------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1089 1996 Jun 11 18.15UT 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 WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.demon.co.uk/astronomer ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET C/1996 B2 (HYAKUTAKE) Brian Marsden, Central Bureau, reports updated elements for this comet: T 1996 May 1.3950 TT w 130.17725 ) e 0.99975760 O 188.04538 ) 2000.0 q 0.2302210 A.U. i 124.92332 ) Source: MPC 27287 Positions are geocentric Ephemeris by Guy Hurst using EPH.EXE by Nick James: m = 5.5 + 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. 1996 June 11.00 3 39.91 -35 24.2 1.113 1.115 63.0 6.2 225 149 16.00 4 0.39 -41 42.4 1.126 1.216 68.9 6.6 222 146 21.00 4 24.04 -47 40.1 1.151 1.314 74.3 7.0 215 143 26.00 4 51.41 -53 7.9 1.190 1.409 78.9 7.4 204 140 1996 July 1.00 5 23.11 -57 56.8 1.242 1.501 82.7 7.7 190 135 6.00 5 59.53 -61 59.9 1.305 1.591 85.6 8.1 175 129 11.00 6 40.58 -65 12.8 1.379 1.679 87.7 8.4 159 122 16.00 7 25.33 -67 34.3 1.462 1.766 89.0 8.8 144 114 21.00 8 11.88 -69 6.9 1.554 1.850 89.6 9.1 130 106 26.00 8 57.79 -69 56.9 1.652 1.933 89.6 9.5 116 98 31.00 9 40.87 -70 13.5 1.757 2.014 89.1 9.8 105 91 1996 Aug 5.00 10 19.81 -70 6.0 1.866 2.094 88.1 10.1 94 85 10.00 10 54.20 -69 43.3 1.979 2.173 86.8 10.4 85 81 15.00 11 24.31 -69 12.0 2.095 2.250 85.3 10.6 77 77 20.00 11 50.69 -68 36.9 2.214 2.327 83.5 10.9 70 75 25.00 12 13.94 -68 1.1 2.334 2.402 81.5 11.1 64 74 30.00 12 34.64 -67 26.6 2.455 2.476 79.4 11.4 59 73 1996 Sept 4.00 12 53.28 -66 54.4 2.576 2.549 77.2 11.6 55 74 9.00 13 10.28 -66 25.2 2.697 2.621 74.9 11.8 51 74 14.00 13 25.94 -65 59.4 2.818 2.693 72.5 12.1 48 75 19.00 13 40.51 -65 37.1 2.938 2.763 70.1 12.3 45 77 24.00 13 54.18 -65 18.2 3.057 2.833 67.7 12.4 43 78 29.00 14 7.12 -65 2.5 3.173 2.902 65.3 12.6 41 80 (2472) BRADMAN = 1973 DG Discovered 1973 Feb 27 by L.Kohoutek at Bergedorf. The following citation has just been announced for this asteroid: Named in honour of the legendary Australian cricketer Donald George Bradman (b.1908) whose test-match batting average of 99.94 in 80 innings far exceeds that of his closest meaningful competitor, and whose 42 half-centuries give him the best consistency ratio. Bradman's score of 334 runs in a test match against England in 1930 was then a record, as was his 452 (not out) for New South Wales against Queensland, a record in first-class cricket that was unbroken for 29 years. Name suggested by Brian Marsden, Duncan Steel and Gareth Williams. MPC 27329 Guy M Hurst