------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2949 2013 Sep 11 19.12UT 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 Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.theastronomer.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET C/2013 R1 (LOVEJOY) Terry Lovejoy, Australia, reports his discovery of a comet on CCD images of 2013 Sept 7 and Sept 8 using a 0.2-m f/2.1 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector. The probable comet has a coma diameter of 0.5' with a diffuse tail pointing westward. Ernesto Guido et. al. advises that an image using a 0.32-m f/9 Ritchey-Chretien reflector at the iTelescope Observatory, Siding Spring, on Sept. 8.7 UT shows a sharp central condensation surrounded by a coma about 25" in diameter and a tail about 40" long in p.a. 245 deg. H. Sato, , Japan, notes images with a 0.32-m f/8 astrograph (+ broadband luminance filter) at the RAS Observatory near Nerpio, Spain on Sept. 9.2 gives a magnitude 14.5 as measured within a circular aperture of radius 23".4, and a fan-like tail 40" long toward p.a. 260 degrees. Further images on Sept. 9.7 suggests the outer coma was greater than 3' with magnitude 13.0 within a a circular aperture of radius 73".8, with a fan-like tail 60" long toward p.a. 250 degrees. Selected discovery measures: 2013 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. Mag. Observer Sept. 7.68794 5 58 09.04 - 6 39 14.2 14.4 Lovejoy 7.70000 5 58 10.15 - 6 39 09.0 14.6 " 8.63707 5 59 34.59 - 6 33 26.6 14.6 " 8.65287 5 59 35.97 - 6 33 20.6 14.4 " Gareth Williams (MPEC 2013-R72) derives the following elements: T = 2013 Dec. 25.7887 TT Peri. = 63.2668 Node = 72.9172 2000.0 q = 0.877238 AU Incl. = 61.9418 Ephemeris: Date TT R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase m1 2013 09 10 06 01 37.9 -06 25 00 1.9059 1.9714 78.6 30.0 14.3 2013 09 11 06 03 09.0 -06 18 39 1.8823 1.9584 79.0 30.3 14.3 2013 09 12 06 04 40.5 -06 12 09 1.8588 1.9455 79.5 30.6 14.2 2013 09 13 06 06 12.5 -06 05 31 1.8352 1.9326 79.9 30.8 14.2 2013 09 14 06 07 45.0 -05 58 44 1.8116 1.9197 80.4 31.1 14.1 2013 09 15 06 09 17.9 -05 51 48 1.7879 1.9067 80.8 31.4 14.1 2013 09 16 06 10 51.4 -05 44 41 1.7643 1.8938 81.3 31.7 14.0 2013 09 17 06 12 25.5 -05 37 24 1.7406 1.8808 81.7 31.9 13.9 2013 09 18 06 14 00.1 -05 29 55 1.7169 1.8678 82.2 32.2 13.9 2013 09 19 06 15 35.4 -05 22 14 1.6931 1.8549 82.6 32.5 13.8 2013 09 20 06 17 11.4 -05 14 20 1.6694 1.8419 83.1 32.8 13.8 2013 09 21 06 18 48.0 -05 06 13 1.6456 1.8289 83.6 33.1 13.7 2013 09 22 06 20 25.4 -04 57 51 1.6218 1.8160 84.0 33.3 13.6 2013 09 23 06 22 03.5 -04 49 14 1.5980 1.8030 84.5 33.6 13.6 2013 09 24 06 23 42.5 -04 40 20 1.5742 1.7900 84.9 33.9 13.5 2013 09 25 06 25 22.3 -04 31 10 1.5504 1.7770 85.4 34.2 13.4 2013 09 26 06 27 03.1 -04 21 41 1.5265 1.7640 85.8 34.5 13.4 2013 09 27 06 28 44.8 -04 11 53 1.5027 1.7510 86.3 34.8 13.3 2013 09 28 06 30 27.5 -04 01 45 1.4788 1.7380 86.7 35.1 13.3 2013 09 29 06 32 11.2 -03 51 14 1.4550 1.7250 87.2 35.5 13.2 2013 09 30 06 33 56.1 -03 40 21 1.4311 1.7121 87.6 35.8 13.1 UV PERSEI Mike Gainsford, Burbage, reports that this eruptive variable is in outburst: 2013 Sept 10 (22h20mUT) magnitude 12.1. The previous night it was fainter than magnitude 13.3. Guy M Hurst