COMET P/2008 T1 (BOATTINI)

IAUC nr. 8988, published on 2008, Oct. 2, announces the discovery of another comet (his fifth) by Andrea Boattini, named P/2008 T1 (BOATTINI). This 18.th magnitude object has been found in Pisces, during the Catalina Sky Survey search, with a 1.5-m reflector. The discoverer reported a fairly condesed coma about 10-arcsec in diameter, and a fan-shaped tail nearly 1 arcmin long, in PA ranging 245-275 deg. After its posting on the Minor Planet Center's NEO-Confirmation Page, several observers confirmed its cometary nature, remarking the presence of the above mentioned broad fan tail toward West-Southwest. We imaged it remptely from Mayhill (NM) through a 0.25-m, f/3.4 reflector + CCD around Sept. 2.4 (details on image):

http://tinyurl.com/3fkg5u

Preliminary orbital elements published by the Minor Planet Center on M.P.E.C. 2008-T30:

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/mpec/K08/K08T30.html

provides a solution that points toward a "Jupiter family" object, with perihelion on February 2008 (e=0.29, q~ 3.02 AU, i~ 2.1 deg). Under these circumstances, it appears that this comet has experienced a close encounter with Jupiter around June 2002.In the next future, P/2008 T1 will gradually decrease its brightness, staying not far from the ecliptic for several months to came.

Updated ephemerids are available at the MPC webpage:

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2008T1.html

by Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero and Paul Camilleri