Circular No. 7827
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
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Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET P/2001 WF_2 (LONEOS)
     An apparently asteroidal object discovered by LONEOS
(discovery observation below) and designated 2001 WF_2 (cf. MPEC
2001-W42) has been found to have a well-defined 45" tail in p.a.
320 deg on CCD images obtained on Feb. 13.5 UT by T. B. Spahr with
the 1.2-m reflector at Mount Hopkins.  Following notification by
Spahr, C. W. Hergenrother also found a 27" tail in p.a. 320 deg and
a stellar central condensation on a 1500-s co-added R-band image
taken with the Catalina 1.54-m reflector.

     2001 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m2
     Nov. 17.27290    3 17 53.91   - 5 02 05.4   18.9

     Additional astrometry, the following orbital elements, and an
ephemeris appear on MPEC 2002-C94:

                    Epoch = 2002 Feb. 15.0 TT
     T = 2002 Jan. 29.84804 TT        Peri. =  51.35236
     e = 0.6667243                    Node  =  75.13262 2000.0
     q = 0.9763511 AU                 Incl. =  16.92268
       a =  2.9295595 AU   n = 0.19656246   P =   5.014 years


S/2002 (3749) 1
     W. J. Merline, Southwest Research Institute; L. M. Close and
N. Siegler, University of Arizona; C. Dumas, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory; C. Chapman, Southwest Research Institute; F. Rigaut,
Gemini Observatory; F. Menard, Observatoire de Grenoble; W. M.
Owen, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and D. C. Slater, Southwest
Research Institute, report the discovery on Feb. 8.4 UT of a
satellite of (3749) Balam (V = 15.5; estimated diameter 7 km) from
J-, H-, and K'-band direct imaging with the 8.1-m Gemini North
Telescope (+ Hokupa'a adaptive optics system) on Mauna Kea:  "The
satellite shows no detectable motion over a 3.1-hr baseline,
consistent with the expected period (of order 80 days) for this
large orbit.  A search for known background/foreground small bodies
with similar position and velocity reveals no candidates brighter
than mag 21.  The brightness ratio in band H is about 3.3 mag,
giving an estimated diameter of the satellite of about 1.5 km.  On
Feb. 8.4311, the secondary was at 0".47 separation with position
angle 115 deg."

                      (C) Copyright 2002 CBAT
2002 February 13               (7827)            Daniel W. E. Green