Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sri-unix!koolish@BBNCD.ARPA From: koolish@BBNCD.ARPA Newsgroups: net.space Subject: comet Austin Message-ID: <97@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 17-Jul-84 17:31:10 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.97 Posted: Tue Jul 17 17:31:10 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 20-Jul-84 03:38:45 EDT Lines: 50 From: Dick Koolish NEW COMET AUSTIN, 1984i Orbital elements have now been calculated by Brian G. Marsden of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. As announced on IAU Circular 3958, they show Comet Austin is in a retrograde orbit and will reach perhelion in mid-August inside the orbit of Mercury. Marsden's 1950.0 elements are as follows: T 1984 Aug 12.13 q 0.2912 Arg. peri. 352.83 Asc. node 170.57 i 164.11 Comet Austin is currently visible only from the Southern Hemisphere. By late August, it will emerge from the Sun's glare and become accessible to northern observers with binoculars or small telescopes. It will then be low in the eastern predawn sky, near the Sickle of Leo, and shining with a visual magnitude of perhaps 7 or 8. As the comet moves slowly northeastward it will climb higher, fading to magnitude 10 or 11 by the end of September when it lies near Castor and Pollux. COMET AUSTIN (1950 Coordinates) 1984 R.A. Dec Mag Op Lat Tail PA JUL 19.0 9 17.2 -12 10 +6.8 59 S 148 JUL 24.0 9 50.7 -4 30 +6.8 46 S 136 JUL 29.0 10 05.9 +0 29 +6.5 40 S 130 AUG 3.0 10 10.8 +4 30 +6.0 36 S 126 AUG 8.0 10 07.0 +8 28 +5.3 ---- 121 AUG 13.0 9 55.2 +12 42 +5.2 ---- 110 AUG 18.0 9 39.6 +16 41 +6.0 ---- 328 AUG 23.0 9 25.0 +20 00 +7.1 ---- 308 AUG 28.0 9 12.3 +22 48 +8.1 32 N 304 SEP 2.0 9 00.7 +25.19 +8.8 33 N 301 SEP 7.0 8 49.5 +27 45 +9.4 34 N 298 SEP 12.0 8 37.7 +30 12 +9.9 35 N 296 SEP 17.0 8 24.5 +32 47 +10.2 36 N 294 SEP 22.0 8 08.9 +35 33 +10.5 38 N 291 SEP 27.0 7 49.6 +38 33 +10.8 40 N 287 OCT 2.0 7 24.8 +41 44 +11.0 42 N 282 OCT 7.0 6 52.4 +44 54 +11.1 44 N 274