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IAUC 3218: 1978f

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                                                  Circular No. 3218
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Cable Address: SATELLITES, NEWYORK     Telex: 921428
Telephone: (617) 864-5758


COMET MEIER (1978f)
     The following precise positions have been reported:

     1978 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.        m1    Observer
     Apr. 30.90318     7 22 43.45   +52 57 35.3    9     Waterfield
     May   4.15069     7 26 30.60   +52 10 42.2          Giclas

R. L. Waterfield (Woolston Observatory).  Diffuse with nucleus.
   Communicated by S. W. Milbourn, British Astronomical Association.
H. L. Giclas (Lowell Observatory).  Measurer: M. L. Kantz.

     As the following results suggest, the orbit is somewhat uncertain,
and although the comet may attain naked-eye visibility near
perihelion, the elongation from the sun will be small.  The
ephemeris is from the second set of elements:

            S. W. Milbourn             B. G. Marsden
         (3 obs. Apr. 27-30)       (3 obs. Apr. 27-May 4)
       T = 1978 Sept. 24.115         1978 Oct. 15.053 ET
   Peri. = 232.984                   234.443
   Node  =   7.016                   357.516    1950.0
   Incl. =  37.827                    40.526
       q =   0.70915                   0.86084 AU

     1978 ET     R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r      m1
     Apr. 22     7 13.48    +55 05.0    2.946   2.842   10.9
     May   2     7 23.98    +52 41.8
          12     7 36.54    +50 15.8    2.931   2.598   10.5
          22     7 50.76    +47 45.9
     June  1     8 06.31    +45 09.8    2.883   2.349   10.0

               m1 = 4.0 + 5 log Delta + 10 log r

     Total visual magnitude estimates: Apr. 28.26 UT, 10.6 (D.
Machholz, Los Gatos, California, 11-cm reflector); May 1.12, 10.7
(J. Bortle, Brooks Observatory, 32-cm reflector); 1.26, 10.5
(Machholz); 3.08, 10.1 (S. O'Meara, Harvard Obs., 23-cm refractor).

     J. S. Neff, University of Iowa, reports that further spectral
scans on May 3.1 UT again show a moderate continuum and strong CN
emission, but C2 was not detected.  More detailed analysis of the
May 1.1 scans (cf. IAUC 3216) now indicates that C2 emission was
probably not present then either.


1978 May 5                     (3218)              Brian G. Marsden

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