IAU Minor Planet Center

MPEC 2003-V27 : EDITORIAL NOTICE

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M.P.E.C. 2003-V27                                Issued 2003 Nov. 6, 19:31 UT

     The Minor Planet Electronic Circulars contain information on unusual
         minor planets and routine data on comets.  They are published
   on behalf of Commission 20 of the International Astronomical Union by the
          Minor Planet Center, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory,
                          Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.

         Supported in part by the Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation
             Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network

                              MPC@CFA.HARVARD.EDU
          URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/mpc.html  ISSN 1523-6714

                               EDITORIAL NOTICE

     Users of the orbital information in the Minor Planet Center's webpages
will have been aware of some problems on these pages during the past few
days.  It was during this time period that the MPC was also preparing the
Nov. 9 batch of Minor Planet Circulars, and the problems arose because the
Daily Orbit Update MPECs were also being issued.  When the software that
produces the DOU MPECs was first written the practice was to discontinue
them for the few days while the Minor Planet Circulars were being prepared.
This practice has been changed over the years, in line with the MPC's policy
of providing the very best service, but some parts of the software really
could not cope with the simultaneous activity.  Indeed, the webpage problems
have to a lesser extent also been apparent in the past.  Accordingly, the
software that produces the DOU MPECs is currently being completely rewritten.
This will mean that the DOU MPECs will not be issued automatically during the
next several days (over the full-moon period), although it is possible that
they will from time to time be prepared manually, while the new software
is being tested.

Brian G. Marsden             (C) Copyright 2003 MPC           M.P.E.C. 2003-V27

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