[meteorite-list] List member discovers new comet

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Nov 1 00:25:59 2005
Message-ID: <20051101052555.81205.qmail_at_web51710.mail.yahoo.com>

http://ares.nrl.navy.mil/sungrazer/latest_news.html

Has this been posted to the List, yet?
Apologies if it has, but I don't think so. It's not
everyday that a List member discovers a comet.

As many of you know, List member, Rob Matson, is a
very determined meteorite hunter, asteroid finder, and
comet discover. Rob's latest comet discovery is more
a result of determination than it is of luck.

Here is the story in Rob's own words:

http://ares.nrl.navy.mil/sungrazer/latest_news.html
(Scroll down to October 23, 2005.)
  
--Bob V.

-----Original Message-----
From: bolidechaser_at_yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 2:26 PM
To: Matson, Robert
Subject: New comet

Hello Rob,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Your discovery is a case study in perseverance.
Way to hang in there.
Bob V.

-------------------------------------------------
From: "Matson, Robert" <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_saic.com>
To: "'bolidechaser_at_yahoo.com'"
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:39:46 -0700

Subject: RE: New comet
    
Hi Bob,

Thanks! I always wanted to add a SWAN comet to my
discovery list -- especially since they're 150 times
as rare as a SOHO comet [7 SWAN vs. 1031 (non-SWAN)
SOHO].
  There's a more detailed story with the confirmation
comet images from LPL and Siding Spring posted
on the SOHO sungrazer website:

http://ares.nrl.navy.mil/sungrazer/latest_news.html

Scroll down to October 23, 2005.
--Rob

>
> The IAU Circular came out over the weekend:
>
>
> Circular No. 8619
> Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
> INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
> Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory,
> Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
> IAUSUBS_at_CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231
> (subscriptions)
> CBAT_at_CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
> URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html
> ISSN 0081-0304
> Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (emergency use only)
>
> COMET C/2005 T4 (SWAN)
> R. D. Matson, Newport Coast, California;
> and M. Mattiazzo, Wallaroo, South Australia, have
> independently reported the presence of a comet in
> SOHO SWAN images during the first half of October
> (the object appearing rather faint in the
> ultraviolet images).
> The SWAN positions below are from Matson.
> E. J. Christensen reports that Catalina Sky Survey
> (0.68-m Schmidt telescope) images on Oct. 22.1 UT
> show a moderately condensed, roughly circular coma
> of diameter about 2' in three coadded 20-second
> exposures.
> R. H. McNaught, observing with the 1.0-m f/8
> reflector at Siding Spring Observatory on Oct 22.4,
> reports a diffuse 1' coma with a 3" (FWHM)
> central condensation (used for the magnitude
> estimates below).
> J. E. McGaha (Tucson, Arizona, 0.62-m f/5.1
> reflector) reports that his images on Oct. 23.1
> show a fan-shaped coma of size 20" x 30" toward
> p.a. 120 deg.
> A. Hale (Cloudcroft, New Mexico, 0.41-m reflector)
> writes that a visual observation on Oct. 23.08
> showed a diffuse coma of diameter 1'.5 and total
> mag 12.1.
>
> 2005 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer
> Oct. 6 15 00.7 - 0 20 SWAN
> 9 15 29.2 - 3 28 "
> 11 15 47.9 - 5 10 "
> 13 16 06.9 - 6 43 "
>Oct 22.06892 16 27 47.50 - 9 13 25.2 12.4 Christensen
> 22.07064 16 27 47.68 - 9 13 27.0 "
> 22.07230 16 27 47.91 - 9 13 28.7 "
> 22.39354 16 28 24.32 - 9 17 53.4 18.1 McNaught
> 22.39504 16 28 24.50 - 9 17 55.1 18.0 "
> 22.39654 16 28 24.67 - 9 17 56.3 18.0 "
> 22.39809 16 28 24.83 - 9 17 57.4 17.9 "
> 22.39960 16 28 24.99 - 9 17 58.8 17.9 "
> 22.40110 16 28 25.18 - 9 18 00.0 17.7 "
>
> Additional precise positions, the following
> preliminary parabolic orbital elements by B. G.
> Marsden (from 12 precise positions, Oct. 22-23),
> and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2005-U19:
>
> T = 2005 Oct. 9.602 TT Peri. = 40.696
> Node = 25.945 2000.0 q = 0.64699AU
> Incl. = 160.126
>
> (C) Copyright 2005 CBAT
>
Received on Tue 01 Nov 2005 12:25:55 AM PST