Close Approach of Asteroid (285263) 1998 QE2

Asteroid (285263) 1998 QE2 was discovered on Aug. 19, 1998, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid  Research (LINEAR) program.

1998 QE2 has an estimated size of 1.3 km - 2.9 km (based on the object's absolute magnitude H=16.6). It was observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope by Trilling et al. (2010), who estimated that it has a diameter of 2.7 km and a dark optical albedo of  0.06. This asteroid will have a close  approach with Earth at about 15.2 LD (Lunar Distances = ~384,000 kilometers) or 0.0392 AU (1 AU = ~150 million kilometers) at  2059 UT on 2013 May 31 and it will reach the peak magnitude ~10.8 on May 31 around 2300 UT.

(285263) 1998 QE2 will be a great Goldstone radar target May 30 through June 9. This is going to be one of the best radar targets of the year. Radar images from the Goldstone antenna could achieve resolutions as fine as 3.75 meters.

We performed some follow-up measurements of this object, from the Q62 iTelescope network (Siding Spring) on  2013, May 17.36, through a 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer. Below you can see our image, stack of 15x10-second exposure, taken with the asteroid at magnitude ~14.5 and moving at ~3.13 "/min. At the moment of the close approach 1998 QE2 will move at ~23 "/min. Click on the image below to see a bigger version. North is up, East is to the left.

Below you can see a short animation showing the movement of 1998 QE2 (15x10-second exposures). Click here or on the thumbnail for a bigger version:

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 G9 (TENAGRA)

Cbet nr. 3478, issued on 2013, April 19, announces the discovery of a apparently asteroidal object (discovery magnitude ~19.6) by M. Schwartz and P. R. Holvorcem on CCD images obtained with the Tenagra II 0.41-m f/3.75 astrograph located near Nogales, AZ, U.S.A.

After posting on the Minor Planet Center's NEOCP webpage, this apparently asteroidal object as been found to show cometary features by our team.

Stacking of 12 R-filtered exposures, 50-sec each, obtained remotely from Haleakala-Faulkes Telescope North on 2013, April 18.4, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD (operated by LCOGT), shows that this object is a comet: compact coma about 5" in diameter elongated toward PA 110

The new comet has been designated COMET C/2013 G9 (TENAGRA).

 

Below you can see our image. Click on it for a bigger version.

  

In the elaboration below you can see the shape difference between the comet (on the left) and background stars (on the right). 

M.P.E.C. 2013-H23 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2013 G9: T 2015 Jan. 24.08; e= 1.0; Peri. = 207.84; q = 5.17;  Incl.= 145.90

Images of C/2013 G9 (TENAGRA) taken in collaboration with the Faulkes Project and:

Horbury Academy - Paul Campbell

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 G7 (McNAUGHT)

Cbet nr. 3476, issued on 2013, April 16, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~18) by R. H. McNaught on CCD images obtained with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring on april 13.6. The new comet has been designated C/2013 G7 (McNAUGHT).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of 17 R-filtered exposures, 40-sec each, obtained remotely from Haleakala-Faulkes Telescope North on 2013, April 15.4, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD (operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network), shows that this object is a comet: compact coma about 6" in diameter.

Below you can see our image. Click on it for a bigger version.

M.P.E.C. 2013-H10 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2013 G7: T 2014 Apr. 20.34; e= 1.0; Peri. = 225.32; q = 4.38;  Incl.= 104.11

Images of C/2013 G7 (McNAUGHT) taken in collaboration with the Faulkes Project and:

Shooters Hill Post 16 Campus - Errol Simpson

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 G3 (PANSTARRS)

Cbet nr. 3472, issued on 2013, April 04, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~20.7) by PANSTARRS survey on CCD images obtained with the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS1 telescope on Haleakala on April 10.4. The new comet has been designated C/2013 G3 (PANSTARRS).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of 11 R-filtered exposures, 50-sec each, obtained remotely on 2013, April 11.4 from E10 Faulkes Telescope South through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD (operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network), shows that this object is slightly diffused.The FWHM of this object was measured about 20% wider than that of nearby field stars of similar brightness.

 

Below you can see our image. Click on it for a bigger version.

In the elaboration below you can see the difference between the comet (on the left) and a star of similar brightness (on the right). The comet shows a slighly extended shape with respect to the star.

Elaboration by Martino Nicolini

M.P.E.C. 2013-G73 assigns the following preliminary elliptical orbital elements to comet C/2013 G3: T 2015 Jan.  9.21; e= 0.58; Peri. = 72.08; q = 4.33;  Incl.= 55.27

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 G1 (KOWALSKI)

Cbet nr. 3454, issued on 2013, April 04, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~18.5) by R. A. Kowalski on CCD images obtained with the Mount Lemmon 1.5-m reflector on April 02.4. The new comet has been designated C/2013 G1 (KOWALSKI).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object, while it was still on the neocp. Stacking of 12 R-filtered exposures, 120-sec each, obtained remotely from Haleakala-Faulkes Telescope North on 2013, April 4.5, through a 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD, shows that this object is a comet with a tail nearly 12" long in PA 285 and a coma about 5" in diameter.

Below you can see our image. Click on it for a bigger version.

M.P.E.C. 2013-G13 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2013 G1: T 2014 Jan. 19.01; e= 1.0; Peri. = 86.85; q = 2.18;  Incl.= 6.22

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 F3 (McNAUGHT)

Cbet nr. 3450, issued on 2013, April 01, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~17) by R. H. McNaught on CCD images obtained with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring on March 29.7. The new comet has been designated C/2013 F3 (McNAUGHT).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object remotely, from the iTelescope network (New Mexico - MPC code H06) on 2013, April 01.4, through a 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer.

Below you can see our image, stack of 15x50-second exposures. Click on it for a bigger version.

M.P.E.C. 2013-G02 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2013 F3: T 2013 May 21.47; e= 1.0; Peri. = 17.09; q = 2.27;  Incl.= 85.02.

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO)

Cbet nr. 3439, issued on 2013, March 14, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~14) by Masayuki Iwamoto (Awa, Tokushima-ken, Japan) on three 60-s CCD frames taken on March 10.8 & 11.8 with a Pentax 100-mm f/4 lens and a Canon EOS 5D  digital camera. The new comet has been designated C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object remotely, from the iTelescope network (Siding Spring - MPC code Q62) on 2013, March. 14.8, through a 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer.

Below you can see our image, stack of 5x20-second exposures obtained at the twilight (few minutes before the sunrise) with the Sun only 10 degree below the horizon and the comet +27 degree above the horizon (click on the image for a bigger version).

Below you can see a short animation (composed of 5x20-seconds exposures and spanning 5 minutes) showing the movement of the comet. Click on it for a bigger version.

M.P.E.C. 2013-E67 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2013 E2: T 2013 Mar. 5.5; e= 1.0; Peri. = 92.93; q = 1.39;  Incl.= 21.90.

UPDATE - March 15, 2013

Our new image of comet C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO) obtained remotely from iTelescope Observatory in New Mexico (MPC code H06) on March 15.5. Click on the image below for a bigger version.

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes