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IAUC 3468: 1980b

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 3468
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM     Telephone 617-864-5758


COMET BOWELL (1980b)
     Further precise positions have been reported as follows:

     1980 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Mar. 19.61319    10 26 40.18   +11 04 44.7   16.5   Seki
          19.63611    10 26 39.58   +11 04 45.8            "
          23.63299    10 25 17.38   +11 12 38.0   16.5     "
          23.66042    10 25 16.57   +11 12 43.6            "
     Apr. 14.17569    10 19 30.74   +11 44 57.1   16.5   Bowell

T. Seki (Geisei).  From Japan Astron. Circ. No. 236.
E. Bowell (Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station).

     The following orbital elements, shown here for two different
osculation epochs, have been calculated by the undersigned on the
assumption that the comet is "new" in the Oort sense [(1/a)orig =
+0.00004 AU**-1].  A general orbit solution from 12 observations
Feb. 11-Apr. 14 gives e = 1.016 +/- 0.008 at epoch 1980 Mar. 22.0 ET.
Approaches to Saturn and Jupiter are 2.7 AU in 1979 Apr. and 0.23
AU in 1980 Dec., respectively.  The comet will leave the solar
system on a strongly hyperbolic orbit [(l/a)fut = -0.01599 AU**-1].

     Epoch = 1980 Mar. 22.0      1982 Mar. 12.0 ET
         T = 1982 Apr. 3.8954    1982 Mar. 12.4239 ET
     Peri. = 133.7778            134.7293
     Node  = 120.3598            114.2213        1950.0
     Incl. =   1.7865              1.6708
         q =   3.188509            3.363959 AU
         e =   1.004989            1.057182
       1/a =  -0.001565           -0.016998 AU**-1

     1980 ET     R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r      m1
     May   1    10 17.53    +11 54.9    6.494   6.928   16.0
          11    10 17.55    +11 53.8
          21    10 18.51    +11 47.5    6.671   6.792   15.9
          31    10 20.36    +11 36.0
     June 10    10 23.06    +11 19.7    6.854   6.656   15.9
          20    10 26.56    +10 58.7
          30    10 30.78    +10 33.5    7.008   6.519   15.9
     July 10    10 35.65    +10 04.3
          20    10 41.09    + 9 31.6    7.110   6.381   15.8


1980 April 17                  (3468)              Brian G. Marsden

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