Trans-Neptunian Object 2012 DR30

M.P.E.C. 2012-D67, issued on 2012, February 26, announces the discovery of a new Trans-Neptunian Object (discovery magnitude 18.7) by R. H. McNaught with 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt + CCD at Siding Spring on February 22, 2012. The new object has been designated 2012 DR30.

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of six R-filtered exposures, 60-sec each, obtained remotely, from the Siding Spring-Faulkes Telescope South on 2012, Feb. 23.5, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD, shows that the object has stellar aspect.

Our confirmation image (click on the image for a bigger version):

M.P.E.C. 2012-D67 assignes the following preliminary orbital elements to 2012 DR30:  H= 7.2; e= 0.91; a= 160.45; Peri.= 203.99; q= 14.43 AU; Incl.= 76.04

by Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero & Nick Howes

Unusual Minor Planet 2011 YU75

This unusual minor planet was discovered by the Spacewatch sky survey on 2011, Dec. 26. It moves along a very eccentric orbit (perihelion close to Mars, aphelion nearly 3 AU away from Saturn). Currently it's about 1 AU from Earth and 2 AU from the Sun, approaching its perihelion, scheduled for the end of April 2012 (q= 1.7 AU). Since it moves along a nice comet-like track (a= 7.5 AU, e= 0.77, Incl.= 16.7 deg), we decided to insert it in our wish-list of interesting targets, in order to check if it's going to develope any perceptible sign of cometary activity (coma and/or tail) while approaching the Sun.

On 2012, Feb 17.4 we aimed the "Faulkes Telescope South" 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD at Siding Spring (Australia) to this target, and collected on it twelve R-filtered exposures, 30-seconds each. Stacking these images through "Astrometrica" along the expected proper motion of 2011 YU75, we get a nice starlike object (magnitude ~19) at its expected position. Its FWHM was the same of the nearby field stars (about 1.2-arcsec) and no traces of coma/tail was visible to us, in spite of several image processing routines we applied on it. So we can conclude that, at least through the analysis of the images we collected, at this time 2011 YU75 shows no detectable outgassing activity.  Below you can see our follow-up image. Click on it so see a larger version.

by Nick Howes, Giovanni Sostero and Ernesto Guido

New Comet: P/2012 C3 (PANSTARRS)

Cbet nr. 3021, issued on 2012, February 16, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude 21.6) by Larry Denneau and Richard Wainscoat in four exposures taken with the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS 1 telescope at Haleakala on February 15.3. The new comet has been designated P/2012 C3 (PANSTARRS).

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of ten R-filtered exposures, 60-sec each, obtained remotely, from the Siding Spring-Faulkes Telescope South on 2012, Feb. 16.6, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD, shows that this object is a comet: faint fan-shaped tail, nearly 6-arcsec long in PA 284.

Our confirmation image (click on the image for a bigger version):

M.P.E.C. 2012-D03 assignes the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet P/2012 C3: T 2011 Oct. 11.99; e= 0.61; Peri. = 346.39; q = 3.67 AU; Incl.= 9.38


by Nick Howes, Giovanni Sostero & Ernesto Guido

New Comet: C/2012 C2 (BRUENJES)

Cbet nr. 3019, issued on 2012, February 12, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude 15.3) by Manfred Bruenjes on 30-s CCD exposures taken on two nights with a 0.36-m f/2.0 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector on February 11.1 & 12.08. The new comet has been designated C/2012 C2 (BRUENJES).

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Co-adding of 5 unfiltered exposures, 30 seconds each, obtained remotely on 2012 Feb 12.8 through a 0.15-m f/7.3 refractor + CCD (Nerpio MPC Code - I89) confirms that this object is a comet: diffuse coma 1 arcminute and 30 arcseconds in diameter, with a sharp central condensation

Our confirmation image (click on the image for a bigger version):

M.P.E.C. 2012-C44 assignes the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2012 C2: T 2012 Mar. 12.84; e= 1.00; Peri. = 62.95; q = 0.80 AU; Incl.= 162.71

Congrats to Fred Bruenjes for this discovery!

by Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2012 C1 (McNAUGHT)

Cbet nr.3016, issued on 2012, February 11, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude 18.8) by R. H. McNaught on CCD images obtained on February 5.5, 2012 taken with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring. The new comet has been designated C/2012 C1 (McNAUGHT).

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of eight R-filtered exposures, 30-sec each, obtained remotely, from the Siding Spring-Faulkes Telescope South on 2012, Feb. 6.4, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD, shows that this object is a comet: coma about 5" in diameter, with a weak central condensation. The coma is slightly elongated toward the southwest.

Our confirmation image (click on the image for a bigger version):

M.P.E.C. 2012-C38 assignes the following preliminary orbital elements to comet C/2012 C1: T 2013 Mar. 1.17 e= 1.0; Peri. = 284.59; q = 4.63 AU; Incl.= 95.68

by Giovanni Sostero, Nick Howes & Ernesto Guido

New Comet: C/2012 B3 (LA SAGRA)

Cbet nr. 3012, issued on 2012, February 04, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude 18.3) on CCD images taken with the 0.45-m f/2.8 reflector at La Sagra, Spain on January 29.1, 2012. The apparently asteroidal object was later noted by Jaime Nomen on La Sagra images taken on Jan. 30.2 to be a possible comet with slight diffuseness. The new comet has been designated C/2012 B3 (LA SAGRA).

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of 10 R-filtered exposures, 20-sec each, obtained remotely, from the Haleakala-Faulkes Telescope North on 2012, Jan.30.6, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD, under good seeing conditions, shows that this object appears "soft", compared to the nearby field stars of similar brightness (stellar FWHM of 1.2").

Our confirmation image (click on the image for a bigger version):

M.P.E.C. 2012-C23 assignes the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2012 B3: T 2011 Nov. 29.91; e= 1.00; Peri. = 49.22; q = 3.52 AU; Incl.= 106.85

by G. Sostero, K. Rochowicz, E. Guido, N. Howes & A. Tripp

New Comet: P/2011 VJ5 (LEMMON)

Cbet nr.3010, issued on 2012, February 03, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude 18.5) by R. E. Hill on CCD images obtained on February 01.4, 2012 taken with the Catalina Sky Survey's 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. The new comet has been designated P/2011 VJ5 (LEMMON). 

T. Spahr, Minor Planet Center, noted that this object appears identical to an apparently asteroidal object discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on Nov. 3 (observer R. Kowalski; discovery observations tabulated below) and then designated 2011 VJ5.

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of 8 R-filtered exposures, 30-sec each, obtained remotely, from the Haleakala-Faulkes Telescope North on 2012, Feb.1.6, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD, under good seeing conditions, shows that this object is a comet: compact coma nearly 3" in diameter with a sharp central condensation, and a tail about 20" long in PA 292.

Our confirmation image (click on the image for a bigger version):

M.P.E.C. 2012-C14 assignes the following preliminary orbital elements to comet P/2011 VJ5: T 2011 Dec. 8.7; e= 0.55; Peri. = 315.12; q = 1.50 AU; Incl.= 3.97

by Giovanni Sostero, Alison Tripp, Nick Howes & Ernesto Guido