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IAUC 6780: Sats OF URANUS

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                                                  Circular No. 6780
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
BMARSDEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or DGREEN@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html
Phone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)


SATELLITES OF URANUS
     Further selected CCD observations are given below, for S/1997 U 1
and S/1997 U 2, respectively.  As on IAUC 6764 and 6771, the selection
is restricted to one observation per satellite per observer per night.

     1997 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Observer
     Nov. 26.20765   20 32 16.03   -19 33 16.3   Lilly
          27.20229   20 32 24.32   -19 32 46.9     "
          28.20530   20 32 32.82   -19 32 16.5     "

     Nov. 10.09307   20 30 07.18   -19 32 00.9   Hergenrother
          25.08604   20 31 55.75   -19 25 16.7   Offutt

S. Lilly, M.-C. Hainaut, O. Le Fevre and M. Dussert (Mauna Kea).
   Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.  Measurer B. Gladman.
C. W. Hergenrother (Mt. Hopkins).  1.2-m f/8 reflector.
W. Offutt (Cloudcroft).  0.6-m f/7 Ritchey-Chretien.

     Further computations by B. G. Marsden and G. V. Williams,
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, seem--surprisingly, in
the case of the first, fainter satellite--to confirm the general
correctness of the orbit solutions given on IAUC 6765.  It appears
that both objects really are Uranian satellites, and that their orbits
(referred to the ecliptic) are indeed retrograde.  It also appears that
the orbit of the fainter satellite is significantly less eccentric than
that of the brighter.  The particular uranicentric solutions given
here, for S/1997 U 1 and S/1997 U 2, respectively, have assumed
eccentricities, deliberately chosen near the maximum possible value for
the first satellite and near the minimum possible value for the second.
The satellites should now be recoverable reasonably close to prediction
on their return to the morning sky after conjunction.

     T = 1997 June 27.506 TT          Peri. = 141.851
     e = 0.20000                      Node  = 185.758   2000.0
     q = 0.04158 AU                   Incl. = 146.360
       a =  0.05197 AU     n = 0.55008      P = 654 days

     T = 1997 Feb. 10.299 TT          Peri. = 256.248
     e = 0.40000                      Node  = 221.244   2000.0
     q = 0.02590 AU                   Incl. = 153.362
       a =  0.04317 AU     n = 0.72657      P = 495 days

                      (C) Copyright 1997 CBAT
1997 November 29               (6780)              Brian G. Marsden

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