[meteorite-list] RE: See it Now: New Comet Brightens Rapidly (C/2006 A1Pojmanski)

From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Mar 3 15:55:11 2006
Message-ID: <A8044CCD89B24B458AE36254DCA2BD070B17E7_at_0005-its-exmp01.us.saic.com>

Regarding comet C/2006 A1 (Pojmanski), Joe Rao reported (via Ron to
this list):

"Interestingly, about seven hours after Pojmanski detected the comet,
another astronomer, Dr. Kazimieras Cernis at the Institute of
Theoretical Physics and Astronomy at Vilnius, Lithuania, spotted it
on ultraviolet images taken a few days earlier from the SOHO satellite.
Despite this, however, the comet bears only Pojmanski's name."

I, too, discovered this comet on January 4th using SOHO/SWAN images,
and forwarded astrometry dating back to December 20th to Dr. Marsden
at the Minor Planet Center. Alas, Brian was out of the country on
vacation and didn't immediately receive my e-mail. (Lesson learned:
always send important comet/asteroid discoveries to more than one
person!) After receiving no confirmation from the MPC after 24 hours,
I called them and learned the reason.

I'm actually happy that Grzegorz got credit for the discovery, as
even if I had been first to report it, credit would have gone to
SWAN, not me, and it's better that the comet get a real person's name
over an instrument.

Cheers,
Rob
Received on Fri 03 Mar 2006 03:54:47 PM PST