Circular No. 7063

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION

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COMET C/1998 W3 (LINEAR)

The following CCD observations are available of an object among several recognized by the LINEAR Team as having unusual motion and placed in The NEO Confirmation Page. On reporting astrometric follow-up, G. Hug, Farpoint Observatory, Eskridge, KS, noted the object’s appearance as probably cometary, a point confirmed by other observers on request from the Central Bureau and by the near-parabolic retrograde orbit.

1998 UT α_{2000} δ_{2000} m_{1} Observer
Nov. 25.29950 8^{h}46^{m}07.^{s}70 +29^{o}49′30′′.4 18.4 Blythe
25.31005 8 46 07.36 +29 49 38.0 18.4  _{”}
25.32060 8 46 06.84 +29 49 47.1 18.1  _{”}
25.33119 8 46 06.42 +29 49 53.6 18.1  _{”}
25.34174 8 46 05.98 +29 50 01.9 18.1  _{”}
26.36627 8 45 24.46 +30 02 11.7  Hug
26.37038 8 45 24.16 +30 02 16.8  _{”}
26.37848 8 45 23.68 +30 02 23.2  _{”}
27.42897 8 44 39.41 +30 15 04.9 19.0 Cooney
27.44056 8 44 38.81 +30 15 12.4 18.5  _{”}
27.44281 8 44 38.82 +30 15 13.5 19.3  _{”}
28.04905 8 44 12.55 +30 22 33.1  Tichá
28.05166 8 44 12.43 +30 22 35.0  _{”}
28.05347 8 44 12.36 +30 22 36.8  _{”}
28.05530 8 44 12.29 +30 22 37.8  _{”}
28.05714 8 44 12.22 +30 22 39.1 16.3  _{”}
28.05899 8 44 12.10 +30 22 40.5  _{”}

M. Blythe, F. Shelly and M. Bezpalko (Socorro). Measurers J. Stuart, H.

Viggh and R. Sayer. 1-m f/2.15 reflector. G. Hug (Eskridge). 0.3-m Schmidt-Cassegrain. Object diffuse. W. R. Cooney (Baton Rouge). 0.51-m refl. Faint but probably diffuse. J. Tichá and M. Tichý (Kleť). 0.57-m f/5.2 reflector. 15′′ coma, no tail.

T = 1999 Feb. 9.201 TT  ω = 23.^{o}226
Ω = 124.163 }2000.0
q = 4.86339 AU  i = 130.222
1998TT α_{2000} δ_{2000} Δ r ϵ β m_{1}
Nov. 28 8^{h}44.^{m}24 +30^{o}22.^{′}0 4.335 4.897 119.^{o}5 10.^{o}1 16.1
Dec. 3 8 40.29 +31 24.1 4.255 4.892 125.4  9.5 16.0
8 8 35.69 +32 28.5 4.182 4.888 131.3  8.7 16.0
13 8 30.45 +33 34.6 4.116 4.885 137.2  7.9 16.0
1998 November 28  \begin{matrix}c \\ ◯ \end{matrix} Copyright 1998 CBAT  Brian G. Marsden