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IAUC 5168: 1991a; P/SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN 1

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                                                  Circular No. 5168
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)
TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM     EASYLINK 62794505
MARSDEN or GREEN@CFA.BITNET    MARSDEN or GREEN@CFAPS2.SPAN


PERIODIC COMET METCALF-BREWINGTON (1991a)
     Orbital elements by S. Nakano from MPC 17596:

                    Epoch = 1991 Jan. 24.0 ET
     T = 1991 Jan.  5.7531 ET         Peri. = 208.1401
     e = 0.593667                     Node  = 187.0616  1950.0
     q = 1.592142 AU                  Incl. =  13.0335
       a =  3.918315 AU    n = 0.1270735    P =   7.756 years

     Prediscovery images were found by M. Tanaka (Fukushima-ken,
Japan) on photographs taken Jan. 5.5 UT, showing the comet at mag
about 15, thereby suggesting that a significant outburst took place
within two days of Brewington's discovery.  The projected magnitude
is therefore highly uncertain.

     1991 ET      R.A. (1950) Decl.     Delta      r       m1
     Jan. 24     0 51.48    - 2 57.7    1.688    1.604     9.2
     Feb.  3     1 18.69    - 0 50.1
          13     1 46.01    + 1 19.5    1.850    1.642     9.5
          23     2 13.33    + 3 27.0
     Mar.  5     2 40.56    + 5 28.6    2.033    1.703     9.9
          15     3 07.60    + 7 21.4
          25     3 34.40    + 9 02.7    2.237    1.785    10.3
     Apr.  4     4 00.86    +10 30.6
          14     4 26.90    +11 44.2    2.457    1.883    10.7
          24     4 52.47    +12 42.6
     May   4     5 17.46    +13 25.8    2.686    1.992    11.1
          14     5 41.82    +13 54.1
          24     6 05.49    +14 08.2    2.913    2.109    11.6


PERIODIC COMET SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN 1
     A. Cochran, University of Texas, writes:  "We observed this
comet with a long-slit CCD spectrograph at McDonald Observatory on
1990 Dec. 12, 13, and 15 UT.  On Dec. 12, emissions due to the (3-0)
band of CO+ were barely detectable.  By Dec. 13, the CO+ spectrum
was well-developed, with many bands visible.  The emissions were
stronger still on Dec. 15.  The continuum flux was mostly unchanged
during this time.  These data yield a maximum rise time to increase
a factor of e of 1.2 days.  These results are now being prepared for
publication."


1991 January 18                (5168)             Daniel W. E. Green

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