THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 801 1993 Dec 25 17.20UT 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET McNAUGHT-RUSSELL (1993v) Robert H. McNaught reports the following measurements of a comet that he discovered on a U.K. Schmidt Telescope plate taken by Kenneth S. Russell. The comet shows a coma of diameter 8" and a very faint tail 10" long in p.a. 20o. The object's westward motion was confirmed in an observation with the Siding Spring 0.61-m reflector (+ CCD) on Dec. 18. 1993 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m1 Dec. 17.46003 3 06 33.47 -56 33 24.0 17.5 17.50865 3 06 28.62 -56 33 23.1 IAUC 5910 A subsequent report: R. H. McNaught provides remeasurements of the discovery R plate taken by K. S. Russell (IAUC 5910) and also astrometry obtained by McNaught and G. J. Garradd with the 0.61-m reflector at Siding Spring: 1993 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m1 Observer Dec. 17.46003 3 06 33.61 -56 33 25.7 17.5 Russell 17.50865 3 06 28.78 -56 33 25.1 " 18.57315 3 04 46.10 -56 32 34.2 McNaught 18.59508 3 04 43.97 -56 32 32.5 " 18.59767 3 04 43.69 -56 32 32.2 " 18.60024 3 04 43.69 -56 32 32.2 " 19.58014 3 03 11.00 -56 31 12.9 " 19.58390 3 03 10.68 -56 31 12.7 " Preliminary parabolic orbital elements by B. G. Marsden, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, from the above observations: T = 1994 Apr. 1.357 TT Peri. = 353.565 Node = 166.772 2000.0 q = 0.86594 AU Incl. = 52.027 1993/94 R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase m1 Dec. 19 3 04.10 -56 32.0 1.609 1.928 92.9 30.6 17.4 24 2 56.64 -56 19.0 1.575 1.863 90.4 31.9 17.2 29 2 50.16 -55 53.3 1.539 1.798 88.0 33.1 17.0 Jan. 3 2 44.84 -55 15.7 1.502 1.732 85.7 34.5 16.8 8 2 40.80 -54 27.1 1.463 1.667 83.4 35.9 16.5 13 2 38.14 -53 28.0 1.421 1.602 81.3 37.4 16.3 18 2 36.90 -52 19.0 1.377 1.537 79.3 39.0 16.1 23 2 37.07 -51 00.3 1.329 1.472 77.5 40.7 15.8 28 2 38.62 -49 31.7 1.278 1.408 75.8 42.7 15.5 IAUC 5911