------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1387 1999 Mar 14 17.07UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.demon.co.uk/astronomer ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET C/1998 M5 (LINEAR) Observers are reminded that this comet is now very close to the North Celestial Pole and therefore has a very small apparent motion. This should permit some imaging without the need for telescope drives, especially Mar 14-16. Improved orbital elements and ephemeris follow: T 1999 Jan 24.5753 TT w 101.28810 ) e 0.99598800 O 333.37620 ) 2000.0 q 1.7422030 A.U. i 82.22790 ) Source: MPC 32866 Positions are geocentric 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. 1999 Mar 12.00 19 58.29 +86 27.5 1.528 1.843 91.4 9.1 154 3 13.00 20 3.55 +87 29.0 1.529 1.847 91.6 9.1 154 4 14.00 20 14.89 +88 30.6 1.531 1.851 91.8 9.1 155 6 15.00 21 11.58 +89 31.4 1.532 1.856 92.0 9.1 154 17 16.00 6 48.03 +89 23.3 1.535 1.860 92.2 9.1 157 161 17.00 7 28.64 +88 22.0 1.537 1.865 92.3 9.1 156 173 18.00 7 38.60 +87 19.8 1.541 1.869 92.4 9.2 156 176 19.00 7 43.49 +86 17.6 1.544 1.874 92.5 9.2 156 177 20.00 7 46.64 +85 15.3 1.548 1.879 92.6 9.2 156 177 21.00 7 48.97 +84 13.1 1.553 1.884 92.7 9.2 156 177 22.00 7 50.88 +83 11.0 1.558 1.888 92.7 9.2 155 177 23.00 7 52.52 +82 9.1 1.563 1.893 92.7 9.2 155 177 24.00 7 53.99 +81 7.3 1.569 1.898 92.7 9.3 154 177 25.00 7 55.34 +80 5.7 1.576 1.903 92.7 9.3 154 177 26.00 7 56.60 +79 4.4 1.582 1.909 92.6 9.3 153 177 27.00 7 57.81 +78 3.4 1.590 1.914 92.5 9.3 152 177 28.00 7 58.97 +77 2.8 1.597 1.919 92.4 9.3 152 176 29.00 8 0.09 +76 2.4 1.606 1.924 92.3 9.4 151 176 30.00 8 1.18 +75 2.5 1.614 1.930 92.2 9.4 150 176 31.00 8 2.26 +74 3.1 1.623 1.935 92.0 9.4 149 176 1999 Apr 1.00 8 3.31 +73 4.0 1.633 1.941 91.8 9.4 147 176 2.00 8 4.34 +72 5.5 1.642 1.947 91.6 9.5 146 175 3.00 8 5.37 +71 7.4 1.653 1.952 91.4 9.5 145 175 4.00 8 6.38 +70 9.9 1.663 1.958 91.2 9.5 144 175 5.00 8 7.39 +69 13.0 1.674 1.964 90.9 9.6 142 175 6.00 8 8.38 +68 16.6 1.686 1.970 90.6 9.6 141 174 7.00 8 9.37 +67 20.7 1.698 1.975 90.3 9.6 140 174 8.00 8 10.36 +66 25.5 1.710 1.981 90.0 9.6 138 174 9.00 8 11.34 +65 31.0 1.723 1.987 89.7 9.7 137 174 10.00 8 12.32 +64 37.0 1.736 1.994 89.3 9.7 135 173 11.00 8 13.29 +63 43.7 1.749 2.000 88.9 9.7 134 173 Observers may wish to also take advantage of the comet's position by using the North Polar Sequence to improve the accuracy of magnitude estimates. Further information is also provided in Sky and Telescope, page 111 (1999 April issue). Guy M Hurst