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IAUC 8138: C/2003 K2; C/2003 K3; S/2003 J 21

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 8138
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)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304
Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET C/2003 K2
     It has been noted by numerous individuals that the preliminary
orbital elements of comet C/2003 K2 (cf. IAUC 8136) place it close
to the position of an unconfirmed object found on SWAN ultraviolet
SOHO website images and reported to the Central Bureau on Apr. 14
by X.-m. Zhou (Bo-le, Xin-jiang, China).  Measurements of the
object on six dates, Apr. 5-19, were forwarded to the Central
Bureau by Zhou (via D. H. Chen), by M. Mattiazzo, and by S. Hoenig;
the positions differed considerably, due to the poor resolution of
SWAN (uncertainty on the order of 1 degree).  Two search
ephemerides based on various positions were circulated by the
Bureau to numerous visual and CCD observers in the hopes of optical
confirmation, but the searches (undertaken during the last week of
April by Zhou, A. Hale, Mattiazzo, Y. Kushida, and Y. Ezaki)
revealed nothing to as faint as mag 14.5.  The following improved
parabolic orbital elements for C/2003 K2 (from MPEC 2003-K49)
indicate that the search-ephemeris positions in late April for the
SWAN object were no closer than about 2.5 degrees from C/2003 K2.
The comet might be of short period.

     T = 2003 Apr. 10.550 TT          Peri. = 357.591
                                      Node  =  89.942   2000.0
     q = 0.62325 AU                   Incl. =  10.273


COMET C/2003 K3 (SOHO)
     Further to IAUC 8120, D. Hammer reports measurements for a
faint comet (mag 8-10) found by H. Otterstedt on SOHO website C3
images.  The reduced astrometry, orbital elements (Peri. = 108 deg,
Node = 79 deg, i = 39 deg, q = 0.14 AU), and ephemeris by B. G.
Marsden appear on MPEC 2003-K46.

     2003 UT           R.A. (2000) Decl.
     May  25.096       4 29.3      +23 24


S/2003 J 21
     Further to IAUC 8125, the discovery of a new satellite of
Jupiter has been reported on CCD images taken with the 3.6-m
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope by teams led by B. Gladman and by
S. S. Sheppard.  Astrometry, preliminary orbital elements by B. G.
Marsden, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2003-K45 (e = 0.21, i =
148 deg, P = 600 days, H = 16.3).

                      (C) Copyright 2003 CBAT
2003 May 30                    (8138)            Daniel W. E. Green

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