Circular No. 7654

Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION

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COMET C/2001 M10 (NEAT)

K. J. Lawrence, E. F. Helin, and S. Pravdo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, report the discovery by NEAT of a comet. Available observations:

2001 UT α_{2000} δ_{2000} m_{1} Observer
June 20.27674 20^{h}27^{m}01.^{s}77 −16^{o}03′13′′.0 19.5 NEAT
20.28765 20 27 01.56 −16 03 11.7 18.8  _{”}
20.29981 20 27 01.31 −16 03 09.6 18.8  _{”}
26.34891 20 24 56.21 −15 45 28.0 18.5  _{”}
26.35962 20 24 55.98 −15 45 26.2 18.5  _{”}
26.37017 20 24 55.71 −15 45 24.6 18.4  _{”}
29.56763 20 23 41.91 −15 36 26.9 19.2  _{”}
29.57807 20 23 41.67 −15 36 25.2 19.4  _{”}
29.58891 20 23 41.38 −15 36 23.9 20.0  _{”}
30.29356 20 23 24.47 −15 34 25.6  Dyvig
30.30273 20 23 24.29 −15 34 25.2 19.7  _{”}
30.31258 20 23 24.14 −15 34 23.9  _{”}
30.44178 20 23 20.96 −15 34 02.1  Balam
30.44730 20 23 20.87 −15 34 01.1  _{”}
30.45229 20 23 20.73 −15 34 00.6  _{”}

NEAT. Palomar (June 20, 26; 1.2-m Schmidt) and Haleakala (June 29,

cirrus clouds; 1.2-m reflector). Faint tail to west-southwest on June 29. R. Dyvig (Quinn, SD). 0.66-m f/4.8 reflector. Fuzzy, uncondensed, no tail. D. D. Balam (Dominion Astrophysical Obs.). 1.82-m Plaskett telescope.

Elliptical orbital elements from the above observations:

T = 2001 June 16.544 TT  ω = 4.^{o}994
e = 0.80236  Ω = 293.874 }2000.0
q = 5.28887 AU  i = 27.942

a = 26.75945 AU n^{o} = 0.007120 P = 138.43 years

2001 TT α_{2000}  δ_{2000}  Δ  r  ϵ  β  m_{1}
June 30 20^{h}23.^{m}53 −15^{o}35.^{′}2 4.360 5.290 153.^{o}6 4.^{o}9 18.4
July 10 20 19.20 −15 08.9 4.308 5.291 163.7 3.1 18.4
20 20 14.43 −14 44.7 4.284 5.294 172.8 1.4 18.4
30 20 09.54 −14 22.4 4.289 5.297 172.2 1.5 18.4
Aug. 9 20 04.90 −14 01.7 4.324 5.301 162.8 3.2 18.4
19 20 00.81 −13 42.1 4.387 5.306 152.6 5.0 18.5
2001 June 30  \begin{matrix}c \\ ◯ \end{matrix} Copyright 2001 CBAT  Daniel W. E. Green