The object has been found to show cometary appearance by CCD astrometrists elsewhere and then also by Jacques et al. The new comet has been designated C/2014 A4 (SONEAR).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. 

Stacking of 19 unfiltered exposures, 90-sec each, obtained remotely from MPC code Q62 (iTelescope, Siding Spring) on 2014, January 13.4 through a 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD, shows that this object is a comet: small coma nearly 5 arcsec in diameter with a hint of elongation toward North-East.

We observed the object again on January 14.5: stacking of 25 R-filtered exposures, 30-sec each, obtained remotely from MPC code E10 (Faulkes Telescope South) on 2014, January 14.5 through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD (operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network), shows that this object is a comet: diffuse coma nearly 8 arcsec in diameter slightly elongated toward North-East

M.P.E.C. 2014-B03 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2014 A4: T 2015 Sept. 11.11; e= 1.0; Peri. = 3.02; q = 3.82;  Incl.= 121.26

Big congratulations to our friends Cristovao, Eduardo & Joao Ribeiro for this discovery!!

The discoverers dedicated this new comet to two great comet observers that are not among us anymore: Vicente Ferreira de Assis Neto & Giovanni Sostero. 

by Ernesto Guido, Nick Howes & Martino Nicolini