MPEC 2005-G28 : COMET C/2003 T4 (LINEAR)
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M.P.E.C. 2005-G28 Issued 2005 Apr. 5, 19:17 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 Brinson Foundation
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network
MPC@CFA.HARVARD.EDU
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/mpc.html ISSN 1523-6714
COMET C/2003 T4 (LINEAR)
Observations:
CK03T040 C2005 03 28.81486 21 44 29.76 -07 21 32.2 EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 28.81536 21 44 29.91 -07 21 34.4 EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 28.81631 21 44 30.12 -07 21 37.3 EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 28.81679 21 44 30.19 -07 21 38.5 7.9 T EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 31.81262 21 56 05.35 -10 04 28.8 EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 31.81406 21 56 05.71 -10 04 33.6 EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 31.81598 21 56 06.17 -10 04 39.6 EG028349
CK03T040 C2005 03 31.81803 21 56 06.65 -10 04 46.4 7.8 T EG028349
Observer details:
349 Ageo. Observer K. Kadota. 0.25-m f/5.0 reflector + CCD.
Orbital elements:
C/2003 T4 (LINEAR)
Epoch 2005 Apr. 20.0 TT = JDT 2453480.5
T 2005 Apr. 3.64857 TT Nakano
q 0.8498667 (2000.0) P Q
z -0.0000003 Peri. 181.64797 +0.06967368 +0.05437946
+/-0.0000087 Node 93.90377 -0.90345198 +0.42682916
e 1.0000003 Incl. 86.76154 -0.42298947 -0.90269582
From 829 observations 2003 Oct. 13-2005 Mar. 31, mean residual 0".62.
Nongravitational parameters Y1 = +8.83 +/- 0.06, Y2 = -0.34 +/- 0.03.
For the past several weeks it has been evident that the "usual" procedure
for handling orbital nongravitational effects is not working for this comet,
if the desire is to obtain a consistent representation of the observations and
some degree of future predictability. A fit to the observations since
Oct. 2004, when water-ice vaporization could be expected to become significant,
seems quite satisfactory but still gives the unusually large value of
A1 = +12; on the other hand, as is rather to be expected, the observations
during the previous twelve months are fully compatible with gravitational
motion. The orbit provided above has been computed by S. Nakano using a
formulation by S. Yabushita (1996, MNRAS 283, 347) that presumes more
nongravitational activity at greater heliocentric distances and is based on
carbon-monoxide vaporization.
Brian G. Marsden (C) Copyright 2005 MPC M.P.E.C. 2005-G28
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