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IAUC 3636: 1981k

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                                                  Circular No. 3636
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 HOWELL (1981k)
     Further precise positions have been reported as follows:

     1981 UT             R. A. (1950) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Aug. 29.35347     0 37 37.69   - 7 34 32.1   15     Howell
          31.43472     0 36 24.18   - 7 44 51.5          Kowal
     Sept. 2.45000     0 35 06.17   - 7 54 56.6          Bus
           4.43403     0 33 43.46   - 8 04 53.6   15     Kowal
           5.23556     0 33 08.82   - 8 08 54.2          Shao
           7.20690     0 31 39.18   - 8 18 41.6          Schwartz

E. Howell, C. Kowal and S. J. Bus (Palomar Mountain Observatory).
   Measurer: Howell.  The observations by Kowal are with the 1.2-m
   Schmidt telescope, the others with the 0.46-m.  The Sept. 4
   exposure shows a bright condensation and a hint of tail to the
   southwest.
C.-Y. Shao and G. Schwartz. (Oak Ridge Observatory).  1.5-m
   reflector.  Measurer: Shao.

     The above observations confirm that this is a short-period
comet.  The following orbital elements, by the undersigned, indicate
that the comet had a somewhat larger orbit before passing some
0.6 AU from Jupiter in 1978:

       T = 1981 May 2.801 ET
   Peri. = 214.742                    e =   0.50469
   Node  =  75.109   1950.0           a =   3.27995 AU
   Incl. =   5.606                    n =   0.165922
       q =   1.62460 AU               P =   5.94 years

     1981 ET     R. A. (1950) Decl.     Delta     r      m1
     Oct.  3     0 09.26    - 9 47.2    1.154   2.137   15.6
          13     0 02.22    - 9 49.1
          23    23 57.56    - 9 30.6    1.352   2.245   16.2
     Nov.  2    23 55.59    - 8 53.8
          12    23 56.30    - 8 01.9    1.628   2.355   16.8
          22    23 59.42    - 6 58.1
     Dec.  2     0 04.61    - 5 45.0    1.957   2.466   17.4
          12     0 11.56    - 4 24.9
          22     0 19.91    - 2 59.7    2.318   2.577   17.9

            m1 = 12.0 + 5 log Delta + 10 log r


1981 September 11              (3636)              Brian G. Marsden

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