Tuesday, December 8, 2015

New Comet: C/2015 X4 (ELENIN)

CBET nr. 4216, issued on 2015, December 08, announces the discovery of a comet (magnitude ~18.2) by L. Elenin on three CCD images obtained with a 0.4-m f/3 reflector at the ISON-NM observatory near Mayhill, NM, USA on Dec. 3.5 UT. The new comet has been designated C/2015 X4 (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 2015, December 03.9 from I89 (iTelescope network - Nerpio) through a 0.32-m f/8.0 astrograph + CCD, shows that this object is a comet with a compact coma nearly 8 arcsec in diameter elongated toward PA 290.

My confirmation image (click on it for a bigger version)



M.P.E.C. 2015-X105 assigns the following preliminary elliptical orbital elements to comet C/2015 X4: T 2015 Nov. 2.64; e= 0.81; Peri. =  176.15; q = 3.39;  Incl.= 29.49


by Ernesto Guido

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