Electronic Telegram No. 3144
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 P/2012 L4 (LARSEN)
     Krisztian Sarneczky, Konkoly Observatory, reports his recovery of comet
P/2004 H3 (cf. IAUC 8332) on unfiltered CCD images taken with the 0.60-m
Schmidt telescope at Piszkesteto Station of Konkoly Observatory (astrometry
tabulated below).  The object shows a 4" coma (nearby stars have FWHM of 2".7)
and a fan-shaped tail 8"-10" long in p.a. about 250 deg on a co-added image
taken on June 15.92 UT.  In co-added confirming images taken on June 16.91,
a 4" coma is visible.

     2012 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     June 15.92057   17 21 58.23   + 3 04 14.0   19.7   Sarneczky
          15.92650   17 21 57.94   + 3 04 16.4   20.1     "
          15.93243   17 21 57.62   + 3 04 18.2   19.3     "
          16.01293   17 21 54.03   + 3 04 44.8   19.2     "
          16.88944   17 21 15.79   + 3 09 37.1            "
          16.90938   17 21 14.88   + 3 09 42.8   19.5     "
          16.91530   17 21 14.60   + 3 09 44.9   19.4     "

The indicated correction to the orbit by S. Nakano in the International
Comet Quarterly's 2011/2012 Comet Handbook is -1.36 day.  The following
linked orbital elements by G. V. Williams, residuals, and an ephemeris
appear on MPEC 2012-M04.

                    Epoch = 2011 Nov. 15.0 TT
     T = 2011 Nov. 21.96869 TT        Peri. = 346.55682
     e = 0.3723700                    Node  = 220.94654 2000.0
     q = 2.4501325 AU                 Incl. =  25.12003
       a =  3.9037847 AU   n = 0.12778365   P =   7.71 years


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 June 16                     (CBET 3144)              Daniel W. E. Green