Electronic Telegram No. 3445
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/2013 F1 (BOATTINI)
     A. Boattini reports the discovery of a comet on CCD images taken with
the Catalina Sky Survey's 0.68-m Schmidt telescope (discovery observations
tabulated below), noting a strong condensation in 30-s exposures initially;
four co-added 60-s follow-up exposures from Mar. 23.4 UT show a strong
central condensation with a coma of diameter 15"-20", slightly elongated
on the west side but with no visible tail.  Follow-up observations by R. A.
Kowalski with the Mount Lemmon 1.5-m reflector on Mar. 23.4 show a round,
condensed core of diameter 12" with no visible tail in four co-added 60-s
exposures taken in below-average seeing.  After posting on the Minor
Planet Center's NEOCP webpage, other CCD astrometrists have also noted the
object's cometary appearance.  H. Sato (Tokyo, Japan; remotely using an
iTelescope.net 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.) found a
faint outer coma 30" in diameter on Mar. 23.4 and noted a faint outer coma
40" in diameter on Mar. 24.4.  J. G. Ries (McDonald Observatory, 2.1-m
reflector + i-band filter; Mar. 23.4) notes a fairly spherical halo
approximately 8" in size around the object's core.  F. Losse (St. Pardon
de Conques, France; 0.40-m f/3.7 reflector) measures a 5" nuclear region
with a 1'.5 diffuse tail in p.a. 320 deg on Mar. 24.03-24.08.  R. Ligustri
(Udine, Italy; remotely using an iTelescope.net 0.43-m f/4.5 reflector
near Mayhill; Mar. 24.4) reports a 15" coma elongated and V-shaped
toward the west in fifteen co-added 60-s exposures.

     2013 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Mar. 23.34321   15 48 23.40   +34 21 37.1   17.9   Boattini
          23.34997   15 48 22.17   +34 21 36.8   17.8     "
          23.35681   15 48 21.09   +34 21 36.0   17.6     "
          23.36362   15 48 19.94   +34 21 34.9   17.5     "
          23.40419   15 48 13.32   +34 21 29.5   17.6     "
          23.41189   15 48 12.02   +34 21 28.7   17.7     "

The available astrometry, the following very preliminary parabolic orbital
elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2013-F46.

     T = 2012 Dec.  8.0155 TT         Peri. =  96.2242
                                      Node  =  29.5904  2000.0
     q = 1.933769 AU                  Incl. =  80.5383


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2013 CBAT
2013 March 24                    (CBET 3445)              Daniel W. E. Green