News - April 2008

2008 April 20

Recovery!: T. S. Spahr (Minor Planet Center) has identified comet P/1994 J3 = 1994k = 1994 XXVIII in single-night observations of minor planets by the Catalina Sky Survey of April 1, 2008. B. G. Marsden then identified further single-night data by Catalina of April 10, 2008. The correction to the prediction is Delta(T) = -1.7 days. Comet P/2008 G2 (Shoemaker) will pass perihelion on Apr. 9, 2009, at about 2.9 AU. The period is about 14.6 years. (CBET 1347, subscription required, IAUC 8939, subscription required, MPEC 2008-H20)

2008 April 20

New Discovery!: An apparently asteroidal object, discovered on Jan. 13, 2007, in the course of the LINEAR survey has been found to be cometary after posting on the NEO Confirmation Page by E. Reina L. (Masquefa Obs.), E. Guido and G. Sostero (remotely from Mayhill), J. M. Aymami (Obs. Carmelita) and R. Apitzsch (Wildberg). The 17.5^m comet C/2008 H1 (LINEAR) passed perihelion according to the first and preliminary orbit on Mar. 11, 2008, at about 2.8 AU. This is the 184^th comet for LINEAR. (CBET 1343, subscription required, MPEC 2008-H09)

2008 April 11

Further SOHO comets (all named SOHO):

Designation  Group   Discoverer     Notes
C/2008 B1    Kreutz  H. Su
C/2008 B2    Kreutz  A. Kubczak     earliest detection by STEREO
C/2008 B3    Kreutz  H. Su
C/2008 B4    Kreutz  B. Zhou
C/2008 C3    ---     R. Kracht
C/2008 C4    Kreutz  H. Su          earliest detection by STEREO
C/2008 C5    Kreutz  A. Kubczak     earliest detection by STEREO

Official SOHO comets: 1437 (IAUC 8933, subscription required, MPEC 2008-G59, MPEC 2008-G60)

2008 April 9

New Discovery!: A. R. Gibbs reports his discovery of a new comet on Apr. 7, 2008, in the course of the Mt. Lemmon Survey. After posting on the NEO Confirmation Page L. Buzzi (Varese), L. Donato and M. Gonano (Remanzacco), E. Guido and G. Sostero (Castellammare di Stabia, remotely near Mayhill), J. G. Ries (McDonald Observatory), J. E. McGaha (Tucson), and A. C. Gilmore and P. M. Kilmartin (Mt. John) were able to confirm the cometary nature of the 19^m object. The first and preliminary orbit for comet C/2008 G1 (Gibbs) indicates perihelion on Feb. 7, 2009, at about 3.7 AU. This is the 17^th comet for the Mt. Lemmon Survey and the 10^th for Gibbs. (IAUC 8932, subscription required, MPEC 2008-G58)

2008 April 1

Recovery!: G. V. Williams (Minor Planet Center) reports his recovery of comet P/1998 X1 in survey astrometric data of early 2006. The 20 - 21^m comet was observed on Jan. 30, Feb. 7, 20, and 24, and Mar. 2, 2006, in the course of the Spacewatch Survey, and on Mar. 23, and 24, 2006, in the course of the Mt. Lemmon Survey. The correction to the prediction in MPC 45656 is about -2 days. There are still systematic residuals up to 5" when linking both apparitions. Comet P/2006 B7 (ODAS) passed perihelion on May 3, 2005, at about 2.0 AU. The period is about 6.8 years. (IAUC 8929, IAUC 8930, subscription required)
New permanent periodic comet numberings: 196P/Tichy = P/2008 C2 = 2000 U6, and 197P/LINEAR = P/2008 E2 = 2003 KV₂. (IAUC 8930, subscription required)