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New Comet: C/2017 A3 (Elenin)
January 12, 2017
CBET nr. 4344, issued on 2017, January 11, announces the discovery of a comet (magnitude ~18.2) by L. Elenin on three CCD images obtained with 0.4-m f/2.4 reflector + CCD at the ISON-SSO Observatory at Siding Spring on Jan. 5.4 UT. The new comet has been designated C/2017 A3 (Elenin).
I performed follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of 20 unfiltered exposures, 120 seconds each, obtained remotely on 2017, Jan 06.5 from Q62 (iTelescope network) through a 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer, shows that this object is a comet with a compact coma nearly 10 arcsec in diameter elongated toward PA 40.
M.P.E.C. 2017-A75 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2017 A3: T 2017 Jan. 20.6; e= 1.0; Peri. = 301.87; q = 3.91; Incl.= 99.12
