Comet Li

    

Circular No. 7075

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COMET C/1998 Y2 (LI)

Weidong Li, Department of Astronomy, University of California at Berkeley, reports his discovery of a comet in the course of the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (cf. IAUC 6627; with the participation of M. Papenkova, E. Halderson, M. Modjaz, T. Shefler, J. Y. King, R. R. Treffers and A. V. Filippenko). The object was found automatically by the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope in the field of NGC 1041, but it was immediately recognized as a comet by Li, who then used the equipment to make a deliberate confirmatory observation, as well as follow-up observations on the following night. Available CCD astrometry:

1998 UT                 R.A. (2000)        Decl.             m1        Observer
 Dec. 26.23575      2 40 26.37       - 5 25 56.4      16.2              Li
           26.26623     2 40 26.47       - 5 25 27.3       16.1              "
           27.31124     2 40 32.08       - 5 08 39.7       15.3              "
           27.31584     2 40 32.12       - 5 08 34.1       15.3              "
           27.32030     2 40 32.08       - 5 08 29.5       15.5              "
           28.00613     2 40 37.04       - 4 57 25.8       15.0      Kowalski
           28.02951     2 40 37.28       - 4 57 02.8                             "
           28.04815     2 40 37.20       - 4 56 43.1                             "
           28.13387     2 40 37.85       - 4 55 23.0        15.5           Bell
           28.14006     2 40 37.87      - 4 55 17.3                              "
           28.16014     2 40 37.99       - 4 54 57.8                             "
 

  • W.-d. Li (Lick Observatory). 0.8-m KAIT. Object diffuse.
  • R. Kowalski (Zephyrhills). 0.18-m reflector. Coma perhaps 18" across.
  • G. Bell and G. Hug (Eksridge). 0.3-m Schmidt-Cassegrain.

    • Parabolic orbital elements follow. The comet is likely of short period.

    T = 1999 Feb. 1.854 TT Peri. = 335.683 Node = 87.914 2000.0 q = 2.67161 AU Incl. = 26.412

    1998/99        R. A. (2000)      Decl.   Delta      r       Elong.       Phase      m1
    Dec. 28        2 40.61           - 4 57.5     2.091  2.698   118.1          18.7       14.9
    Jan. 2           2 41.51           - 3 35.7     2.134  2.691   114.2         19.5       14.9
              7          2 42.98           - 2 12.5     2.180   2.685   110.4         20.1       15.0
            12          2 45.01           - 0 48.4     2.229   2.681   106.5         20.6       15.0
            17          2 47.60           + 0 36.1      2.281  2.677   102.8         21.0       15.1
            22          2 50.72           + 2 00.5      2.336  2.674     99.1          21.3      15.1

    Additional observations from various telescopes in the world suggest that the period of the comet is about 15.2 years.

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