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IAUC 5361: 1991z; 1991p

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 5361
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 SHOEMAKER-LEVY 5 (1991z)
     The following precise positions have been reported:

     1991 UT             R.A. (1950) Decl.       Observer
     Oct.  5.17350    0 21 16.56   - 7 17 26.7   McCrosky
           5.18052    0 21 16.25   - 7 17 24.8     "
           5.54896    0 20 58.12   - 7 15 37.5   McNaught

R. E. McCrosky and C.-Y. Shao (Oak Ridge).  1.55-m reflector + CCD.
R. H. McNaught (Siding Spring).  Uppsala Southern Schmidt telescope.

     The following preliminary orbital elements, from the five
available observations, indicate that this is a short-period comet:

     T = 1991 Dec.  1.533 ET          Peri. =   0.430
     e = 0.48700                      Node  =  30.062   1950.0
     q = 1.96464 AU                   Incl. =  11.057
       a =  3.82974 AU     n = 0.131507     P =   7.49 years

     1991 ET      R.A. (1950) Decl.     Delta      r       m1
     Oct.  1     0 24.71    - 7 34.0    1.040    2.033    16.2
           6     0 20.60    - 7 13.7
          11     0 16.63    - 6 48.8    1.038    2.013    16.1
          16     0 12.98    - 6 19.1
          21     0 09.82    - 5 44.6    1.058    1.996    16.1
          26     0 07.27    - 5 05.4
          31     0 05.44    - 4 21.9    1.099    1.983    16.2

     E. Bowell, Lowell Observatory, reports that unflattened R-band
CCD frames of 5-min exposure taken by B. A. Skiff on Oct. 5 with the
1.1-m Hall reflector show that the comet exhibits a coma extending
only 15" from the nucleus, which is very strongly condensed, most of
the light being within 5" of the photocenter (m1 about 16.0-16.5).


PERIODIC COMET SHOEMAKER 1 (1991p)
     Total visual magnitude estimate by C. S. Morris, Lockwood
Valley, CA (0.51-m reflector): Oct. 6.18 UT, 14.1.


1991 October 7                 (5361)             Daniel W. E. Green

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