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@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/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