Electronic Telegram No. 3135
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
CBAT Director:  Daniel W. E. Green; Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
e-mail:  cbatiau@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


COMET C/2012 L2 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object discovery by the LINEAR survey (discovery
observations tabulated below), and posted on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP
webpage, has been found to show cometary appearance by other CCD
astrometrists.  Stacked images taken by R. Holmes (Ashmore, IL, USA; 0.61-m
f/4 astrograph; June 3.3 UT; measured by T. Vorobjov, L. Buzzi, and S. Foglia)
show a diffuse 10" coma and a hint of tail in p.a. 270 deg; further stacked
images taken by Holmes on June 5.3 (measured by Buzzi, H. Devore, Foglia, and
Vorobjov) reveal a 10" coma elongated in p.a. 270 deg.  Images obtained
remotely by E. Bryssinck (Kruibeke, Belgium; 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + Bessel
R filter at the RAS Observatory, iTelescope network, near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.;
June 5.4) show a 9" coma.  H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan; remotely using a 0.51-m
f/6.8 astrograph at the RAS Observatory near Mayhill; June 5.4) finds a
moderately condensed coma of diameter 12" and V-band mag 18.5 in a circular
aperture of radius 6".5.

     2012 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     June  1.37497   23 33 52.83   +68 13 01.3   19.4   LINEAR
           1.38589   23 33 53.86   +68 13 09.1   19.5     "
           1.39634   23 33 54.94   +68 13 18.1   19.9     "
           1.40681   23 33 55.92   +68 13 24.9   19.7     "
           1.41730   23 33 56.94   +68 13 33.5   19.8     "

The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital
elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2012-L13.

     T = 2013 Apr. 10.2963 TT         Peri. = 215.7069
                                      Node  = 266.6550  2000.0
     q = 1.146343 AU                  Incl. =  71.5933


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 June 5                      (CBET 3135)              Daniel W. E. Green