Electronic Telegram No. 3694
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
CBAT Director: Daniel W. E. Green; Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA 02138; U.S.A.
e-mail: cbatiau@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org)
URL
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.htmlPrepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network
COMET C/2013 V2 (BORISOV)
G. Borisov, Crimean Laboratory, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, reports
the discovery of a comet with a coma diameter of about 16" on three CCD images
taken with a 0.2-m f/1.5 astrograph on Nov. 6 (discovery observations
tabulated below).
2013 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer
Nov. 6.01288 5 39 12.82 +47 55 43.3 16.9 Borisov
6.04105 5 39 12.25 +47 55 57.7 16.8 "
6.06921 5 39 11.47 +47 56 11.4 16.9 "
After posting on the Minor Planet Center's new PCCP webpage (cf. CBET 3682),
other CCD astrometrists have also commented on the object's cometary
appearance. Twelve stacked, 120-s, unfiltered exposures taken by E. Guido, N.
Howes, and M. Nicolini remotely with an iTelescope 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph
located near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A., on Nov. 6.4 UT show a diffuse coma about 15"
in diameter, elongated toward p.a. 135 deg. Erik Bryssinck (Kruibeke,
Belgium) stacked seven 180-s unfiltered images obtained remotely with an
iTelescope 0.25-m f/3.4 reflector near Mayhill that show an oval coma with a
size of about 26" x 18", elongated toward p.a. 255 degrees; his follow-up
images on Nov. 6.79 with an iTelescope instrument near Nerpio, Spain, shows a
25" x 20" coma elongated in p.a. 252 deg, noting that the dense star field
made it difficult to detect the object easily. Four stacked 60-s exposures
taken by V. Nevski with a 0.4-m reflector at the ISON-Kislovodsk Observatory
in Russia on Nov. 6.74 show a 15" coma. Images taken by P. Bacci with a
0.60-m f/4 reflector at San Marcello Pistoiese, Italy, on Nov. 6.9 (measured
by Bacci, L. Tesi, and G. Fagioli) show a diffuse coma of diameter 18" and a
tail 55" long in p.a. 240 deg in fifteen co-added 60-s exposures. H. Sato
(Tokyo, Japan; iTelescope 0.32-m f/8.0 astrograph near Nerpio; Nov. 7.0)
finds a strongly condensed, 15" coma with a hint of tail 20" long toward p.a.
245 degrees on nine stacked 60-s images. L. Buzzi (Varese, Italy; 0.36-m
f/7.3 reflector; Nov. 7.14-7.15) reports that stacked images show a condensed
coma 15" wide and a faint, broad tail at least 20" long in p.a. 240 deg. R.
Ligustri (Talmassons, Udine, Italy, 0.35-m f/5.5 reflector; Nov. 7.15-7.16)
notes a diffuse object with a coma diameter of about 20", elongated toward
p.a. 235 deg. W. H. Ryan (Magdalena Ridge Observatory, 2.4-m f/8.9
reflector; Nov. 7.4) finds a distinct coma and tail in p.a. about 225 deg in
R-band images. Thirty stacked 60-s images taken by R. Holmes (Ashmore, IL,
USA; 0.61-m f/4 astrograph; Nov. 7.4; measured by S. Foglia with six others)
show a coma of size 8" x 12", elongated in p.a. 220 deg, with a wide tail 20"
long in p.a. 235 deg.
The available astrometry, the following preliminary parabolic orbital
elements by G. V. Williams, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2013-V43.
T = 2014 Oct. 6.0020 TT Peri. = 87.4622
Node = 50.0660 2000.0
q = 3.802641 AU Incl. = 39.2724
NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.
(C) Copyright 2013 CBAT
2013 November 8 (CBET 3694) Daniel W. E. Green
