Electronic Telegram No. 4024
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/2014 W6 (CATALINA)
     An apparently asteroidal object found on CCD images taken with the
Catalina Sky Survey 0.68-m Schmidt telescope by R. A. Kowalski and R. G.
Matheny on Nov. 20.5 UT (discovery observations tabulated below) has been
found to show cometary appearance by CCD astrometrists elsewhere after the
object was posted on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP webpage.  W. H. Ryan
(Magdalena Ridge Observatory 2.4-m f/8.9 reflector) writes that R-band images
taken on Nov. 21.5 show a distinct coma and tail toward p.a. about 315 deg
(and gives the magnitude as 18.6-18.9).  E. J. Christensen writes that four
stacked 30-s images taken with the Mt. Lemmon 1.5-m reflector on Nov. 22.5
show a coma of size about 8" (and mag 18.5) with a short fan-shaped tail
toward p.a. 320 deg.

     2014 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Nov. 20.51463   11 37 40.87   + 1 50 41.5   18.3   Kowalski
          20.51914   11 37 41.11   + 1 50 37.5   18.2     "
          20.52364   11 37 41.29   + 1 50 33.6   18.4     "
          20.52815   11 37 41.41   + 1 50 29.6   18.5     "

     The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital
elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2014-W69.

     T = 2015 Feb. 19.4539 TT         Peri. = 202.5163
                                      Node  = 338.1324  2000.0
     q = 3.182105 AU                  Incl. =  52.6701


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2014 CBAT
2014 November 22                 (CBET 4024)              Daniel W. E. Green