Electronic Telegram No. 4156
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Mailing address:  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/2015 TQ_209 (LINEAR)
     An apparent asteroidal object discovered on CCD images taken with the
LINEAR 3.5-m f/1 reflector (discovery observations tabulated below), which
was given the minor-planet designation 2015 TQ_209 by the Minor Planet Center
(cf. MPS 631904), has been found to show cometary appearance by CCD
astrometrists elsewhere.

     2015 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Oct. 10.32901    2 37 53.47   +17 26 41.4   19.2
          10.33477    2 37 53.31   +17 26 40.2   19.2
          10.34032    2 37 53.13   +17 26 38.8   19.5
          10.34474    2 37 52.96   +17 26 38.1   19.3
          10.35070    2 37 52.77   +17 26 36.9   19.3
          12.40610    2 36 46.18   +17 19 03.1   19.3
          12.40651    2 36 46.16   +17 19 02.7   19.4
          12.41206    2 36 45.96   +17 19 01.6   19.2
          12.41247    2 36 45.96   +17 19 01.5   19.1
          12.41884    2 36 45.73   +17 18 59.9   19.4
          12.41924    2 36 45.73   +17 18 59.8   19.0
          12.42466    2 36 45.55   +17 18 58.7   19.7
          12.42507    2 36 45.56   +17 18 58.7   19.5

H. Sato, Tokyo, Japan, writes that twelve stacked 60-s exposures, taken on
Oct. 23.65-23.65 UT with an iTelescope 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph at Siding
Spring, show the object to be strongly condensed with a round coma 10" in
diameter and no tail; the w-band magnitude was 18.3 as measured within a
circular aperture of radius 6".6.  K. Sarneczky, Konkoly Observatory, finds a
strongly condensed coma and a 10"-long tail in p.a. about 275 deg on six
stacked 150-s unfiltered images taken with the 0.60-m Schmidt telescope at
the Piszkesteto Station of Konkoly Observatory on Oct. 24.09.
     The available astrometry, the following parabolic orbital elements by
G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC

     T = 2016 Aug. 26.7236 TT         Peri. = 281.3296
                                      Node  = 224.1008  2000.0
     q = 1.414635 AU                  Incl. =  11.3476


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2015 CBAT
2015 October 24                  (CBET 4156)              Daniel W. E. Green