Updated 2003 February 12
Further to IAUC 7764, several additional comets have been found on SOHO website images by S. Hoenig (C/2001 X4, X9), M. Meyer (C/2001 X5, X6), M. Boschat (C/2001 X7, Y5), A. Mimeev (C/2001 X8), and X. Zhou (C/2001 Y2, Y3, Y4). Astrometry (measurements by D. Hammer, reduction by B. G. Marsden) and orbital elements appear on the MPECs cited below. All but C/2001 X8 (q about 0.037 AU, i about 72 deg) appear to be Kreutz sungrazers; all the comets were visible in the C2 coronograph (C/2001 Y5, which was fairly bright with a long tail, was also visible in C3).
Comet 2001 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2001 X4 Dec. 2.396 16 36.7 -23 47 2002-A49 C/2001 X5 4.455 16 46.3 -24 08 2002-A49 C/2001 X6 6.246 16 54.1 -24 18 2002-A49 C/2001 X7 7.979 17 04.4 -24 34 2002-A49 C/2001 X8 12.671 17 20.8 -22 17 2002-B01 C/2001 X9 12.814 17 25.0 -25 00 2002-B01 C/2001 Y2 16.463 17 42.6 -25 09 2002-B01 C/2001 Y3 16.521 17 44.0 -24 39 2002-B01 C/2001 Y4 18.246 17 50.2 -25 16 2002-B04 C/2001 Y5 21.529 18 08.4 -28 20 2002-B04[IAUC 7797, 2002 January 19]
MPEC 2002-B01 contains astrometry and orbital elements for comet 1996 Y2 (SOHO) visible in C2 and C3 and found by X. Leprette on SOHO website images:
1996 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
Dec. 29.990 18 49.1 -25 33
[IAUC 7807, 2002 January 24]
NON-KREUTZ NEAR-SUN COMET GROUPS It is well-known that some 94 percent of the faint comets observed near the sun by the SOLWIND, SMM, and SOHO coronagraphs are members of the Kreutz sungrazing group. Although there may be significant differences in the other orbital elements, in several instances pairs of these comets have come to perihelion within only a matter of hours (Sekanina 2002, Ap.J. 566, 577). Less well known is the fact that there are also interrelations among perhaps half of the remaining near-sun SOHO comets. These include the close temporal pairs C/2000 C2-2000 C5, C/2000 C3-2000 C4, and C/2000 Y6- 2000 Y7 (IAUC 7364, 7567). The pairs C/1999 J6-1999 U2 (separated by 4.5 months) and C/1997 L2-2001 X8 (separated by 4.5 years) were pointed out on MPEC 2001-C28 by B. G. Marsden, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and M. Meyer, Kelkheim, Germany, respectively.
Meyer remarked that his pair is also likely to be associated with C/2001 E1, and more recently he has suggested that C/2001 T1, as well as the C/2000 C2-2000 C5 pair, belong to a six-member group, the ambiguous sense of orbital motion of these poorly observed comets having caused the wrong solutions to be adopted. Marsden adds that the wrong solutions were also probably adopted for the poorly observed C/2000 C3-2000 C4 pair, which with his pair mentioned above would then form a four-member group.
Possible parabolic orbital solutions (equinox 2000.0) for the members of the Meyer and Marsden groups are collected here as follows:
Comet T (TT) q (AU) Peri. Node Incl. Ref.
(deg) (deg) (deg)
C/1997 L2 June 10.87 0.0381 57.30 72.62 71.69 MPC 35205
C/2000 C2 Feb. 3.86 0.0370 55.44 73.71 71.35
C/2000 C5 Feb. 7.89 0.0358 54.73 65.16 72.22
C/2001 E1 Mar. 15.64 0.0357 58.28 72.24 73.37 MPC 44504
C/2001 T1 Oct. 9.17 0.0364 57.41 72.56 72.87
C/2001 X8 Dec. 12.86 0.0371 56.15 74.35 72.28 MPC 44505
C/1999 J6 May 11.59 0.0492 22.47 81.69 26.53 MPC 39791
C/1999 U2 Oct. 25.23 0.0492 22.22 82.05 27.05 MPC 36654
C/2000 C3 Feb. 4.59 0.0487 23.47 81.85 24.97
C/2000 C4 Feb. 5.17 0.0487 23.05 81.95 24.97
[IAUC 7832, 2002 February 18]
Further to IAUCs 7797 and 7807, D. Biesecker and D. Hammer report their measurements for additional Kreutz sungrazing comets found on SOHO website images by R. Kracht (the 1999 comets), M. Meyer (C/2002 C3), T. Hoffman (C/2002 C4), and X. Leprette (C/2002 D1). The 2002 comets were detected only with the C3 coronagraph; the 1999 comets were detected only in C2 images. C/2002 C3 showed a tail at apparent distance 25 solar radii, while C/2002 C4 was obscured at < 9.5 solar radii by a coronal mass ejection. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1999 H8 Apr. 19.938 1 55.5 +10 19 2002-D42 C/1999 H9 26.254 2 15.7 +11 54 2002-D42 C/1999 J13 May 13.993 3 24.5 +17 03 2002-D45 Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 C3 Feb. 4.654 21 41.4 -19 00 2002-C28 C/2002 C4 10.906 21 56.6 -15 36 2002-C95 C/2002 D1 22.029 22 40.9 -11 33 2002-D45[IAUC 7839, 2002 March 1]
Further to IAUC 7839, D. Biesecker reports measurements for three additional sungrazing comets, found on SOHO C2 and C3 coronagraph website images by R. Kracht, that appear to be members of the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 1997 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1997 G7 Apr. 8.880 1 13.9 + 9 03 2002-D16 C/1997 H4 21.065 2 00.8 +12 32 2002-D41 C/1997 H5 29.028 2 28.9 +15 18 2002-D41[IAUC 7841, 2002 March 4]
Further to IAUC 7841, D. Biesecker and D. Hammer report their measurements for five more comets found on images taken with the C2 coronagraph onboard SOHO. The 1998 objects were found by S. Hoenig, and the 1999 ones by R. Kracht, on SOHO website images. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. C/1999 K16 and C/1999 L9 belong to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832), and the others to the Kreutz group.
Comet 1998 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1998 H5 Apr. 20.173 1 57.8 +10 22 2002-D42 C/1998 H6 20.255 1 57.6 +10 22 2002-D42 Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1999 K16 May 26.576 4 13.7 +22 26 2002-E05 C/1999 K17 27.754 4 17.0 +19 39 2002-E05 C/1999 L9 June 9.368 5 09.7 +24 20 2002-E05[IAUC 7842, 2002 March 5]
Further to IAUC 7842, a Kreutz sungrazing comet, 2002 E1(SOHO), has been found by S. Hoenig on SOHO website C3 images (cf. MPEC 2002-E18).
2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
Mar. 2.096 23 14.4 - 8 26
[IAUC 7850, 2002 March 12]
Further to IAUC 7850, D. Hammer reports his measurements for four additional comets found by R. Kracht (1998, 1999 comets) and M. Meyer (C/2000 B8) on C2 coronagraph images posted at the SOHO website. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below; the 1998 and 1999 objects appear to belong to the Marsden group (cf. IAUC 7832), while the 2000 object is a member of the Meyer group.
Comet 1998 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1998 A2 Jan. 3.880 18 54.5 -21 54 2002-E25 C/1998 A3 9.464 19 19.9 -21 14 2002-E25 Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1999 M3 June 30.396 6 29.6 +23 32 2002-E18 Comet 2000 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2000 B8 Jan. 16.704 19 56.5 -19 59 2002-E25[IAUC 7853, 2002 March 14]
Further to IAUC 7853, reduced observations and orbital elements appear on MPEC 2002-F03 for two additional comets found by R. Kracht on the SOHO website. Both objects were visible in the C2 coronagraph; C/1999 N5, a member of the Marsden group (cf. IAUC 7832), was also visible in C3 images. C/1999 N6 may be associated with C/1999 M3.
Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/1999 N5 July 10.938 7 12.8 +22 10
C/1999 N6 12.121 7 17.9 +22 33
[IAUC 7854, 2002 March 20]
Further to IAUC 7854, D. Hammer reports his measurements of additional Kreutz sungrazing comets found on SOHO website images by X. Leprette (C/2002 E3, C3 coronagraph), S. Hoenig (C/2002 F2; C2 and C3), and M. Meyer (C/2002 F3; C2). Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 E3 Mar. 15.570 0 00.9 - 2 59 2002-F35 C/2002 F2 20.321 0 17.5 - 1 16 2002-F43 C/2002 F3 25.204 0 23.4 + 1 22 2002-F61[IAUC 7862, 2002 March 28]
Further to IAUC 7862, D. Hammer reports his measurements of additional comets found by R. Kracht on SOHO website C2 coronagraph images. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. C/1999 P7 dynamically belongs to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832), and the rest belong to the Marsden group.
Comet 1998 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1998 A4 Jan. 10.978 19 26.5 -20 59 2002-F70 Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1999 P6 Aug. 5.060 8 52.9 +17 49 2002-F43 C/1999 P7 12.996 9 23.3 +16 15 2002-F43 C/1999 P8 15.004 9 30.3 +15 12 2002-F43 C/1999 P9 15.229 9 35.2 +15 15 2002-F43[IAUC 7863, 2002 March 29]
Further to IAUC 7863, D. Hammer reports his measurements of a non-Kreutz comet and a Kreutz comet found by R. Kracht on SOHO website C2 coronagraph images. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by the undersigned appear on the cited MPECs.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 G1 Apr. 2.653 0 41.9 + 3 20 2002-G13 C/2002 G2 4.579 1 01.4 + 5 08 2002-G28[IAUC 7873, 2002 April 10]
Further to IAUC 7873, D. Hammer and D. Biesecker report their measurements of comets found by R. Kracht on C2 and by X.-M. Zhou on C3 coronagraph images on the SOHO website. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by the undersigned appear on the MPECs cited below. C/2002 A4 belongs to the Meyer group. C/2002 G3, estimated at m1 = 8.5 +/- 0.5 and perhaps at r = 0.27 AU at discovery, should brighten some in SOHO images as it approaches perihelion (r = q = 0.08 AU) on Apr. 17.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 A4 Jan. 1.163 18 48.8 -21 56 2002-G45 C/2002 G3 Apr. 12.113 1 40.2 + 1 54 2002-G51[IAUC 7875, 2002 April 12]
Further to IAUC 7875, D. Hammer has reported his measurements of three additional Kreutz sungrazers. C/2002 G4, C/2002 G5, and C/2002 H1 were found by X. Leprette, R. Kracht, and K. Cernis, respectively, on SOHO website C2 images. C/2002 H1 was also visible in the C3 coronagraph. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 G4 Apr. 4.479 1 01.3 + 5 13 2002-H15 C/2002 G5 Apr. 12.826 1 32.1 + 8 01 2002-H15 C/2002 H1 Apr. 17.113 1 58.0 + 7 58 2002-H26[IAUC 7882, 2002 April 22]
T. Makinen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, reports the discovery of another apparent comet (cf. IAUC 7327) from the second systematic survey of hydrogen Lyman-alpha emission appearing on SWAN images (wavelength range 10-180 nm) taken from the SOHO spacecraft during September-November 2000 (discovery observation below). Makinen notes that all comets brighter than total visual mag approximately 11 can be seen on the SWAN full-sky maps. The stated uncertainty in the reported positions is 0.5 degree due to the resolution of the SWAN instrument.
2000 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. m1
Sept. 19.658 11 35.9 -12 13 11.6
Further positional and orbital information, together with an
ephemeris to encourage searches of archival optical images, are
given on MPEC 2002-H41. Derived total visual magnitudes from the
Lyman-alpha fluxes (using a formula by Jorda et al. 1992, Asteroids,
Comets, Meteors 1991, 285): 2000 Sept. 21.77 UT, 10.8; Oct. 1.42,
10.0; 5.23, 9.4; 7.35, 8.4; 10.38, 7.7; 12.45, 7.3; 14.37, 7.5;
17.40, 7.8; 21.38, 7.9; Nov. 4.42, 8.2.
[IAUC 7885, 2002 April 25]
Further to IAUC 7882, D. Hammer reports his measurements for four additional Kreutz-sungrazing comets found on C2 images posted at the SOHO website by X. Leprette (C/2002 H3), X.-M. Zhou (C/2002 H4, C/2002 H5), and M. Meyer (C/2002 H6). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 H3 Apr. 17.660 1 49.4 + 9 40 2002-H47 C/2002 H4 18.101 1 50.9 + 9 49 2002-H47 C/2002 H5 19.101 1 51.5 + 9 47 2002-H47 C/2002 H6 26.243 2 21.1 +12 31 2002-H49[IAUC 7886, 2002 April 29] Further to IAUC 7886, D. Hammer reports two Kreutz-sungrazing comets found by R. Kracht on SOHO C2 images (cf. MPECs cited below).
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 J1 May 1.726 2 40.6 +14 01 2002-J09 C/2002 J2 3.476 2 48.0 +14 35 2002-J29[IAUC 7897, 2002 May 9] Further to IAUC 7897, D. Hammer reports his measurements for additional comets found by R. Kracht on SOHO archival C2 images (C/1999 F3 was also visible in C3 coronagraph images). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. Comet C/1999 W2 is a member of the Kreutz group; C/1999 F3 belongs to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832).
Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1999 F3 Mar. 17.238 23 50.8 + 0 08 2002-H26 C/1999 W2 Nov. 26.439 16 07.0 -22 34 2002-G45[IAUC 7898, 2002 May 13] Further to IAUC 7898, D. Hammer reports his measurements for additional comets found by R. Kracht (2000 comets; C2 coronagraph) and by K. Cernis (C/2002 J3; C3) in the SOHO archive. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. Comets C/2000 H6, C/2000 H7, and C/2002 J3 are members of the Kreutz group; the other two belong to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832).
Comet 2000 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2000 H6 Apr. 26.063 2 18.6 +12 14 2002-H49 C/2000 H7 28.663 2 30.2 +13 11 2002-H49 C/2000 J8 May 6.226 2 58.0 +17 46 2002-H49 C/2000 N4 July 4.660 6 55.0 +23 50 2002-J09 Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 J3 May 13.446 3 32.7 +14 14 2002-J46[IAUC 7899, 2002 May 13] Further to IAUC 7899, D. Hammer reports his measurements for additional Kreutz sungrazing comets found by X. Leprette (C/2002 J6), R. Matson (C/2002 J7), and R. Kracht (C/2002 K3) on SOHO website C2 images. The reduced observations and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden are included on MPEC 2002-K48.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 J6 May 14.701 3 29.6 +17 19
C/2002 J7 15.963 3 34.0 +17 33
C/2002 K3 18.671 3 44.3 +18 09
[IAUC 7909, 2002 May 28]
Further to IAUC 7909, D. Hammer reports his measurements for
additional Kreutz sungrazing comets found by K. Cernis (C/2002 J8),
M. Meyer (C/2002 K5), S. Hoenig (C/2002 K6), and D.-h. Chen (C/2002
K7) on SOHO website C2 images. C/2002 K6 was also visible in the
C3 coronagraph. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G.
Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-K72. The initial measurements of
C/2002 J3 (noted on IAUC 7899) were by D. Biesecker.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 J8 May 13.311 3 21.1 +16 48
C/2002 K5 23.581 4 03.4 +19 03
C/2002 K6 24.321 4 06.2 +17 42
C/2002 K7 25.435 4 10.5 +19 23
[IAUC 7913, 2002 May 30]
Further to IAUC 7913, D. Hammer reports his measurements of
additional comets found by R. Kracht (C/1998 V8, C/1998 W7, C/2002
L1), X. Leprette (C/1998 V9), and M. Meyer (C/1998 X12, C/2002 L2)
on SOHO website C2 images; C/1998 W7 was also visible with the C3
coronagraph. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G.
Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. C/1998 V8 and C/1998 W7
belong to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832), while the rest are
Kreutz sungrazers.
Comet 1998 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1998 V8 Nov. 3.096 14 25.9 -14 15 2002-J39 C/1998 V9 8.309 14 51.2 -18 03 2002-K48 C/1998 W7 28.064 16 13.5 -20 16 2002-J39 C/1998 X12 Dec. 7.038 16 56.4 -24 21 2002-J39 Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 L1 June 5.536 4 53.0 +20 52 2002-L22 C/2002 L2 6.188 4 55.3 +20 52 2002-L28[IAUC 7916, 2002 June 7] Further to IAUC 7916, D. Hammer reports his measurements of additional Kreutz-sungrazing comets found by D. Hanson (C/2002 L3) and M. Meyer (C/2002 L4) on SOHO website C2 images. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-L31.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 L3 June 7.064 4 57.2 +20 55
C/2002 L4 7.204 4 59.6 +20 57
Hammer also reports his measurements of another Kreutz-
sungrazing comet found by X. Leprette on SOHO website C2 images.
Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by Marsden appear on MPEC
2002-K72.
Comet 2001 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2001 H8 Apr. 17.746 1 48.7 + 9 33
[IAUC 7918, 2002 June 13]
Further to IAUC 7918, D. Hammer reports measurements of
additional comets found by R. Kracht (the 2000 comets listed below)
and T. Scarmato (C/2002 L5) on SOHO website C2 images. Reduced
astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the
MPECs cited below. C/2000 X9 belongs to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC
7832); the rest are Kreutz sungrazers.
Comet 2000 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2000 C7 Feb. 4.479 21 15.7 -15 28 2002-K48 C/2000 F2 Mar. 19.463 0 04.1 - 1 22 2002-K72 C/2000 F3 28.629 0 35.5 + 2 03 2002-K72 C/2000 T5 Oct. 7.035 12 42.4 - 6 04 2002-L19 C/2000 T6 12.410 13 05.8 - 8 39 2002-L19 C/2000 X9 Dec. 3.601 16 40.6 -20 51 2002-L63 Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 L5 June 11.396 5 15.5 +21 15 2002-L63[IAUC 7919, 2002 June 14]
Contrary to the remarks on IAUC 7919, comet C/2000 C7 is a member of the Marsden group (cf. IAUC 7832). [IAUC 7958, 2002 August 23]
Further to IAUC 7919, D. Hammer reports measurements of an additional Kreutz-sungrazing comet found by D. Hanson on SOHO website C2 images. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-L65.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 L6 June 8.229 5 02.4 +20 58
[IAUC 7922, 2002 June 17]
Further to IAUC 7922, D. Hammer reports his measurements for additional Kreutz comets found on SOHO website C2 images by D. Evans (C/2002 L7), M. Oates (C/2002 L8), and R. Kracht; C/2002 M2 was also visible in the C3 coronagraph. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 L7 June 13.746 5 25.0 +21 29 2002-M22 C/2002 L8 15.295 5 30.8 +21 28 2002-M23 C/2002 M1 20.663 5 51.5 +21 43 2002-M43 C/2002 M2 17.500 5 37.6 +19 27 2002-M47[IAUC 7930, 2002 July 2]
Further to IAUC 7930, D. Hammer reports his measurements for additional comets found on SOHO website C2 images by R. Kracht. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. Comet C/1997 S4 does not appear to belong to any of the established groups; the others belong to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832).
Comet 1997 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1997 O2 July 25.313 8 15.1 +20 39 2002-M23 C/1997 S4 Sept.29.188 12 16.7 - 1 08 2002-M47 C/1997 U8 Oct. 19.769 13 31.5 - 9 11 2002-M43 C/1997 U9 23.024 13 45.9 - 9 18 2002-M47
Hammer also reports measurements for additional Kreutz sungrazing comets found on SOHO website C2 images by X. Leprette. Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-M43.
Comet 2001 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2001 J5 May 13.112 3 23.7 +17 00
C/2001 K10 18.936 3 45.9 +18 17
[IAUC 7931, 2002 July 2]
Further to IAUC 7931, D. Hammer reports measurements for five additional Kreutz sungrazing comets, found on SOHO website C2 images by R. Kracht (C/2002 M3), X. Leprette (C/2002 M4), T. Hoffman (C/2002 M5), and R. Matson (C/2002 M6, 2002 M7). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-N41.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 M3 June 23.746 6 03.5 +21 47
C/2002 M4 27.064 6 17.3 +21 45
C/2002 M5 27.996 6 20.4 +21 45
C/2002 M6 28.854 6 23.8 +21 52
C/2002 M7 28.881 6 24.0 +21 55
[IAUC 7935, 2002 July 20]Further to IAUC 7935, D. Hammer reports measurements for six additional comets found on SOHO website images by S. Hoenig (C/2002 O2; C3 coronagraph), by R. Kracht (C/2001 C7 and C/2001 D1; C2 coronagraph), by X. Leprette (C/2002 N1; C3 coronagraph), and by R. Matson (C/2002 O1 and C/2002 O3; C3 coronagraph). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. C/2001 C7 belongs to the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832); C/2002 N1, C/2002 O1, C/2002 O2, and C/2002 O3 are Kreutz sungrazers.
Comet 2001 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC
C/2001 C7 Feb. 11.579 21 45.6 -12 18 2002-O27
C/2001 D1 18.406 21 59.7 -11 31 2002-O27
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC
C/2002 N1 July 8.431 6 58.4 +20 40 2002-O27
C/2002 O1 16.596 7 26.1 +18 17 2002-O33
C/2002 O2 16.596 7 25.5 +18 16 2002-O33
C/2002 O3 16.929 7 31.7 +19 20 2002-O33
[IAUC 7936, 2002 July 22]Further to IAUC 7936, D. Hammer reports measurements for two additional comets found on SOHO website C2 images by D. Evans. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-P08.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 H7 Apr. 23.911 2 12.0 +11 40
C/2002 M8 June 16.465 5 34.0 +21 40
[IAUC 7948, 2002 August 3]Further to IAUC 7948, D. Hammer reports measurements for comets detected on C2 SOHO website images by R. Kracht (C/2002 H8, Meyer group), R. Matson (C/2002 K8 and K9, Kreutz group) and D. Evans (C/2002 K10, Kreutz group). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by the undersigned appear on the cited MPECs. Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 H8 Apr. 20.811 1 58.5 +12 54 2002-P41 C/2002 K8 May 25.643 4 11.2 +19 27 2002-P17 C/2002 K9 25.976 4 12.1 +19 30 2002-P17 C/2002 K10 30.976 4 31.6 +20 11 2002-P17 [IAUC 7951, 2002 August 10]
Further to IAUC 7951, D. Hammer reports measurements for comets detected on C2 SOHO website images by R. Kracht (C/2001 K11 and V6, Meyer group; C/2001 Q8, R8 and R9, Kracht group--see MPEC 2002-E18, 2002-E25, 2002-F03, 2002-O35), M. Oates (C/2001 L10, R7 and X10, Meyer group) and X. Leprette (C/2001 L11, Kreutz group). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by the undersigned appear on the cited MPECs.
Comet 2001 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC
C/2001 K11 May 16.671 3 37.3 +20 07 2002-O34
C/2001 L10 June 1.354 4 39.4 +23 15 2002-O34
C/2001 L11 8.131 5 03.8 +21 03 2002-O35
C/2001 Q8 Aug. 24.868 10 08.3 +12 00 2002-O35
C/2001 R7 Sept.12.704 11 18.0 + 5 56 2002-O34
C/2001 R8 6.814 10 55.8 + 7 28 2002-O35
C/2001 R9 7.504 10 58.1 + 7 13 2002-O35
C/2001 V6 Nov. 2.329 14 26.0 -13 22 2002-O34
C/2001 X10 Dec. 15.440 17 32.9 -22 04 2002-O34
[IAUC 7952, 2002 August 10]
Further to IAUC 7952, D. Hammer reports measurements for three comets found on SOHO website images by R. Kracht. C/2002 P2 (a Kreutz comet) was seen on C3 coronagraph images; the others were visible only on C2 images; C/2002 P3 is a member of the Meyer group (cf. IAUC 7832), and C/2002 N2 of the Kracht group (IAUC 7952). Reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 N2 July 11.646 7 15.8 +22 31 2002-Q02 C/2002 P2 Aug. 10.513 8 59.6 +13 58 2002-P55 C/2002 P3 12.504 9 21.7 +16 19 2002-P63[IAUC 7956, 2002 August 19]
2002 P3 was SOHO 500. More on SOHO-500.
Further to IAUC 7956, D. Hammer reports measurements for three additional comets found by X. Leprette (C/2002 Q6), J. Sachs (C/2002 Q7), and X.-M. Zhou (C/2002 Q8) on SOHO website C2 images; C/2002 Q7 was also seen in C3 coronagraph images. C/2002 Q7 is a Kreutz sungrazer, and C/2002 Q8 appears to be a member of the Kracht group (cf. IAUC 7952). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-Q46.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 Q6 Aug. 23.451 10 00.1 +11 17
C/2002 Q7 23.696 9 41.1 + 9 49
C/2002 Q8 26.018 10 11.6 +11 44
[IAUC 7963, 2002 August 31]
Further to IAUC 7963, D. Hammer reports measurements for additional comets found on SOHO website images by R. Kracht (C/2002 Q9, C/2002 Q10, C/2002 R1; C2 coronagraph), J. Sachs (C/2002 Q11; C3 images; Kreutz member), and D. Evans (the rest; C3; Kreutz comets). C/2002 Q10 is a member of the Kracht group (cf. IAUC 7952), and C/2002 R1 is of the Marsden group (cf. IAUC 7832). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 Q9 Aug. 19.254 9 57.5 +12 38 2002-R02 C/2002 Q10 27.601 10 17.4 +11 14 2002-R02 C/2002 Q11 29.638 10 14.9 + 8 39 2002-R02 C/2002 Q12 18.529 9 33.1 +12 05 2002-R34 C/2002 Q13 27.138 10 04.8 + 9 24 2002-R34 C/2002 Q14 29.679 10 16.3 + 8 51 2002-R34 C/2002 R1 Sept. 2.681 10 40.0 + 9 20 2002-R57[IAUC 7969, 2002 September 13]
Further to IAUC 7969, M. Uzzo reports his measurements for C/2002 S2 (SOHO), a Kreutz sungrazer found by S. Hoenig on SOHO website C3 coronagraph images. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-S17.
2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
Sept.17.571 11 06.7 + 0 39
[IAUC 7975, 2002 September 21]Further to IAUC 7975, D. Hammer reports his measurements for several additional comets found on SOHO website images (C3 coronagraph, except where noted) by R. Kracht (C/2002 R4, C/2002 R8, C/2002 S5; via the C2 coronagraph, with only C/2002 S5 also visible in C3), R. Matson (C/2002 R5 and C/2002 S4, the latter also visible in C2), D. Evans (C/2002 R6), J. Sachs (C/2002 R7), and X. Leprette and S. Hoenig (C/2002 S3). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below. C/2002 R4 belongs to the Marsden group (cf. IAUC 7832), and C/2002 R8, though weakly determined, evidently belongs to the Meyer group; C/2002 R5 appears to be related to C/1999 R1, a point first made by Kracht; C/2002 S4 and C/2002 S5 are members of the Kracht family (IAUC 7952). The rest are Kreutz sungrazers.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 R4 Sept. 3.483 10 43.1 + 9 07 2002-S35 C/2002 R5 5.204 10 50.4 + 7 05 2002-S35 C/2002 R6 13.596 11 10.3 + 3 12 2002-S35 C/2002 R7 13.571 11 04.8 + 3 08 2002-S35 C/2002 R8 15.629 11 27.9 + 4 51 2002-S35 C/2002 S3 17.363 11 17.7 + 1 34 2002-S36 C/2002 S4 17.613 11 28.4 + 3 14 2002-T16 C/2002 S5 17.646 11 41.5 + 2 48 2002-T16[IAUC 7984, 2002 October 5]
Further to IAUC 7984, D. Hammer reports two more comets found on SOHO website C3 images by M. Oates (C/2002 S6, a Kreutz sungrazer) and R. Matson (C/2002 S7, a member of the Kracht group, also visible in the C2 coronagraph). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-T25, where R. Kracht was incorrectly inferred as having found C/2002 S7.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 S6 Sept. 20.488 11 32.9 + 0 35
C/2002 S7 20.721 11 39.9 + 2 21
Corrigendum. On IAUC 7984, last line (C/2002 S5), FOR
[Sept.] 17.646 READ 19.646
[IAUC 7986, 2002 October 7]Further to IAUC 7986, D. Hammer reports additional comets found on SOHO website C2 images by D. Evans (C/2002 S8), S. Hoenig (S9), M. Boschat (S10), T. Scarmato (S11), X. Leprette (T2), and M. Oates (T3). All were also observed in the C3 coronagraph except for C/2002 T2, and all were Kreutz sungrazers except C/2002 S11 (Kracht group) and S/2002 T2 (Meyer group). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-T75.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 S8 Sept.21.071 11 28.4 - 0 13
C/2002 S9 23.471 11 40.2 - 0 59
C/2002 S10 26.071 11 54.4 - 1 48
C/2002 S11 30.071 12 14.6 - 1 16
C/2002 T2 Oct. 4.271 12 35.8 - 2 17
C/2002 T3 8.679 12 39.5 - 6 56
[IAUC 7991, 2002 October 12]Further to IAUC 7991, D. Hammer reports measurements for C/2002 U1 (SOHO), a Kreutz sungrazing comet found by X. Leprette on C2 coronagraph images at the SOHO website. The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-U08.
2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
Oct. 16.329 13 16.3 - 9 36
[IAUC 8000, 2002 October 26]Further to IAUC 8000, D. Hammer reports measurements for Kreutz sungrazing comets found by M. Oates (C/1999 M4), S. Hoenig (C/2002 U3, C/2002 U4), and R. Kracht (C/2002 U5) on SOHO website C2 coronagraph images (with C/1999 M4 and C/2002 U5 also visible in C3 images). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on the MPECs cited below.
Comet 1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/1999 M4 June 24.071 6 02.0 +21 15 2002-V79 Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl. MPEC C/2002 U3 Oct. 17.371 13 20.4 -10 02 2002-V79 C/2002 U4 Oct. 22.893 13 42.0 -12 04 2002-W34 C/2002 U5 Oct. 26.863 13 34.9 -15 31 2002-W34[IAUC 8022, 2002 November 24]
Further to IAUC 8022, D. Hammer reports measurements for comets found on SOHO website C2 coronagraph images by R. Kracht (C/2002 U6), R. Matson (C/2002 U7), X. Leprette (C/2002 U8), and S. Hoenig (C/2002 U9). The reduced astrometry and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-W42.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 U6 Oct. 28.076 14 04.0 -11 44
C/2002 U7 30.826 14 13.9 -15 03
C/2002 U8 31.338 14 16.1 -15 16
C/2002 U9 31.435 14 16.0 -15 12
[IAUC 8025, 2002 December 2]Further to IAUC 8025, D. Hammer reports measurements for a comet near the sun found by R. Kracht on SOHO website C3 coronagraph images. The reduced astrometry (discovery position below) and orbital elements (showing no known group identity) by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-W34. Regarding the new SOHO comets on IAUC 8025, C/2002 U6 belongs to the Meyer group, while the rest are Kreutz sungrazers.
1999 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
July 18.821 7 44.7 +23 40
[IAUC 8026, 2002 December 4]Further to IAUC 8026, D. Hammer reports measurements for two Kreutz sungrazing comets found by X.-M. Zhou on SOHO website C2 coronagraph images that were taken around the time of the total solar eclipse. The reduced astrometry (discovery positions below) and orbital elements by B. G. Marsden appear on MPEC 2002-X64.
Comet 2002 UT R.A. (2000) Decl.
C/2002 X3 Dec. 4.171 16 43.1 -24 03
C/2002 X4 4.254 16 43.6 -24 03
[IAUC 8032, 2002 December 14]
D. Hammer provides magnitudes from SOHO images (taken with an
orange filter) for the comets reported on IAUC 8032: C/2002 X3,
Dec. 4.185 UT, 9.2 +/- 0.8; 4.202, 8.5 +/- 0.5; 4.213, 8.6 +/- 0.6;
4.247, 8.4 +/- 0.6. C/2002 X4, Dec. 4.285, 7.3 +/- 0.2; 4.309, 7.4
+/- 0.2; 4.338, 8.2 +/- 0.5; 4.352, 7.9 +/- 0.4.
[IAUC 8039, 2002 December 29]