New Comet C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS)

January 07, 2020
CBET 4708 & MPEC 2020-A72, issued on 2020, January 05, announce the discovery of a comet (magnitude ~18) in the course of the "Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System" (ATLAS) search program, in images taken on 2019, Dec 16 with a 0.5-m reflector + CCD. The new comet has been designated C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS).

I performed follow-up measurements of this object while it was still on the PCCP webpage. Stacking of 28 unfiltered exposures, 30 seconds each, obtained remotely on 2019, December 20.15 from X02 Telescope Live network (El Sauce, Chile) through a 0.6-m f/6.5 reflector + CCD, shows that this object is a comet with a sharp central condensation and a diffuse irregular coma about 15 arcsec in diameter elongated in PA 90.

M.P.E.C. 2020-A72, assigns the following preliminary orbital elements to comet  C/2019 Y1: T 2020 Mar. 15.54; e= 1.0; Peri. =  57.20; q = 0.84;  Incl.= 73.40

Neither the MPEC nor the CBET mention the relationship that has been pointed out by R. J. Bouma in comets-ml mailing list about this comet and the "LILLER" group (comets C/1988 A1 Liller, C/1996 Q1 Tabur, C/2015 F3 SWAN).

by Ernesto Guido

Source:
https://remanzacco.blogspot.com/2020/01/new-comet-c2019-y1-atlas.html