Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams

IAUC 9127: COMET C/2010 E5 (SCOTTI)

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                                                  Circular No. 9127
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
CBAT Director:  D. W. E. Green, Room 209; Department of
 Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
CBAT@IAU.ORG; CBATIAU@EPS.HARVARD.EDU
URL http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304


COMET C/2010 E5 (SCOTTI)
     J. V. Scotti, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, reports his
discovery of a diffuse comet with a short tail extending toward the
northwest on CCD mosaic images obtained with the 0.9-m f/3
Spacewatch reflector at Kitt Peak (discovery observation tabulated
below).  Nine co-added exposures by Scotti on Mar. 14.3 UT with the
Spacewatch 1.8-m reflector show a faint tail clearly visible
extending 0'.62 in p.a. 304 deg and a small, slightly diffuse coma
of diameter 8".4; stacked images on Mar. 15 show a coma diameter of
10".3 and a tail 1'.09 long in p.a. 306 deg (the end of the tail in
a less-crowded star region than on Mar. 14).  T. H. Bressi finds
that images with the same telescope on Mar. 17.4 show a tail in p.a.
320 deg.  After posting on the Minor Planet Center's 'NEOCP'
webpage, numerous other CCD astrometrists have commented on the
object's cometary appearance.  P. Holvorcem, Campinas, Brazil,
writes that three 270-s co-added exposures taken with the Tenagra
0.81-m telescope around Mar. 15.36 show a coma about 7" in diameter
and a narrow, straight, 17" tail toward p.a. 291 deg, while three
co-added 360-s exposures taken around Mar. 17.34 under poorer
seeing show a coma of diameter about 9" and a 5" tail toward p.a.
280 deg.  L. Buzzi (Varese, Italy, 0.60-m reflector, Mar. 17.0-17.1)
notes that stacked images reveal a 10" condensed coma and a tail at
least 25" long in p.a. 305 deg.  S. Foglia reports that 18 stacked
60-s images taken by R. Holmes (Ashmore, IL, U.S.A., 0.61-m
reflector, Mar. 17.24-17.29) show an 8" coma and a 40" tail in p.a.
315 deg.  R-band images taken with the Magdalena Ridge 2.4-m
reflector by W. H. Ryan and E. V. Ryan on Mar. 17.4 show a distinct
tail at p.a. about 300 deg.  L. Elenin finds that six stacked 300-s
unfiltered CCD exposures taken with a 0.36-m astrograph at Tzec
Maun Observatory (near Mayhill, NM, USA) on Mar. 17.44 show a 4"
diffuse coma and a 3".5 tail in p.a. 315 deg.  Twenty 120-s
unfiltered exposures taken remotely by E. Guido and G. Sostero with
a 0.25-m reflector near Mayhill on Mar. 17.5 show a coma nearly 10"
in diameter with a broad tail about 25" long toward the northwest.

     2010 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.       Mag.   Observer
     Mar. 14.23418   12 40 39.80   + 1 31 55.1   20.1   Scotti

The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic
orbital elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2010-F14.

     T = 2011 Jan. 20.812 TT          Peri. = 218.367
                                      Node  =  13.857   2000.0
     q = 4.02520 AU                   Incl. =  27.867

                      (C) Copyright 2010 CBAT
2010 March 17                  (9127)            Daniel W. E. Green

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