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Thursday, June 30, 2022

New Comets C/2022 J1 & C/2022 L1

CBET 5121 & MPEC 2022-J88 , issued on 2022, May 11, announce the discovery of a comet (magnitude ~18) by A. Maury and G. Attard on images obtained with a 0.28-m f/2.2 Schmidt reflector at San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, on May 5.  The new comet has been designated C/2022 J1 (Maury-Attard).

Stacking of 15 luminance-filtered exposures, 60 seconds each, obtained remotely (in poor conditions, high clouds) on 2022, May 6.4 from X02 (Telescope Live, Chile) through a 0.61-m f/6.5 astrograph + CCD, shows that this object is a comet with a diffuse coma of size about 12" and magnitude of 18.3-18.9 in an aperture radius of 5".5 (Observers E. Bryssinck, M. Rocchetto, E. Guido, M. Fulle, G. Milani, G. Savini, A. Valvasori).

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


CBET 5121 assigns the following parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2022 J1 (Maury-Attard): T 2022 Feb. 21.59; e= 1.0; Peri. =  307.65; q = 1.63 ;  Incl.= 106.45 (It is possible that the comet has a periodic orbit on the order of 120 years or so). 

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CBET 5134 & MPEC 2022-L97, issued on 2022, June 13, announce that an apparently asteroidal object discovered on June 4 with the 0.68-m Schmidt reflector of the Catalina Sky Survey has been found to show cometary appearance by CCD astrometrists elsewhere after the Minor Planet Center posted it to the PCCP webpage on the basis of a comet-like orbit.  The new comet has been designated C/2022 L1 (Catalina).

Stacking of 25 luminance-filtered exposures, 60 seconds each, obtained remotely on 2022, June 9.3 from X02 (Telescope Live, Chile) through a 0.61-m f/6.5 astrograph + CCD, shows that this object is a comet with a condensed coma of size 11", with magnitude 19.5 as measured in a circular aperture of radius 5".5, with no clear tail visible (Observers E. Bryssinck, M. Rocchetto, E. Guido, M. Fulle, G. Milani, G. Savini, A. Valvasori).

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


CBET 5134 assigns the following parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2022 L1 (Catalina): T 2022 Sept. 28.10; e= 1.0; Peri. =  59.74; q = 1.59 ;  Incl.= 123.46

by Ernesto Guido