Electronic Telegram No. 4236
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 P/2007 VA_85 (LINEAR)
     An apparently asteroidal object that was discovered in 2007 (discovery
observations tabulated below) with the LINEAR 1.0-m f/2.15 reflector, and
then given the minor-planet designation 2007 VA_85 on MPS 225252, has been
recovered and found to show cometary appearance now.  The observations at
the object's first apparition extended through 2008 June 22.

     2007 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.
     Nov.  4.08915   19 34 58.05   +37 41 27.9   18.9
           4.10081   19 34 59.40   +37 40 44.3   18.8
           4.12427   19 35 02.03   +37 39 19.0   18.8

H. Sato, Tokyo, Japan, reports this ten stacked 60-s CCD exposures taken with
an iTelescope 0.51-m f/6.8 astrograph at Siding Spring on 2015 Nov. 18.7 UT
of 2007 VA_85 (observations tabulated below) show no obvious coma or tail,
but his follow-up observations with the same telescope on 2016 Jan. 8.7 show
a starlike head with a distinct tail 40" long towards p.a. 310 degrees on each
of six stacked 60-s exposures (the w-band magnitude measured as 17.5 within a
circular aperture of radius 4".9); Sato has posted images of the comet at
website URL https://vid.me/xS2A.

     2015 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Nov. 18.71969   12 07 12.16   -37 50 20.3          Sato
          18.72222   12 07 12.22   -37 50 21.2            "
          18.72474   12 07 12.27   -37 50 21.8   19.9     "

Maury and J.-F. Soulier write that their stacked unfiltered CCD images taken
on Jan. 10.3 UT with a 0.4-m f/8 Ritchey-Chretien reflector at San Pedro de
Atacama, Chile, show a "pseudo"-coma around 10" in diameter (and red mag 17.6-
17.7) with a tail about 36" long in p.a. 290 deg.  E. Bryssinck, Kruibeke,
Belgium, notes that six stacked 60-s unfiltered images taken with an
iTelescope 0.7-m f/6.6 astrograph at Siding Spring on Jan. 10.57 show a 21"
tail in p.a. 222 deg; he finds no sign of a coma, with the head appearing
starlike and of red mag 17.2-17.4.
     The available astrometry, the following linked orbital elements by
G. V. Williams (from 111 observations spanning 2007 Nov. 4-2016 Jan. 10;
mean residual 0".5), and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2016-A101.

                    Epoch = 2007 Aug.  8.0 TT
     T = 2007 July 28.35334 TT        Peri. =  25.59530
     e = 0.7376151                    Node  = 115.37576 2000.0
     q = 1.1035276 AU                 Incl. = 132.45948
       a =  4.2057580 AU   n = 0.11427143   P =   8.62 years

                    Epoch = 2016 Apr.  2.0 TT
     T = 2016 Apr.  3.89009 TT        Peri. =  26.14433
     e = 0.7360474                    Node  = 115.56555 2000.0
     q = 1.1151594 AU                 Incl. = 131.87709
       a =  4.2248476 AU   n = 0.11349782   P =   8.68 years


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

                         (C) Copyright 2016 CBAT
2016 January 11                  (CBET 4236)              Daniel W. E. Green