------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 970 1995 July 7 20.06UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England. Telephone/FAX(0256)471074 Int:+44256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET P/1995 M1 (SHOEMAKER-LEVY 4) J. V. Scotti, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, reports his recovery of comet P/1991 C2 (= 1990 XII = 1991f) with the 0.9-m Spacewatch telescope at Kitt Peak. The comet is of stellar appearance. The indicated correction (ignoring perturbations) to the prediction by S. Nakano on MPC 23482 is Delta T about +0.6d. 1995 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m2 June 22.45278 22 31 35.85 - 7 37 23.7 21.9 22.45800 22 31 35.94 - 7 37 23.4 21.9 23.41216 22 31 40.18 - 7 37 41.6 21.7 23.45819 22 31 40.37 - 7 37 42.8 Orbital elements from 31 observations 1991-1995, mean residual 0".85: Epoch = 1996 Dec. 23.0 TT T = 1997 Jan. 12.1950 TT Peri. = 301.9866 e = 0.420477 Node = 152.0973 2000.0 q = 2.021244 AU Incl. = 8.4734 a = 3.487771 AU n = 0.1513150 P = 6.514 years IAUC 6180 COMET P/1995 M2 (PARKER-HARTLEY) Scotti also reports his recovery of comet P/1989 E1 = 1986 TF (= 1989 XXXVI = 1989i), the second-night images being obtained by R. Jedicke. There was a 7" coma (m1 = 19.2) with a tail extending 0'.88 in p.a. 247 deg on June 23 and 0'.76 in p.a. 248 deg on June 25. The indicated correction to the prediction by Nakano on MPC 22031 is Delta T = +0.7 day. 1995 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m2 Observer June 23.43116 0 38 25.69 + 9 17 58.1 20.5 Scotti 23.45167 0 38 26.58 + 9 18 05.0 " 25.43013 0 39 54.87 + 9 29 04.5 20.2 Jedicke 25.43345 0 39 55.01 + 9 29 05.6 " Orbital elements from 27 observations 1986-1995, mean residual 0".98: Epoch = 1996 June 6.0 TT T = 1996 June 25.9910 TT Peri. = 181.1934 e = 0.290368 Node = 244.3013 2000.0 q = 3.046185 AU Incl. = 5.1835 a = 4.292628 AU n = 0.1108203 P = 8.894 years IAUC 6180 Guy M Hurst