AU post-perihelion, with reasonably fitting power-law parameters H = 7.0 and 2.5n = 10 for the magnitudes. But the comet is currently about 4.5 magnitudes fainter than what is predicted from those parameters (at r = 7.9 AU pre-perihelion), if the magnitudes provided are accurate. NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2022 CBAT 2022 October 8 (CBET 5178) Daniel W. E. Green