THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 737 1993 May 1 15.12UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(0256)471074 Int:+44256471074
TELEX: 9312111261 Answerback: TA G TELECOM GOLD: 10074:MIK2885
GMH at UK.AC.RUTHERFORD.STARLINK.ASTROPHYSICS STARLINK: RLSAC::GMH
GMH at UK.AC.CAM.ASTRONOMY.STARLINK STARLINK: CAVAD::GMH
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COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY (1993e)
Brian Marsden comments:
"Attempts at orbit determination from the Mar. 15-Apr. 1 arc
suggest that a parabolic solution is no longer viable, but the
likely location of the object near the surface of Jupiter's sphere
of influence--not to mention the near impossibility of measuring
the object's center of mass--continues to make the unequivocal
determination of an elliptical orbit extremely difficult. A very
close encounter with Jupiter during 1992 continues to be a distinct
possibility, the most viable such solutions having still smaller
orbital eccentricities than in the example on IAUC 5726 and the
Jupiter encounter earlier in the year. The orbit below puts the
object 0.007 AU from Jupiter on 1992 May 16 (tidal breakup
presumably requiring an approach to 0.001 AU) and indicates
that the object is at least temporarily in orbit about Jupiter and
currently near apojove at a distance of 0.31 AU.
Epoch = 1993 Apr. 3.0 TT
T = 1997 Sept. 4.494 TT Peri. = 348.427
e = 0.07169 Node = 343.394 2000.0
q = 4.71659 AU Incl. = 2.206
a = 5.08085 AU n = 0.086060 P = 11.45 years
IAUC 5744
Revised ephemeris by G.Hurst using EPH.EXE by N.James:
m = 3.0 + 5.0 log R + 10.0 log r
Date R.A. (2000) Dec. R r Elong Mag. Motion
h m o ' (AU) (AU) o "/hr P.A.
1993 Apr
13.00 12 17.27 -3 6.8 4.400 5.363 162.0 13.5 18 292
18.00 12 15.12 -2 53.4 4.425 5.361 156.5 13.5 17 293
23.00 12 13.13 -2 41.0 4.457 5.360 151.1 13.5 15 293
28.00 12 11.34 -2 29.8 4.496 5.358 145.8 13.6 14 293
1993 May
3.00 12 9.78 -2 19.9 4.540 5.356 140.5 13.6 12 293
8.00 12 8.47 -2 11.6 4.590 5.355 135.3 13.6 10 293
13.00 12 7.41 -2 4.8 4.645 5.353 130.2 13.6 8 293
18.00 12 6.63 -1 59.7 4.705 5.351 125.1 13.6 5 294
23.00 12 6.13 -1 56.3 4.768 5.349 120.2 13.7 3 294
28.00 12 5.91 -1 54.8 4.835 5.348 115.3 13.7 1 300
1993 June
2.00 12 5.98 -1 55.1 4.905 5.346 110.6 13.7 2 110
7.00 12 6.33 -1 57.1 4.977 5.344 105.9 13.8 4 112
12.00 12 6.96 -2 1.0 5.050 5.342 101.3 13.8 6 112
17.00 12 7.85 -2 6.5 5.125 5.340 96.7 13.8 8 113
22.00 12 9.00 -2 13.8 5.201 5.339 92.3 13.9 10 113
27.00 12 10.41 -2 22.6 5.277 5.337 87.9 13.9 12 113
1993 July
2.00 12 12.06 -2 33.1 5.352 5.335 83.6 13.9 14 113
7.00 12 13.93 -2 45.0 5.427 5.333 79.3 13.9 16 113
12.00 12 16.02 -2 58.3 5.501 5.331 75.1 14.0 18 113
17.00 12 18.32 -3 13.0 5.574 5.329 71.0 14.0 19 113
DI UMA (Q1993/046)
Further to the outburst reported on E716 (charts on E716 and E717)
a further positive result has been obtained by G.Poyner on
Apr 23.968UT at 15.3. This was confirmed by T.Vanmunster on 26.8UT
at 15.7v.