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IAUC 3501: P/ENCKE; 1980 PA

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                                                  Circular No. 3501
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


PERIODIC COMET ENCKE
     E. Helin, California Institute of Technology, communicates the
following semiaccurate position, obtained by E. Ney and B. Hatfield
with the 1.2-m Schmidt telescope at Palomar:

     1980 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.        m2
     Aug.  8.46458     2 39 47.6    +25 08 49      20

The comet is essentially stellar in appearance and in close agreement
with the ephemeris on MPC 5323 (elements on MPC 5129).


1980 PA
     Further observations have been reported as follows:

     1980 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Aug.  8.21716    23 32 48.18   + 5 47 32.6          Shao
           9.33160    23 35.88      + 6 23.2      17     Schuster
          10.2313     23 38 32.6    + 6 52 27            Shao
          10.25556    23 38.65      + 6 53.8      17     Schuster
          13.17009    23 47 32.25   + 8 33 11.8          Shao

C.-Y. Shao and J. Bulger (Harvard College Observatory, Agassiz
   Station).  1.5-m reflector.  The Aug. 10 position was scarcely
   measurable in very bad conditions.
H.-E. Schuster (European Southern Observatory).

     The orbit is very indeterminate, but the object is probably of
Amor type, and the ephemeris should be reasonably satisfactory.
This result, by the undersigned, is from observations Aug. 6-13:

       T = 1980 Oct. 11.09 ET
   Peri. = 125.27                     e =   0.4454
   Node  = 261.57    1950.0           a =   1.8756 AU
   Incl  =   2.11                     n =   0.38369
       q =   1.0402 AU                P =   2.57 years

     1980 ET     R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r     Mag.
     Aug. 14    23 50.19    + 9 03.6
          19     0 07.96    +12 18.3    0.229   1.191   16.5
          24     0 29.12    +15 58.9
          29     0 54.71    +20 03.9    0.184   1.144   16.0


1980 August 14                 (3501)              Brian G. Marsden

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