News - April 2005

2005 April 23

Further SOHO Kreutz comets: C/1997 J5 (SOHO) (R. Kracht) and C/1998 U7 (SOHO) (X. Leprette).
C/1996 N3 (SOHO) (R. Kracht) is the 54^th Meyer group comet. Official SOHO comets: 933.
B. G. Marsden (CfA) notes in the same MPEC that the Marsden group comet C/2005 G2 can be successfully linked to comet C/1999 N5, which in fact may also be related to C/2005 E4. It is possible that both 2005 objects separated at the 1999 apparition from C/1999 N5. The latter comet may in turn have been separated from a common parent object with C/1999 J6 at the unobserved 1993 apparition. If the Marsden group triplet C/1999 P6, P8, and P9, has also separated at the 1993 apparition then it might be possible that they return (if they have survived) around Apr. 28, 2005, (for C/1999 P6) and May 18, 2005, (for C/1999 P8 and P9). (MPEC 2005-H24)

2005 April 16

Further SOHO Kreutz comets: C/2005 E5 (SOHO) (H. Su), C/2005 E6 (SOHO) (B. Zhou), C/2005 E7 (SOHO) (X. Leprette), C/2005 E8 (SOHO) (T. Hoffman), C/2005 E9 (SOHO) (B. Zhou), C/2005 F1 (SOHO) (H. Zhou) and C/2005 F2 (SOHO) (H. Su).
C/2000 V4 (SOHO) (R. Kracht) belongs to no known comet group but seems to be related to comet C/2001 T5 (SOHO).
C/2005 G2 (SOHO) (H. Su) is the 21^st observed Marsden group comet. An unambiguous link to earlier comets of this group was not possible. Official SOHO comets: 930. (MPEC 2005-G93, MPEC 2005-G94)

2005 April 14

New Discovery!: An apparently asteroidal object, discovered on Apr. 02, 2005, by the LONEOS survey, was linked by G. V. Williams (MPC) with Siding Spring observations of Apr. 03, of an asteroidal object which was designated as 2005 GF₈, and later with LINEAR observations of Apr. 07, and Spacewatch observations of Apr. 11, and then posted on the NEO Confirmation Page. On request further Spacewatch images showed a short tail. G. R. Jones (Tucson) also reports the detection of a tail and P. Birtwhistle (Great Shefford) mentioned a less concentrated morphology compared to stars of similar brightness from his observations in poor seeing. The first orbit for the 17.5^m comet P/2005 GF₈ (LONEOS) shows a perihelion at about 2.8 AU in August 2005. The period is about 14.2 years. This is LONEOS' 30^th comet discovery. (IAUC 8510 subscription required, MPEC 2005-G88)

2005 April 06

Further SOHO Kreutz comets: C/1997 P4 (SOHO) (R. Kracht), C/1997 P5 (SOHO) (R. Kracht), C/1997 S5 (SOHO) (R. Kracht), C/2005 D2 (SOHO) (T. Hoffman), C/2005 D3 (SOHO) (K. Cernis), C/2005 D4 (SOHO) (B. Zhou) and C/2005 D5 (SOHO) (B. Zhou). Official SOHO comets: 921. (MPEC 2005-G39, MPEC 2005-G40)

2005 April 04

New Discovery!: On Apr. 01, 2005, the LINEAR survey discovered an asteroidal object with unusual motion. After posting on the NEO Confirmation Page C. Hergenrother with the 1.54-m Kuiper reflector at Catalina was able to identify the cometary nature of the 18.5^m object. Prediscovery observations by LINEAR of Mar. 22, 2005, were also found and lead to an orbit with perihelion in February 2006, at about 5.0 AU. This is LINEARs 156^th comet discovery. (IAUC 8504 subscription required, MPEC 2005-G23)