Electronic Telegram No. 3214
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 P1 (CHRISTENSEN)
     Artyom Novichonok and Otabek Burhonov report their recovery of comet
P/2006 U5 (cf. IAUCs 8768, 8775) on images obtained by Burhonov with a
1.5-m f/8 reflector at Majdanak observatory in Uzbekistan; the comet showed
a small coma and a short tail 5" long in p.a. 242 deg on Aug. 15.
Confirming images on Aug. 28 show a 3".5 coma and a short, broad tail 4"
long in p.a. 260 deg.

     2012 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Aug. 15.93182    1 25 40.76   + 9 11 12.9
          15.93740    1 25 40.79   + 9 11 13.6   21.4
          15.94299    1 25 40.83   + 9 11 13.8
          15.94856    1 25 40.85   + 9 11 14.4
          28.95155    1 25 06.73   + 9 19 48.4
          28.95714    1 25 06.65   + 9 19 48.4
          28.96272    1 25 06.59   + 9 19 48.4   21.4
          28.96994    1 25 06.51   + 9 19 48.4
          28.97552    1 25 06.45   + 9 19 48.4

The indicated correction to the prediction by B. G. Marsden on MPC 69911
is Delta(T) = -0.21 day.  Linked orbital elements by G. V. Williams from
348 observations, 2006-2012:

                    Epoch = 2013 Aug. 16.0 TT
     T = 2013 Aug. 31.62746 TT        Peri. =  98.01367
     e = 0.3410808                    Node  =   5.04861 2000.0
     q = 2.3279890 AU                 Incl. =   3.42790
       a =  3.5330418 AU   n = 0.14841606   P =   6.64 years


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 September 3                 (CBET 3214)              Daniel W. E. Green