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IAUC 4291: 1986p

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                                                  Circular No. 4291
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 617-495-7244/7440/7444


PERIODIC COMET LOVAS 2 (1986p)
     Several observers, notably J. Gibson at Palomar on Dec. 21
and G. Schwartz at Oak Ridge on Dec. 29, have reported their recent
failure to detect this comet, which seems therefore to have faded
substantially.  The following precise positions are available:

   1986 UT            R.A. (1950) Decl.        m1    Observer
   Nov. 30.93507    1 48 14.89   +13 48 15.7   14     Lovas
        30.94757    1 48 15.86   +13 48 13.0            "
   Dec.  2.60428    1 49 23.1    +13 50 08            Mori
         3.84931    1 50 17.08   +13 52 10.0   14     Lovas
         4.51562    1 50 47.19   +13 53 08.4   14     Mori
         4.55104    1 50 48.76   +13 53 15.1            "
         4.59826    1 50 51.4    +13 53 18     15.5   Seki
         5.54624    1 51 33.68   +13 54 51.1   15     Ueda
         6.62819    1 52 24.44   +13 56 55.2            "
         7.59132    1 53 10.8    +13 58 55     16     Seki

M. Lovas (Piszkesteto).  Measurer I. Toth.
H. Mori (YGCO Hoshikawa Station).  From Nihondaira Obs. Circ. (NOC)
   Nos. 1585 and 1587.
T. Seki (Geisei).  From Orient. Astron. Assoc. Comet Bull. No. 292.
S. Ueda (Kushiro).  Measurer H. Kaneda.  From NOC 1589.

     Departure from parabolic motion is evident, but the size and
shape of the short-period orbit are little more than a guess:

           T = 1986 Aug. 29.10 ET
           W =  65.95                    e =   0.5956
           O = 284.03   1950.0           a =   3.4755 AU
           i =   1.50                    n =   0.15212
           q =   1.4054 AU               P =   6.48 years

     1986/87 ET   R.A. (1950) Decl.     Delta      r       m1
     Dec. 16     2 00.73    +14 21.1    1.032    1.827    15.7
          26     2 11.34    +14 57.5
     Jan.  5     2 23.44    +15 42.2    1.325    1.956    16.5
          15     2 36.76    +16 32.5
          25     2 51.03    +17 25.5    1.658    2.091    17.3
     Feb.  4     3 06.08    +18 19.3
          14     3 21.75    +19 12.1    2.017    2.227    18.0


1986 December 30               (4291)              Brian G. Marsden

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