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IAUC 8858: C/2007 O1; P/2007 N2 = P/2002 O5

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IAUC number 

                                                  Circular No. 8858
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://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304
Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET C/2007 O1 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object discovered by the LINEAR
survey (discovery observation tabulated below), and posted on the
Minor Planet Center's 'NEOCP' webpage, has been found to show
cometary appearance by several CCD observers.  L. Donato, E. Guido,
A. Lepardo, and G. Sostero (Remanzacco, Italy, 0.45-m f/4.4
reflector) write that twenty stacked 60-s unfiltered exposures
obtained on July 17.9 UT show a coma nearly 12" in diameter of red
mag 16.7-17.0.  G. Lombardi and E. Pettarin (Farra d'Isonzo, Italy,
0.40-m f/4.5 reflector) report that images obtained by F. Piani and
themselves on July 17.9 show a diffuse coma of diameter about 10"
with a tail about 20" long in p.a. 315 deg (though difficult
detection among the Milky Way stars).  P. Birtwhistle (Great
Shefford, Berkshire, England, 0.40-m f/6 Schmidt-Cassegrain
reflector) notes that his images from July 17.9 show that the
object appears diffuse and circular, with a concentrated center and
diameter 10", adding that no tail was visible, but that such
detection is very much hampered by the rich star field.  M.
Pietschnig (Alter Satzberg, Vienna, Austria, 0.35-m f/7 Schmidt-
Cassegrain reflector) reports that his frames from July 17.9 show a
faint coma of diameter about 20".  V. S. Casulli (Colleverde di
Guidonia, Italy, 0.40-m f/4.5 reflector) adds that images from July
18.04 and 18.06 show a coma nearly 9" in diameter, elongated toward
p.a. 330 deg.

     2007 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     July 17.22525   19 06 37.31   -17 23 57.3   17.2

The available astrometry (including prediscovery LINEAR
observations from July 15 and 16), the following preliminary
orbital elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2007-O10.

     T = 2007 July  1.763 TT          Peri. = 167.527
                                      Node  = 116.226   2000.0
     q = 2.90503 AU                   Incl. =  24.401


COMET P/2007 N2 = P/2002 O5 (NEAT)
     The recovery announced on IAUC 8856 was only as a result of
the incidental LINEAR astrometry (thus, accidental); the other
observers provided 'confirming' astrometry as a result of a
surprise posting of an ephemeris on the 'NEOCP' webpage,
unbeknownst to the Central Bureau.

                      (C) Copyright 2007 CBAT
2007 July 18                   (8858)            Daniel W. E. Green

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