BAA Comet Section : Comets discovered in 2006

Updated 2014 May 1


  • 1996 R5 (SOHO)
  • 1997 O3 (SOHO)
  • 1997 V8 (SOHO)
  • 1997 V9 (SOHO)
  • 1997 X7 (SOHO)
  • 1998 G9 (SOHO)
  • 1998 J5 (SOHO)
  • 1998 L10 (SOHO)
  • 1998 T2 (SOHO)
  • 1998 W8 (SOHO)
  • 1999 RE70 (176P/LINEAR = 118401)
  • 1999 V5 (SOHO)
  • 1999 X3 (SOHO)
  • 2000 EC98 (174P/Echeclus = 60558)
  • A/2000 KD41 [LONEOS]
  • 2003 B3 (SOHO)
  • 2003 C6 (SOHO)
  • 2003 G5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 A1 (Pojmanski)
  • 2006 A2 (Catalina)
  • 2006 A3 (175P/Hergenrother)
  • 2006 A4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 A5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 A6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 A7 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 AQ [Mauna Kea]
  • A/2006 AL8 [Siding Spring]
  • 2006 B1 (McNaught)
  • 2006 B2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 B3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 B4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 B5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 B6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 B7 (198P/ODAS)
  • A/2006 BO6 [Mt Lemon]
  • A/2006 BV7 [Steward]
  • A/2006 BZ8 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 BF208 [Catalina]
  • 2006 C1 (SOHO)
  • 2006 C2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 C3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 CK10 (Catalina)
  • 2006 D1 (P/Hill)
  • 2006 D2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 D3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 D4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 D5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 D6 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 DW62 [LONEOS]
  • 2006 E1 (McNaught)
  • 2006 E2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 E3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 E4 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 ED1 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 EX52 [Catalina]
  • 2006 F1 (P/Kowalski)
  • 2006 F2 (Christensen)
  • 2006 F3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 F4 (P/Spacewatch)
  • 2006 F5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 F6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 F7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 F8 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 FV4 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 FZ51 [Siding Spring]
  • 2006 G1 (P/McNaught)
  • 2006 G2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 G3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 GZ2 (Spacewatch)
  • 2006 H1 (P/McNaught)
  • 2006 H2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 H3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 H4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 H5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 H6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 HR30 (Siding Spring)
  • 2006 HW51 (Siding Spring)
  • A/2006 HY51 [LINEAR]
  • A/2006 HZ51 [Catalina]
  • 2006 J1 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J11 (SOHO)
  • 2006 J12 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K1 (McNaught)
  • 2006 K2 (P/McNaught)
  • 2006 K3 (McNaught)
  • 2006 K4 (NEAT)
  • 2006 K5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K11 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K12 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K13 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K14 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K15 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K16 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K17 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K18 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K19 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K20 (SOHO)
  • 2006 K21 (SOHO)
  • 2006 L1 (Garradd)
  • 2006 L2 (McNaught)
  • 2006 L3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 L4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 L5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 L6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 L7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 L8 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 LM1 [Mt Lemmon]
  • 2006 M1 (LINEAR)
  • 2006 M2 (Spacewatch)
  • 2006 M3 (177P/Barnard)
  • 2006 M4 (SWAN)
  • 2006 M5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 M6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 M7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 M8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 M9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 N1 (SOHO)
  • 2006 N2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 N3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 O1 (178P/Hug-Bell)
  • 2006 O2 (Garradd)
  • 2006 O3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 O4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 O5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 O6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 O7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 O8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 OF2 (Broughton)
  • 2006 P1 (McNaught)
  • 2006 P2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 P3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 P4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 P5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 P6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 P7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Q1 (McNaught)
  • 2006 Q2 (LONEOS)
  • A/2006 QL39 [LONEOS]
  • A/2006 QM111 [Siding Spring]
  • 2006 R1 (Siding Spring)
  • 2006 R2 (P/Christensen)
  • 2006 R3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 R4 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 RG1 [Siding Spring]
  • A/2006 RG2 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 RJ2 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 RY102 [NEAT]
  • 2006 S1 (P/Christensen)
  • 2006 S2 (LINEAR)
  • 2006 S3 (LONEOS)
  • 2006 S4 (P/Christensen)
  • 2006 S5 (Hill)
  • 2006 S6 (P/Hill)
  • 2006 S7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 S8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 S9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 S10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 S11 (SOHO)
  • 2006 S12 (SOHO)
  • 2006 S13 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 SH7 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 SO134 [Steward]
  • A/2006 SK198 [Catalina]
  • 2006 T1 (P/Levy)
  • 2006 T2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 T10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U1 (P/LINEAR)
  • 2006 U2 (179P/Jedicke)
  • 2006 U3 (180P/NEAT)
  • 2006 U4 (181P/Shoemaker-Levy)
  • 2006 U5 (Christensen)
  • 2006 U6 (Spacewatch)
  • 2006 U7 (Gibbs)
  • 2006 U8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U11 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U12 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U13 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U14 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U15 (SOHO)
  • 2006 U16 (SOHO)
  • A/2006 UO [Steward]
  • A/2006 UG185 []
  • A/2006 UN216 [Catalina]
  • 2006 V1 (Catalina)
  • 2006 V2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 V10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 VZ13 (LINEAR)
  • 288P/2006 VW139 = (300163)
  • A/2006 VY13 [Mt Lemon]
  • 2006 W1 (P/Gibbs)
  • 2006 W2 (182P/LONEOS)
  • 2006 W3 (Christensen)
  • 2006 W4 (195P/Hill)
  • 2006 W5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 W6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 W7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 WD4 (Lemmon)
  • A/2006 WZ2 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 WR3 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 WS3 [Catalina]
  • 2006 X1 (LINEAR)
  • 2006 X2 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 X10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 XA1 (LINEAR)
  • 2006 XG16 (P/Spacewatch)
  • A/2006 XH1 [Catalina]
  • A/2006 XL5 [NEAT]
  • A/2006 XQ51 [LINEAR]
  • A/2006 XQ56 []
  • 2006 Y1 (183P/Korlevic-Juric)
  • 2006 Y2 (P/Gibbs)
  • 2006 Y3 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y4 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y5 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y6 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y7 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y8 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y9 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y10 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y11 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y12 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y13 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y14 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y15 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y16 (SOHO)
  • 2006 Y17 (SOHO)
  • 2006 YC (Catalina-Christensen)

  • When observing a comet please try to forget how bright you think the comet should be, what it was when you last viewed it, what other observers think it is or what the ephemeris says it should be.

    The equations for the light curves of comets that are currently visible use only the raw observations and should give a reasonable prediction for the current brightness. If the comet has not yet been observed or has gone from view a correction for aperture is included, so that telescopic observers should expect the comet to be fainter than given by the equation. The correction is about 0.033 per centimetre. Values for the r parameter given in square brackets [ ] are assumed. The form of the light curve is either the standard m = H0 + 5 log d + K0 log r or the linear brightening m = H0 + 5 log d + L0 abs(t - T + D0) where T is the date of perihelion, t the present and D0 an offset, if L0 is +ve the comet brightens towards perihelion and if D0 is +ve the comet is brightest prior to perihelion.

    Observations of new comets are given in ICQ format. More recent ones may be available in TA format from the main page.

    Full details of recently discovered objects will not appear until they are available on the CBAT web pages, which is usually a fortnight after the publication of the IAUC.


    Meyer Group SOHO comets
    1997 X7 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    1998 G9 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    2006 B4 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    2006 F6 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    2006 J5 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    2006 R3 (SOHO)(IAUC 8772, 2006 November 11)
    2006 U10 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    2006 X10 (SOHO)(IAUC)
    were discovered with the SOHO LASCO coronographs and have not been observed elsewhere. They were sungrazing comets of the Meyer group. For further information on the discovery of these objects see this year's SOHO discoveries.
    Marsden Group SOHO comets
    2006 E2 (SOHO)(IAUC 8694, 2006 March 29)
    2006 F3 (SOHO)(IAUC 8694, 2006 March 29)
    were discovered with the SOHO LASCO coronographs and have not been observed elsewhere. They were sungrazing comets of the Marsden group.

    Karl Battams has put together a probable family tree for the fragments.

    For further information on the discovery of these objects see this year's SOHO discoveries.


    SOHO Kreutz group comets
    1996 R5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1997 O3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1997 V8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1998 J5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1998 L10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1998 T2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1998 W8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    1999 V5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2003 B3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2003 C6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2003 G5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 A4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 A5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 A6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 A7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 B2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 B3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 B5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 B6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 C1 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 C2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 C3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 D2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 D3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 D4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 D5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 D6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 E3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 E4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 F5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 F6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 F8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 G2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 G3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 H2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 H3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 H4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 H5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 H6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J1 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J11 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 J12 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K11 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K12 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K13 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K14 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K15 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K16 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K17 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K18 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K19 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K20 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 K21 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 L3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 L4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 L5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 L6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 L7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 L8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 M5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 M6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 M7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 M8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 M9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 N1 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 N2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 N3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 O3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 O4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 O5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 O6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 O7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 O8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 P2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 P3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 P4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 P5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 P6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 P7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 R4 (SOHO)(IAUC 8772, 2006 November 11)
    2006 S7 (SOHO)(IAUC 8772, 2006 November 11)
    2006 S8 (SOHO)(IAUC 8772, 2006 November 11)
    2006 S9 (SOHO)(IAUC 8772, 2006 November 11)
    2006 S10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 S11 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 S12 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 S13 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 T10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U11 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U12 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U13 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U14 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U15 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 U16 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 V10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 W5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 W6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 W7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X2 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X3 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X4 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X5 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X6 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X7 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X8 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 X9 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y10 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y11 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y13 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y14 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y15 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y16 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    2006 Y17 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    were discovered with the SOHO LASCO coronographs and have not been observed elsewhere. They were sungrazing comets of the Kreutz group and were not expected to survive perihelion. Some of these comets show no tail at all and it is possible that some supposed observations of Vulcan were actually tiny Kreutz group comets. Details of the SOHO Kreutz comets discovered or announced this year are listed here, with an abbreviated list here.
    1997 X7 (SOHO)
    This was a non-group comet discovered in archival images by Rainer Kracht in March 2006, whilst searching for previously unreported Marsden and Meyer group comets.
    1999 X3 (SOHO)
    This was a non-group comet discovered in archival C2 images by Hua Su in May 2006.
    1999 RE70 (176P/LINEAR = 118401)
    Whilst monitoring members of the Themis familly of asteroids for signs of cometary activity H H Hsieh and Dave Jewitt of the University of Hawaii imaged asteroid 118401. Images taken on 2005 November 26 with the Gemini North telescope showed a tail 7" long, and confirming images were taken in December. The asteroid was found by LINEAR.

    In June 2006 the Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature agreed to name and number the comet, although the asteroidal designation will be used for archiving any astrometry.


    2000 EC98 (174P/Echeclus = 60558)
    A cometary coma was detected around the centaur asteroid (60558) 2000 EC98 on 2005 December 30.50. At discovery by Spacewatch in 2000 the object was 21st magnitude, but the development of a coma has caused it to brighten by at least 3 magnitudes. Visual reports suggest it could be even brighter, and Seiichi Yoshida reports it at 14.4, with a 0.5' coma and DC3 in his 0.4m reflector on January 8.78. He suggests that this may be the most distant visual detection of a comet, as the object is 13 AU from the Sun. The object is in a 35 year orbit, and not due to reach perihelion until 2015, when it will be at 5.9 AU.

    The case seems similar to that of Chiron, which is (2060) 95P/Chiron, so the object should receive a cometary number. Roll on comet Pluto!

    The Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature has agreed to give the comet P/2000 EC_98 (cf. IAUC 8656, 8660) the same name as the centaur minor planet (60558), Echeclus (cf. MPC 55988), which has been assigned also the permanent comet number 174P (MPC 55911). [IAUC 8677, 2006 February 22]

    Observations made since December 2005 appear to indicate that the main source of activity is a secondary body moving independently of the primary, possibly on a hyperbolic orbit. The object was at maximum elongation from the primary around February 25. It may be an escaped satellite or a debris fragment.


    A/2000 KD41 [LONEOS]
    This ususual asteroid, currently of 20th magnitude, was discovered by LONEOS with the 0.59m Schmidt on 2000 May 26.2. [MPEC 2000-K39, 2000 May 31] It has a period of 6.2 years, with perihelion at 1.39 AU in mid December 2006. Its orbit is typical of a Jupiter family comet, and it can pass within 0.25 AU of the giant planet, last doing so in 1979. It is estimated at around 3km in diameter.
    2006 A1 (Pojmanski)
    Grzegorz Pojmanski, of Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory, discovered a comet on All Sky Automated Survey images taken with a 180mm focal length f/2.8 telephoto lens (+ V filter) at Las Campanas. The object was placed on the NEOCP and has been confirmed as a comet. Kazimieras Cernis also reported an object in SWAN imagery, and this has the same motion as the new comet. The comet is at perihelion at 0.6 AU in late February. It will initially remain a southern hemisphere object, but should become visible from the UK in late February, as a binocular object in the morning sky, when it could be 6th magnitude. It will fade rapidly during March as the distance from Sun and Earth increases.

    Michael Mattiazzo imaged the comet on January 7 and estimated the magnitude as 10.5 in his 20cm reflector. It seems to be brightening quite rapidly as Michael estimated it as 7.9 in 25x100B on January 23.5, with a 3' DC5 coma. I was able to observe the comet on Feb 8.05 from on board the Fishery Protection Vessel MV Sigma at 54S 39W with 10x50B and made it 6.1. For the next three weeks I was at Bird Island, a notoriously cloudy location, but on February 17/18 the skies remained clear and I estimated the comet at 5.6 in 10x50B, DC8 on February 18.21. Observations in late February put the comet at around 5.5. Once in view from the UK, observers reported a 5 degree ion tail in early March. By early April it had faded to around 8.5. Observations by Seiichi Yoshida in early May suggest that further rapid fading occurred as the comet was around 12th magnitude.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-E43 [2006 March 11] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000798 and +0.000800 (+/- 0.000011) AU^-1, respectively.
    The "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet.

    107 observations received so far suggest a preliminary light curve of m = 11.2 + 5 log d + 17.9 log r

    Observations in ICQ format, last observation 2006 April 4, updated 2006 April 10.


    2006 A2 (Catalina)
    The Catalina Sky Survey discovered another faint comet, of 19th magnitude, on January 21.19. It is a distant object, past perihelion and will fade. Given the discovery date it should properly have been comet 2006 B1.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-U81 [2006 October 30] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000672 and +0.000753 (+/- 0.000014) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet.
    2006 A3 (175P/Hergenrother)
    Comet 2000 C1 (Hergenrother) has been recovered by the Mt Lemmon Survey. The comet will remain at around 20th magnitude for the next six months.

    The Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature has announced that P/2000 C1 = P/2006 A3 (Hergenrother) has been assigned the number 175P (cf. IAUC 8664). [IAUC 8677, 2006 February 22]


    A/2006 AQ [Mauna Kea]
    This Amor asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered from Mauna Kea with the 2.24m reflector on January 2.23. It has a period of 6.3 years and perihelion is at 1.18 AU in early February 2006. [MPEC 2006-A16, 2006 January 5, 3-day orbit]. In the current orbit it can approach to around 0.4 AU of Jupiter. This type of orbit is typical of Jupiter family comets. The object is estimated at around 2km in diameter.
    A/2006 AL8 [Siding Spring]
    This Apollo asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on January 8.70. It has a period of 6.7 years and perihelion was at 0.38 AU in mid November 2005, although the orbit is still rather uncertain. [MPEC 2006-A58, 2006 January 10, 2-day orbit]. The object is estimated at around 1km in diameter.  The asteroid was recovered by Peter Birtwistle on 2012 February 2.79, when it passed 0.1 AU from the Earth.  The linked orbit has a current period of 6.1 years, and perihelion was at 0.38AU in 2011 December.  The orbit has an Earth MOID of 0.055, and a Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter of 2.16.
    2006 B1 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught has discovered another comet, during the course of the Siding Spring Survey. This one was found on January 27.62 and was 18th magnitude. It was at perihelion in November 2005 at 3.0 AU and will not brighten significantly.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-G45 [2006 April 13] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.001020 and +0.001009 (+/- 0.000046) AU^-1, respectively.
    The "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet.
    2006 B7 (198P/ODAS)
    In March 2008, Gareth Williams identified images of comet P/1998 X1 taken at its 2006 return. He found that Spacewatch images taken between January and March and Mt Lemmon images from March show the comet, which was around 21st magnitude. The indicated correction to the orbital elements on MPC 45656 is Delta(T) approximately -2 days. The observations from the two apparitions do not fit together very well, leaving residuals of up to 5". It was subsequently numbered 198.
    A/2006 BO6 [Mt Lemmon]
    This Apollo asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Mt Lemmon Survey with the 1.5m reflector on January 22.11. It has a period of 5.6 years and perihelion was at 0.98 AU in late December 2005. [MPEC 2006-B55, 2006 January 24, 2-day orbit]. In the current orbit it can approach to around 0.4 AU of Jupiter. This type of orbit is typical of Jupiter family comets. The object is estimated at around 200m in diameter.
    A/2006 BV7 [Steward]
    This unusual asteroid, of 21st magnitude, was discovered from the Steward Observatory with the 0.9m reflector on January 22.39. It has a period of 7.0 years and perihelion was at 1.69 AU in late December 2005. [MPEC 2006-B59, 2006 January 24, 3-day orbit]. In the current orbit it can approach to around 0.3 AU of Jupiter. This type of orbit is typical of Jupiter family comets. The object is estimated at around 800m in diameter.
    A/2006 BZ8 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68m Schmidt on January 23.43. The orbit is retrograde and current solutions give a period of 30 years with perihelion at 1.90 AU in 2006 July. Gareth Williams notes: Observers with access to large telescopes are encouraged to search for cometary activity in this object. Parabolic and near-parabolic solutions are still possible. [MPEC 2006-B67, 2006 January 27, 4-day orbit]. The object is estimated at around 9km in diameter.

    The object was recovered in late August, after solar conjunction. It showed no sign of cometary activity and the observations confirmed the 30 year period.


    A/2006 BF208 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68m Schmidt on January 31. The orbit has a period of 15 years with perihelion at 3.08 AU in 2006 December. It does not currently approach close to Jupiter.
    2006 CK10 (Catalina)
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68m Schmidt on February 4.43. The preliminary orbit was retrograde with an inclination of 144 degrees and a period of 150 years. [MPEC 2006-C44, 2006 February 8, 4-day orbit]. Rather as expected further observations have shown the object to have cometary characteristics and it has been given a cometary designation. The orbit is retrograde with an inclination of 144 degrees and current solutions give perihelion at 1.75 AU in 2006 July. The orbit is parabolic. It will be near solar conjunction when at perihelion.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-G46 [2006 April 13] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.004702 and +0.005327 (+/- 0.000038) AU^-1, respectively.
    The "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet.
    2006 D1 (P/Hill)
    BAA Member Rik Hill has discovered another comet during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey. It is a faint 20th magnitude object in a periodic orbit of 13 years and will fade as it is past perihelion at 1.89 AU.
    A/2006 DW62 [LONEOS]
    This Amor asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by LONEOS with the 0.59m Schmidt on February 26.28. [MPEC 2006-D59, 2006 February 27] It has a period of 5.9 years, with perihelion at 1.17 AU. Its orbit is typical of a Jupiter family comet, and it can pass within 0.1 AU of the giant planet. It is estimated at around 400m in diameter.
    2006 E1 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on March 11.74. The object is 18th magnitude and reaches perihelion at 6.0 AU at the beginning of 2007.
    A/2006 ED1 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68m Schmidt on March 4.48. [MPEC 2006-E25, 2006 March 6] It has a period of 5.4 years, with perihelion at 1.41 AU. Its orbit is typical of a Jupiter family comet, and it can pass within 0.4 AU of the giant planet. It is estimated at around 1km in diameter.
    A/2006 EX52 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68m Schmidt on March 5.26. The orbit is still rather uncertain, but it is retrograde and current solutions give a period of around 255 years with perihelion at 2.57 AU later this year. [MPEC 2006-E36, 2006 March 9, 18-day orbit]. Somewhat surprisingly it is being classed as a plutino, with a 3:2 resonance with Neptune. It is estimated at 9km in diameter.
    2006 F1 (P/Kowalski)
    R Kowalski discovered an 18th magnitude comet on March 21.49 during the course of the Mt Lemmon survey with the 1.5-m reflector.

    The initial orbit suggested that it would reach perihelion at 1.9 AU in 2007 May, when it might reach 13th magnitude. Further observations however show that it is in a periodic orbit [as first suggested by Hirohisa Sato], period 10 years, with perihelion at 4.1 AU in February 2008. The comet appears to have had a recent close encounter with Jupiter.


    2006 F2 (Christensen)
    E Christensen discovered a 20th magnitude comet on March 23.33 during the course of the Mt Lemmon survey with the 1.5-m reflector. Perihelion was at 4.3 AU at the end of March 2006 and it has an orbital period of 43 years.
    2006 F4 (P/Spacewatch)
    A 20th mag comet has been found on Spacewatch images taken on March 26.36 with the 0.9-m reflector by R S McMillan and M T Read. Perihelion was at 2.34 AU in early May 2006 and it has a period of 6.6 years.
    A/2006 FV4 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68m Schmidt in March. [MPEC 2006-H28, 2006 April 22] It has a period of 36 years, with perihelion at 3.3 AU in early December. There have been no significant encounters with Jupiter.
    A/2006 FZ51 [Siding Spring]
    This unusual asteroid was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on 2006 March 27. It has a period of 6.0 years and perihelion is at 1.6 AU in 2012 July. [MPEC 2012-J05, 2012 May 1]. The orbit is in a near 2:1 resonance with Jupiter and passes within 0.4 AU of the planet. The orbit has a Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter of 2.95.
    2006 G1 (P/McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet, during the course of the Siding Spring Survey, on April 5.70. The object is 18th magnitude and reaches perihelion at 2.6 AU in mid August. Further observations confirmed that it was a short period comet, with period of 11 years.
    2006 GZ2 (Spacewatch)
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered from the Steward Observatory with the 0.9m reflector on April 7.18. It is in a retrograde orbit with a period of 60 years and perihelion is at 2.9 AU later this year. [MPEC 2006-G38, 2006 April 10, 2-day orbit]. Although initially designated as an asteroid, it was suspected as being diffuse on follow up images from Klet, and has been confirmed as cometary following closer inspection of the Spacewatch images. It is due at perihelion at 3.3 AU in late August.
    2006 H1 (P/McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet, during the course of the Siding Spring Survey, on April 29.79. The object was 18th magnitude and was at perihelion in early May at 2.4 AU. It is in a short period orbit, with period of 14 years.
    2006 HW51 (Siding Spring)
    This unusual asteroid, of 18th magnitude, was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on April 23.49. [MPEC 2006-H56, 2006 April 28] It has a period of 1000 years and perihelion is at 2.3 AU in late September. It has aphelion at 200 AU and can approach within 0.6 AU of Saturn. It is currently classed as a scattered disk object or cubewano and has an estimated diameter of 18km.

    Perhaps as expected subsequent observations with a large telescope have revealed a faint coma. Alan Fitzsimmons observing with the 2.0-m Faulkes North telescope on June 4.3 noted a 3" coma. The new orbit is parabolic, but still with perihelion at 2.3 AU in late September.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-N10 [2006 July 7] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000015 and +0.000058 (+/- 0.000019) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud.
    A/2006 HA6 [Siding Spring]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on April 20.58. It has a period of 5.5 years and perihelion was at 1.20 AU in early March. [MPEC 2006-H24, 2006 April 21, 1-day orbit]. The object can approach to within 0.2 AU of Jupiter and 0.22 AU of the Earth. It is estimated at 600m diameter.
    2006 HR30 (Siding Spring)
    This object, of 19th magnitude, was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on April 20.78. It has a period of 22 years and perihelion is at 1.23 AU in early January 2007. [MPEC 2006-H40, 2006 April 26, 9-month orbit]. The object could reach 14th magnitude when at perihelion. It can approach to within 0.6 AU of Jupiter and a similar distance from the Earth.

    Subsequent observations have confirmed my suggestion that this was a possible cometary candidate. Observations by S Lowry and Alan Fitzsimmons with the ESO 3.5m NTT telescope and by M Hicks and K Lawrence with the 5m Palomar telescope both show a coma.

    The cometary characteristics seem to have been fleeting, and the object reverted to essentially asteroidal nature. Images by Martin Mobberley in December show it at around 14th magnitude.


    A/2006 HY51 [LINEAR]
    This Apollo asteroid, of 18th magnitude, was discovered by LINEAR on April 26.35. [MPEC 2006-H57, 2006 April 28] It has a period of 4 years and perihelion is at 0.08 AU in early July. It can approach within 0.09 AU of Earth, but with aphelion at 5.0 AU can only approach within 0.9 AU of Jupiter. It is estimated at 2km diameter.
    A/2006 HZ51 [Catalina]
    This Amor asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on April 27.16. [MPEC 2006-H58, 2006 April 28] Further observations show that it is rather less interesting, with a period of 3 years, although it is a PHA approaching within 0.06 AU of Earth.
    2006 K1 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on May 17.72. The object was 18th magnitude.

    Further observations changed the preliminary orbit completely and the new estimate is for perihelion at 4.4 AU in July 2007.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-P39 [2006 August 11] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000016 and +0.001057 (+/- 0.000019) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud.
    2006 K2 (P/McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on May 22.16. The object is 18th magnitude and near opposition. It reached perihelion at 2.1 AU in late June 2006 and has a period of 7.1 years.
    2006 K3 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered a second comet the same night, during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on May 22.34. The object is 18th magnitude and reaches perihelion at 2.5 AU in mid March 2007. It might reach 14th magnitude.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-S43 [2006 September 22] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000005 and -0.000178 (+/- 0.000025) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud.
    2006 K4 (NEAT)
    NEAT discovered their 52nd comet on May 18.45. The 20th magnitude object reaches perihelion at 3.2 AU in late November 2007. It had reached 17th magnitude by August 2006.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-Q46 [2006 August 29] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000927 and +0.000889 (+/- 0.000050) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that the comet has previously visited the inner solar system.
    2006 K5 (SOHO)
    This was a non-group comet discovered in C3 images by Hua Su in May 2006.
    2006 L1 (Garradd)
    Gordon Garradd discovered his first comet during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on June 4.38. The object was 18th magnitude at discovery. It reached perihelion at 1.5 AU in October 2006. The comet became brighter than expected and peaked at around 9th magnitude in early December. It has faded quite rapidly and is quite diffuse.

    34 observations received so far suggest an uncorrected preliminary light curve of m = 6.7 + 5 log d + 15.8 log r

    Observations in ICQ format, last observation 2007 January 20, updated 2007 January 25.


    2006 L2 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on June 14.52. The object is 14th magnitude. It reaches perihelion at 2.0 AU in late November 2006. The IAUC announcing the discovery suggested that it seems to be undergoing rapid brightness variation, changing by a magnitude in as little as ten minutes. Subsequent comments suggest that this was due to the object's low altitude and was not real. The comet should become visible to northern hemisphere observers as a 12th magnitude object in December. Astrometric measurements in early August suggest a magnitude around 15.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-Q47 [2006 August 29] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000052 and -0.000057 (+/- 0.000018) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that the comet has not previously visited the inner solar system.
    A/2006 LM1 [Mt Lemmon]
    This unusual asteroid, of 21st magnitude, was discovered by the Mt Lemmon Survey with the 1.5m reflector on June 3.42. It is in a retrograde orbit with a period of over 200 years and perihelion is at 3.7 AU in September. [MPEC 2006-L38, 2006 June 8, 2-day orbit].
    2006 M1 (LINEAR)
    LINEAR discovered an 18th magnitude comet on June 18.32. Originally noted as asteroidal, it was confirmed as showing cometary features by Peter Birtwhistle and others. The comet is at perihelion at 3.6 AU in 2007 February and moves in a long period orbit of around 2000 years.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-P16 [2006 August 4] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.006872 and +0.006441 (+/- 0.000004) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet from the Oort cloud.
    2006 M2 (Spacewatch)
    Spacewatch discovered a 21st magnitude object on June 19.31, that was found to show weak coma following posting on the NEOCP. The preliminary parabolic orbit is retrograde with perihelion at 5.2 AU last November.
    2006 M3 (177P/Barnard)
    A 17th magnitude asteroidal object found by LINEAR on June 23.26 was shown to have cometary characteristics following posting on the NEOCP. Dan Green suggested that it might be a return of comet 1889 M1 (P/Barnard) and Brian Marsden has confirmed the identification. At this return the comet has a period of 120 years. Despite a favourable return it seemed unlikely to exceed 14th magnitude.

    As is often the case, early magnitude estimates by CCD observers were approximating to m2 rather than the published m1 and by mid July the comet was reported at around 10th magnitude. It was however very diffuse, so much harder to see than the magnitude suggests. It seems to have peaked at around 8th magnitude in August and is now fading.


    2006 M4 (SWAN)
    Michael Mattiazzo and Rob Matson found an object in SWAN images from late June, which was found on images taken by Terry Lovejoy on June 30. The comet was confirmed with images taken by Rob McNaught with the Uppsala Schmidt on July 12. It passed through the SOHO LASCO coronagraph field between August 11 and the end of the month, but was barely visible. It emerged from conjunction in mid September as an 8th magnitude object in the morning sky. The comet reached perihelion in late September at 0.8 AU.

    David Storey recovered the comet from the Isle of Man on September 15. His image showed the comet close to the predicted track, well condensed and about 8th magnitude. Martin McKenna observing from Northern Ireland on September 26 reports a naked eye observation, and a 30' tail in binoculars during a morning observing session. Observing with 20x80B from near Dorchester in Oxfordshire on October 4.80 I noted the comet as 5th magnitude, appearing much like a globular cluster. This appears to have been a short lived outburst as a few nights later it was back to 6th magnitude. A second outburst occurred around October 24, and that evening I was surprised to find it at around mag 4.5 with a short tail. Infra-red observations on November 7, made with the MMT suggest the presence of a secondary condensation, perhaps originating in the October 24 outburst.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-S89 [2006 September 29] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000106 and +0.000658 (+/- 0.000072) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud on its first pass through the inner solar system.

    43 observations made during November suggest a light curve since the October outburst, corrected for aperture of m = 5.2 + 5 log d + 12.6 log r

    Observations in ICQ format, last observation 2006 November 21, updated 2006 November 22.


    2006 O1 (178P/Hug-Bell)
    D Tibbets and Gary Hug recovered comet 1999 X1 (Hug-Bell) on July 16.40 with the 0.7-m relector at the Farpoint Observatory Eskridge, Kansas. The correction to the perihelion time predicted on MPC 48383 was -0.12 day.

    Following recovery it was numbered 178P.


    2006 O2 (Garradd)
    Gordon Garradd discovered his second comet during the course of the Siding Spring Survey on July 30.39. The object is 17th magnitude and it reaches perihelion at 1.6 AU in early October 2006. It is now fading.
    2006 OF2 (Broughton)
    This unusual asteroid, of 18th magnitude, was discovered by John Broughton with his 50-cm reflector at Reedy Creek on July 17.66. It is in a highly eccentric orbit with a period of over 4000 years and perihelion is at 2.6 AU in 2008 November. It is currently 7.6 AU from the Sun. [MPEC 2006-O13, 2006 July 21, 32-day orbit]. It has a relatively high absolute magnitude at 9.6, and even if it shows no cometary activity is likely to reach 13th magnitude near perihelion. If weak cometary activity occurs it could be a magnitude brighter, but with a relatively distant perihelion it would have to show strong cometary activity to become prominent.

    As suggested above the object eventually grew a coma, which was detected by Carl Hergenrother on CCD frames taken with the 1.54m reflector at Catalina on 2006 September 20.11. The latest orbit is slightly hyperbolic with perihelion at 2.4 AU in 2008 September. It emerged from solar conjunction in 2008 June as a 12th magnitude object and is likely to peak at 10th magnitude in November. It is circumpolar for northern hemisphere observers when brightest during the autumn of 2008 and will remain visible until 2009 May.

    CCD observations made it 16th magnitude in 2007 May, and it was around 14th magnitude in August. It was at peak brightness at around 10.5 in 2008 October and is slowly fading.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-K71 [2007 May 31] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000014 and -0.000672 (+/- 0.000008) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud on its first pass through the inner solar system.

    72 observations received so far suggest a preliminary visual light curve of m = 6.7 + 5 log d + 6.7 log r


    2006 P1 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered another comet, during the course of the Siding Spring Survey, on August 7.51. The object was 17th magnitude at discovery and reached perihelion at 0.17 AU on 2007 January 12.8. Following perihelion it was visible in the SOHO LASCO C3 field from January 12 to 15 as a very bright object, and also in the STEREO SECCI field from January 11 to 18.

    It came within visual range in September, with visual observations continuing into November, by which time it had reached 9th magnitude. Twilight images into December suggested that the brightening was continuing.

    David Moore reports that he was able to observe the comet from Dublin on the evening of January 1st, estimating it at about 1st magnitude when allowance is made for extinction. Haakon Dahle imaged the comet on January 3 from Fjellhamar, Norway (1s exposure, taken with a Nikon D70 SLR (300mm f/5.6 lens, ISO 800). Nick James imaged the comet on the morning of January 4 from Chelmsford and estimated it at 2.0: from the CCD image. I viewed it on the morning of January 8, estimating it at -1.4, with the comet remaining easily visible until the Sun was 5 degrees below the horizon. Rob McNaught reports a telescopic daylight sighting from Australia on January 9. I attempted daylight observation with the Northumberland and Thorrowgood refractors at Cambridge University Observatory on January 10, but failed to see the comet. It was probably fainter than -3. It was widely observed across the UK on January 10 as shown in my image, with magnitude estimates between -1 and -2. The tail was very prominent. Clouds came in during an observation on January 11, however I provisionally estimated the comet at -2.0:, with a 2 degree tail, although as the sky was brighter it appeared fainter.

    Globally, there were many reports of daylight sightings around January 13/14. Richard Miles made daylight photometric measurements of the comet from the UK on January 14, when it was -4.85. It was visible in the SOHO LASCO C3 field from January 12 to 15 and in the STEREO SECCHI HI-1A field from January 11 to 18. From the UK it is no longer visible, although a few observers saw the tail striae around January 18 - 21, before the moon became too bright. The peak brightness of the comet is estimated to have been around -5.5. The enhancement due to forward scatter was around 2 magnitudes, although it seems to be slightly brighter post perihelion than it was before. It is now fading quite quickly, however remains significantly brighter than expected from the pre-perihelion behaviour. There were many reports of daylight sightings around January 13/14. It was visible in the SOHO LASCO C3 field from January 12 to 15 and in the STEREO SECCHI HI-1A field from January 11 to 18. The STEREO images led to the discovery of a neutral iron tail from the comet.

    Post perihelion it has shown fantastic tail structure, which is seen in some of the images below.

    ESO have observed the comet with the NNT and made observations of sodium in the coma along with spiral jets.

    When submitting images please name your image using the format 2006p1_200701dd_name.jpg where dd is the day and name is your name. If you are unsure look at the image names below or see the Comet Image Naming Convention for examples.

    Images:

    January  3 Haakon Dahle from Fjellhamar, Norway (1s exposure, taken with a Nikon D70 SLR (300mm f/5.6 lens, ISO 800).  
    January  4 Nick James from Chelmsford, England
    January  5 John O Neill from Rush, Ireland
    January  6 Alan Tough from Elgin, Scotland  
    January  7 Toni Scarmato from Calabria, Italy
               Vince Tuboly & T Horvath from Hungary
    January  8 Nick James
               Martin Mobberley from Cockfield, England  
               Jon Shanklin from Cambridge, England
    January  9 Toni Scarmato
               Ian Brantingham from Keith, Scotland
               Derek Ryan from Tarves, Scotland
               Martin McKenna from Maghera, Northern Ireland
               Ken Kennedy from Dundee, Scotland
    January 10 Jon Shanklin
               Nick James
               Martin Mobberley
               James Lancashire from Bristol, England
               Arthur Missira from Alston, England
               John Owen from Aberdeen, Scotland
    January 11 Jon Shanklin
               Nick James comparison between 10th and 11th
    January 14 Richard Miles daylight from Dorset, England
               Russell Cockman from Melbourne, Australia
    January 16 Peter Thomas from Darlington, Western Australia
               John Thorpe from Perth, Western Australia
    January 19 Rudi Vavra from Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia
               Rolando Ligustri from Avaglio, Italy
    January 20 Rudi Vavra from Robertson, NSW, Australia
               Rudi Vavra
               John Thorpe
               Helen Taylor from King Edward Point, South Georgia (54 S)
    January 22 Russell Cockman
    January 23 Russell Cockman
               Rudi Vavra
               Giovanni Sostero & E Guido from RAS Australia, Melbourne
    January 26 Rudi Vavra
    
    

    161 observations received so far suggest a preliminary light curve of m = 4.4 + 5 log d + 9.4 log r

    Observations in ICQ format, last observation 2007 April 15, updated 2007 April 16.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-E02 [2007 March 2] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000037 and +0.000497 (+/- 0.000003) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud on its first pass through the inner solar system.
    2006 Q1 (McNaught)
    Rob McNaught discovered his 32nd comet, during the course of the Siding Spring Survey, on August 20.74. The object is 18th magnitude and still over 6 AU from the Sun. The comet will reach perihelion at 2.8 AU in early July 2008. This implies that it will come into visual range for southern hemisphere observers late in 2007 and peak at around 11th magnitude. Northern observers may pick it up at 13th magnitude late in 2008. Rob now equals the record for individually named comet discoveries with the Shoemakers.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-V21 [2006 November 8] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are -0.000002 and +0.000657 (+/- 0.000048) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud on its first pass through the inner solar system.

    21 observations received so far suggest an uncorrected preliminary light curve of m = 5.5 + 5 log d + 9.0 log r


    2006 Q2 (P/LONEOS)
    A 19th magnitude asteroid was discovered by LONEOS on August 29.27 and when posted on the NEOCP was found to show a coma and tail by Peter Birtwhistle and others. The object was at perihelion at 1.3 AU in early September and has a period of 6.0 years. It was near its brightest and will fade after mid September.
    A/2006 QL39 [LONEOS]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by LONEOS with the 0.59m Schmidt on August 19. [MPEC 2006-Q44, 2006 August 29] It has a period of 11.6 years, with perihelion at 2.04 AU in 2007 February. Its orbit is at the long end of those for Jupiter family comets, but it can pass within 0.5 AU of the giant planet, although it has not done so recently.
    A/2006 QM111 [Siding Spring]
    This asteroid, of 16th magnitude at discovery, was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on August 31.54. It has a period of 4.7 years and perihelion is at 0.69 AU in mid October. [MPEC 2006-Q68, 2006 August 31, 3-hour orbit]. The object passed very close to the Earth on August 31, with an MOID of 0.0011 AU. It can pass within 0.5 AU of Jupiter and is a potential comet candidate.
    2006 R1 (Siding Spring)
    This object, of 18th magnitude, was discovered during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on September 1.49. The comet was near perihelion at 1.7 AU and will fade. It has a period of 13 years and moves in a retrograde orbit. Rob McNaught comments on the discovery
    Donna Burton is being trained as a new observer for the Siding Spring Survey, initially as a replacement for Gordon Garradd who is on 2 months sick leave following a cycling accident. Sep 01 was Donna's first time alone at the telescope. When she found 6R6F4D3 she phoned me so I went to the telescope to check on the detection and show how to schedule follow up. The first follow up was involved with a star, but the next was good. All the data was submitted. It was only with a second call later in the night with her detection of 6R6F50C that I noticed that some of the 6R6F4D3 images looked a bit soft and checking back through the other images confirmed that all images had the same appearance of diffuseness. This was confirmed for certain on images taken the following night. Thus Donna discovered the object and I noted that it was a comet, hence "Siding Spring".
    Brian Marsden commented on MPEC 2006-R41 [2006 September 10]
    It is still possible that the orbital period P is somewhat longer than the best-fit value of 16 years (which would be the shortest for a comet having a retrograde orbit).
    Further observations confirmed the short period, with the latest value being 13 years.
    2006 R2 (P/Christensen)
    Eric Christensen discovered a 17th magnitude comet on September 14.32 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. It was at perihelion at 3.0 AU in mid June and has a period of 8.5 years. It will fade.
    A/2006 RG1 [Siding Spring]
    This asteroid, of 19th magnitude at discovery, was found during the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt on September 1.70. It is in a retrograde orbit and has a period of 48 years with perihelion at 2.0 AU at the end of November. It will not brighten significantly. [MPEC 2006-R36, 2006 September 9, 4-day orbit].
    A/2006 RG2 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on September 14.46. [MPEC 2006-S02, 2006 September 16, 2-day orbit] It has a period of 8.7 years and perihelion is at 1.0 AU in mid December. Whilst a possible JFC it only passes within 0.6 AU of Jupiter and 0.1 AU of the Earth.
    A/2006 RJ2 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on September 14.40. [MPEC 2006-R51, 2006 September 15, 1-day orbit] It is in a retrograde orbit with a period of 58 years and perihelion was at 2.4 AU in mid August.
    A/2006 RY102 [NEAT]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by NEAT on September 14.37. [MPEC 2006-T33, 2006 October 5] It has a period of 15.8 years and perihelion is at 4.56 AU in early January 2009. Whilst a possible JFC it only passes within 0.7 AU of Jupiter.
    2006 S1 (P/Christensen)
    Eric Christensen discovered another 17th magnitude comet on September 16.25 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. It was at perihelion at 1.4 AU at the end of August and has a period of 6.5 years. It will fade.
    2006 S2 (LINEAR)
    LINEAR discovered a 19th magnitude object on September 17.17. Originally noted as asteroidal, it was confirmed as showing cometary features by J Young at Table Mountain Observatory. The comet was at perihelion at 3.2 AU in 2007 May.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-K72 [2007 May 31] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000055 and -0.000049 (+/- 0.000009) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud on its first pass through the inner solar system.
    2006 S3 (LONEOS)
    A 19th magnitude comet was discovered by LONEOS on September 19.32 and when posted on the NEOCP was confirmed as cometary by Peter Birtwhistle, Richard Miles and others. Perihelion was near 5.1 AU in 2012 April. The comet reached 12th magnitude near the time of perihelion, but is now fading slowly.  There is considerable scatter in the magnitude estimates, but they are best fitted by a linear type light curve.  The comet was still under visual observation in 2014 at around 13.5.

    91 observations received so far suggest a preliminary light curve of m = 8.2 + 5 log d + 0.0028 abs(t - T + 323)  

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-O19 [2007 July 19] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are -0.000210 and -0.000255 (+/- 0.000244) AU^-1, respectively.
    The negative "original" value suggests that this could be a comet from outside the solar system, however the error range does include a small positive value, which would indicate a comet from the Oort cloud. Further observations should reduce the uncertainty.
    2006 S4 (P/Christensen)
    Eric Christensen discovered another 17th magnitude comet on September 22.37 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. It was at perihelion at 3.1 AU in early 2006 June, and will fade. It has a period of 16 years.
    2006 S5 (Hill)
    BAA Member, Rik Hill discovered an 18th magnitude comet on September 28.28 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. It will be at perihelion at 2.6 AU in 2007 December, and could reach 13th magnitude around the time of perihelion.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-Q05 [2007 August 18] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.010056 and +0.010546 (+/- 0.000008) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet and has made a previous pass through the inner solar system.
    2006 S6 (P/Hill)
    Rik Hill discovered a second comet on the same night, also of 18th magnitude. This one was found on September 28.40. It was at perihelion at 2.4 AU in mid 2006 October, and has a period of 8.5 years. It will not brighten significantly.
    A/2006 SH7 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on September 18.34. [MPEC 2006-S24, 2006 September 19, 1-day orbit] It is in an orbit with a period of 7.9 years and perihelion is at 1.1 AU in early November. It can pass within 0.2 AU of Jupiter and 0.13 AU of the Earth, and is a JFC candidate.
    A/2006 SO134 [Steward]
    This unusual asteroid, of 21st magnitude, was discovered from the Steward Observatory with the 0.9m reflector on September 19.27. It has a period of 93 years and perihelion was at 3.3 AU in mid July 2006. [MPEC 2006-S79, 2006 September 28, 13-day orbit]. It can approach to within 1 AU of Jupiter. Aphelion is at 38 AU. Given that it is well past perihelion it is unlikely to show cometary activity.
    A/2006 SK198 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on September 28.40. [MPEC 2006-S102, 2006 September 30, 2-day orbit] It is in an orbit with a period of 6.8 years and perihelion is at 0.2 AU in 2007 April. There have been no recent close approaches to Jupiter but it can pass within 0.11 AU of the Earth.
    2006 T1 (P/Levy)
    David Levy made a visual discovery of a comet on October 2.50. Observing near Saturn with his 0.41-m reflector he noted a diffuse object of magnitude 10.5. The cometary nature of the object was confirmed by Peter Birtwhistle and Richard Miles amongst others. The Japanese comet hunter Shigheki Murakami made an independent discovery of the comet on October 4, but by this time the object had been placed on the NEOCP and an IAUC issued.

    Calculations by Hirohisa Sato suggested a periodic orbit, and an MPEC was issued on October 7 confirming this. The period is 5.2 years, which perhaps suggests that it was discovered in outburst. Several people, including Cédric Bemer, have suggested the possibility of a meteor shower from the comet around December 31/January 1. The orbit is however still a little uncertain, so it is not clear how much meteoric material is likely to be present. At its next return in 2011 the comet makes a close approach to the Earth. Calculations by Andrew Lowe suggest an approach to 0.024 AU, with the comet perhaps visible to the naked eye. If the comet is fragmenting it may be more likely to have a significant dust trail present.

    On MPEC 2006-X54 [2006 December 13] Brian Marsden notes

    Further observations of this comet are desirable.

    The object was at perihelion at 1.0 AU on October 7. Initial visual and CCD observations suggested that the comet was perhaps a magnitude brighter than the discovery magnitude.

    Maik Meyer has suggested a possible link with C/1743 C1. The orbit is rather chaotic, but further observations at the 2011 return may help refine the orbit.


    2006 T6 (SOHO)
    This was a non-group comet discovered in C3 and C2 images by Bo Zhou on October 10 2006. Superficially the track appeared similar to that of the Meyer group comets.
    2006 U1 (P/LINEAR)
    An apparently asteroidal object of 17th magnitude, discovered by LINEAR on October 19.40 has been found to be cometary by other observers. It has the short period of 4.6 years, and was at perihelion at 0.5 AU at the end of August. It will fade.
    2006 U2 (179P/Jedicke)
    J V Scotti recovered comet 1995 A1 (P/Jedicke) with the Spacewatch II telescope at Kitt Peak on October 22.19. The comet was nearly stellar at magnitude 21. The indicated correction to the prediction on MPC 51823 is Delta(T) = -1.0 day.
    2006 U3 (180P/NEAT)
    J. L. Ortiz and A. Mora recovered comet 2001 K1 (P/NEAT) on CCD images obtained with the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope at La Palma. The images were measured by Reiner Stoss. The comet was essentially stellar and magnitude 22. The indicated correction to the prediction on MPC 54169 is Delta(T) = -0.4 day. This confirms a tentative identification made by Reiner of the comet on Palomar Sky Survey plates from 1955.
    2006 U4 (181P/Shoemaker-Levy)
    Rob McNaught and D Burton recovered comet 1991 V1 (P/Shoemaker-Levy) on October 26.47 with the 0.5m Uppsala Schmidt at Siding Spring. The comet was 18th magnitude and the indicated correction to the elements on MPC 48384 is Delta(T) = +8.0 days. The comet is a month from perihelion and substantially fainter than expected. Predictions based on the last return suggest that it should be 11th magnitude, so unless the light-curve is unusual it will not come within visual range.
    2006 U5 (Christensen)
    Eric Christensen discovered an 18th magnitude comet on October 27.39 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. It will brighten a little.

    Calculations by Kenji Muraoka suggested that it was a periodic comet, with perihelion at 2.4 AU in late 2006 November and period 7.8 years. Further observations refined the period to 6.6 years, with perihelion at 2.3 AU in mid 2007 January.


    2006 U6 (Spacewatch)
    Spacewatch discovered a 20th magnitude asteroidal object on October 19.13, that was found to show weak coma following posting on the NEOCP. The latest parabolic orbit gives perihelion at 2.5 AU in 2008 June. It could reach 14th magnitude around the time of perihelion.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-P27 [2007 August 10] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000542 and +0.000528 (+/- 0.000006) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet and has made a previous pass through the inner solar system.
    2006 U7 (Gibbs)
    Alex Gibbs discovered a 21st magnitude comet on October 28.30 during the course of the Mt Lemmon survey with the 1.5-m reflector.

    An orbit determination by Hirohisa Sato suggests that the orbit may be periodic, with period around 40 years. This was confirmed by a new orbit published on MPEC 2006-W18, and the latest orbit gives perihelion at 4.4 AU in 2007 March.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-X07 [2006 December 1] that further [astrometric] observations of this comet are desirable.


    A/2006 UO [Steward]
    This unusual asteroid, of 21st magnitude, was discovered from the Steward Observatory with the 0.9m reflector on October 17.48. It has a period of 5.6 years and perihelion is at 0.9 AU in mid December 2006. [MPEC 2006-U12, 2006 October 18, 1-day orbit]. It can approach to within 0.2 AU of Jupiter and 0.03 AU of the Earth. The orbit is typical of a Jupiter-family comet.
    A/2006 UG185 = 1996 AV10
    This unusual asteroid was discovered at the Steward Observatory in 1996 and during the Mt Lemmon Survey in 2006. [MPEC 2008-P41, 2008 August 8] It is in an orbit with a period of 10.6 years and perihelion was at 4.2 AU in 2005 August. It is classed as a Jupiter Trojan.

    Gareth Williams notes on MPEC 2008-P41 [2008 August 8]

       This dynamically-interesting object approached Jupiter to 0.334 +/- 0.001 AU
    on 1938 Apr. 14.3 and 0.129 +/- 0.001 AU on 1855 July 31.8 +/- 0.1.  Future
    approaches within 1.0 AU of Jupiter occur on 2039 Jan. 22.1 (0.765 AU), 2049
    Nov. 11.8 +/- 0.7 (0.911 +/- 0.002 AU), 2056 May 27.8 (0.310 +/- 0.001 AU),
    2061 Dec. 12.0 +/- 0.5 (0.521 +/- 0.005 AU) and 2144 Sept. 4.6 +/- 1.0
    (0.282 +/- 0.001 AU).
    
       Heliocentric orbital elements at various epochs, based on the nominal orbit
    given above, are as follows:
    
    Epoch           M        Peri.     Node      Incl.       e          a       P
    1853/12/13   37.45362   88.01680 147.82346  19.44165 0.0485023  5.1497069 11.69
    1857/03/27  284.94642  339.24053 141.52451  18.95632 0.2040891  4.3998660  9.23
    1936/08/20  137.93276  340.77339 138.18839  19.10577 0.2004750  4.4222824  9.30
    1941/07/25  356.41138  303.56849 133.01257  19.74002 0.1302070  4.9687231 11.08
    2008/05/14   94.13335  301.78272 131.79370  20.01894 0.1259691  4.8367248 10.64
    2037/05/22    1.61684  301.91593 130.99384  19.96721 0.1244694  4.9129380 10.89
    2044/07/04  240.89941  296.13889 126.46441  19.78995 0.1479854  5.0493259 11.35
    2052/09/20  167.33962  267.13401 122.89822  19.76945 0.1601488  4.9734302 11.09
    2059/04/17   48.69737  229.32296 117.01855  20.14496 0.1081528  5.2125073 11.90
    2063/09/03  225.62558  200.15306 113.69874  19.70149 0.1623270  4.8013703 10.52
    2142/07/11   78.92772  202.23186 109.70009  19.55345 0.1626978  4.8175254 10.57
    2146/05/11  258.76718  174.95910 104.75968  18.15842 0.2101710  4.5661230  9.76
    
       A plot of the motion of 2006 UG185 over the time period 1900-2100, in a
    Jupiter-fixed reference frame, is available at:
    
           http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/plot/K06UI5G.gif
    
    Also available, for comparison, are plots of the motion of a (588) Achilles
    (a routine Jupiter Trojan) and 39P/Oterma (a comet that underwent two close
    encounters with Jupiter in the last century):
    
           http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/plot/00588.gif
           http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/plot/0039P.gif
    
       Observations with large-aperture telescopes at the forthcoming opposition
    are strongly encouraged.
    

    A/2006 UN216 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on October 28.37. [MPEC 2006-U94, 2006 October 30] It is in an orbit with a period of 5.7 years and perihelion was at 1.2 AU in late December 2006. It can pass within 0.2 AU of Jupiter (most recently in the 19th century) and 0.24 AU of the Earth (in 2006 December), and is a JFC candidate.  The following perihelion was in 2012 September.
    2006 V1 (Catalina)
    An 18th magnitude comet was discovered with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey on November 11.49. It was at perihelion at 2.7 AU in 2007 November.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2008-F27 [2008 March 24] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.004496 and +0.006531 (+/- 0.000002) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet and has made a previous pass through the inner solar system.
    2006 VZ13 (LINEAR)
    This unusual object, of 20th magnitude, originally classed as an Amor asteroid, was discovered by LINEAR on November 13.13. [MPEC 2006-W03, 2006 November 16] It has a period of 40 years, a retrograde orbit and perihelion is at 1.33 AU in 2007 September. Aphelion is at 22 AU. Richard Miles has noted that his astrometric images appear slightly softer than stellar images.

    Richard Miles suggestion was confirmed by Carl Hergenrother using the University of Arizona's 1.54-m Kuiper reflector at the Catalina station on December 1st and 2nd. The new orbit is parabolic, with perihelion at 1.02 AU in mid August 2007. The comet came into visual range in 2007 June and reached 8th magnitude in July. The BAA imaged the comet with the Liverpool telescope during the Exhibition Meeting on June 30.

    Cédric Bemer notes that the Earth passes 0.005 AU inside the comet orbit on 2008 May 27.1 (solar longitude 66 degrees) and that there may be a possibility of a meteor shower. The radiant is around RA 330 +16. Interestingly Peter Jenniskens lists the gamma Delphinid shower, which has a broadly similar orbit and is active from June 1 - 20 from a radiant around RA 320 +12. Jenniskens gives a possible outburst on 2013 June 11.

    84 observations received so far suggest an uncorrected preliminary light curve of m = 8.3 + 5 log d + 11.3 log r


    A/2006 VY13 [Mt Lemmon]
    This unusual asteroid was discovered by the Mt Lemmon Survey with the 1.5m reflector on November 11.47. It has a period of 5.0 years and perihelion is at 1.13 AU in February 2012. [MPEC 2011-T19, 2011 October 3]. In the current orbit it can approach to around 0.3 AU of Jupiter and 0.14 AU of the Earth. The orbit has a Tisserand criterion of 2.96 with respect to Jupiter.
    2006 VW139 = 288P/(300163)
    This main belt asteroid, discovered by Spacewatch on 2006 November 15, was shown to have cometary features in PanSTARRS images taken in 2011 November.  It was at perihelion in 2011 July and has a period of 5.3 years, with a perihelion distance of 2.4 AU. It has been observed at returns in 2000, 2006 and 2011, and at six oppositions and was therefore given a periodic comet number.  More on Main Belt Comets from the IFA in Hawaii.
    2006 W1 (P/Gibbs)
    Alex Gibbs discovered a 19th magnitude comet on November 16.41 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt. The latest elliptical orbit giving a period of 14 years with perihelion at 1.7 AU in 2006 March.
    2006 W2 (182P/LONEOS)
    Eric Christensen has recovered comet 2001 WF2 (P/LONEOS) with the Catalina Sky Survey 0.68-m Schmidt. The comet was 20th magnitude and the indicated correction to the elements on MPC 51822 is Delta(T) = -0.05 day.
    2006 W3 (Christensen)
    Eric Christensen discovered an 18th magnitude comet on November 18.40 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt telescope. Peter Birtwhistle was amongst those making confirming observations. The latest orbit gives perihelion at 3.1 AU in 2009 July.

    It was a small well condensed object during the northern autumn. I was able to observe it on October 22.8, estimating it at 10.7 in my 0.33-m Dobsonian x45.

    228 observations received so far suggest an uncorrected preliminary light curve of m = -0.7 + 5 log d + 14.6 log r.


    2006 W4 (195P/Hill)
    Rik Hill discovered a 19th magnitude comet during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey on November 22.34. Peter Birtwhistle was one of the observers providing confirming images. It will be at perihelion at 4.4 AU in January 2009, and has a period of 17 years.

    Following further observations in 2007 September and December, and the publishing of new elements on MPEC 2007-X14 [2007 December 3], S. Foglia, R. Matson, and M. Tombelli identified images of the comet on two UK Schmidt plates from 1993 and 1994. The linked orbit has a period of 16.5 years.


    A/2006 WZ2 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on November 17.51. [MPEC 2006-W45, 2006 November 21, 4-day orbit] It is in an orbit with a period of 21 years and perihelion was at 1.6 AU in early October. It can pass within 0.7 AU of Jupiter and 0.9 AU of Saturn, and is a JFC candidate.
    A/2006 WR3 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on November 20.34. [MPEC 2006-W60, 2006 November 22, 2-day orbit] It is in an orbit with a period of 7.0 years and perihelion was at 2.1 AU in early November. It can pass within 0.3 AU of Jupiter and is a JFC candidate.
    A/2006 WS3 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 18th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on November 21. It is in an orbit with a period of 6.5 years and perihelion was at 1.6 AU in early December. It does not currently approach close to Jupiter.
    2006 WD4 (Lemmon)
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Mt Lemmon Survey with the 1.5m reflector on November 20.33. [MPEC 2006-W61, 2006 November 22, 2-day orbit]. It is in a retrograde orbit with a period of over 300 years and perihelion is at 0.5 AU in April 2007. Aphelion is near 100 AU.

    The object was confirmed as a comet in May 2007, when remote observations by Ernesto Guido and Giovani Sostero showed clear evidence of a coma. The comet remains relatively close to the Sun and is poorly placed for observation. It will brighten by a further magnitude to mid May and is best seen from tropical latitudes. The latest orbit gives perihelion at 0.6 AU in late April 2007 and a high eccentricity retrograde orbit.

    They provide the following background to there confirmation:

    Here is the story. It was clear since its very discovery, that 2006_WD4 was a good candidate to be a comet, since even its preliminary orbital elements were pretty suspicious:

    http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/mpec/K06/K06W61.html

    Apparently, the object didn't show any significative cometary feature till the end of December, when it was lost in the Sun glare (we now know from CBET nr.952, that some astronomers imaged it with a 2.2m scope under good seeing from Hawaii on Dec.25.4, possibly detecting some traces of a very small coma). We tried its recovery at the end of April, when 2006_WD4 was emerging from the solar conjunction, by means of a robotic scope of the RAS network located near Brisbane. However, due to the bad weather conditions, we could get it only on April 30.8: blinking two series of stacked images, just a few arcmin away from the predicted position, a faint fuzzy "something" was moving with the expected speed and PA. When we performed the co-adding of all the frames we had, a small spiral-like coma emerged (perhaps similar to what is observed frequently on 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann shortly after one of its outbursts):

    http://tinyurl.com/26gzyh

    The central condensation appeared pretty sharp (m2 close to 15.3-15.4), surrounded by a faint halo, spanning on average almost 20 arcsec (m1 ~14.2). We wanted to collect a second night of observations, but on May 1 the weather wasn't good enough, so we alerted a few other southern fellow observers asking for some follow-up. Finally we get it again remotely from MPC#E26 on May 2.8; at that time the observing conditions were less favourable compared to a couple of days before (high humidity) anyway an oval coma some 12 x 18 arcsec was detected, with m1 and m2 similar to those found on April 30.8. The preliminary Afrho parameter we derived from our observations, seems to point toward a comet of an overall modest activity (~30 cm), if we consider that we observed it just a few days after perihelion (r~ 0.6 AU). This sounds to be compatible with the fact that it might have "switched-on" effectively only close to the Sun.

    We are grateful to H. Sato, M. Mattiazzo and A. Hale, that from time to time reminded us through this mailing-list about the opportunity to perform a check on this interesting target.

    We also wanted to thank H. Raab and M. Nicolini for, respectively, their amazing software "Astrometrica" and "Astroart": without their effort, this and most of other cometary confirmation we did would have been simply impossible.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-K73 [2007 May 31] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.002247 and +0.001790 (+/- 0.000002) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet from the Oort cloud.
    2006 X1 (LINEAR)
    An apparently asteroidal object of 19th magnitude, discovered by LINEAR on December 11.12 has been found to be cometary by Peter Birtwhistle and other observers. It is a distant object with perihelion at 6.1 AU in 2006 March.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2006-C32 [2007 February] that further [astrometric] observations of this comet are desirable.


    2006 XA1 (LINEAR)
    An apparently asteroidal object of 18th magnitude, discovered by LINEAR on December 9.20 and rediscovered by them on 2007 January 8 and posted on the NEOCP has been found to be cometary by numerous CCD observers including E. Guido and Giovanni Sostero. It reaches perihelion at 1.8 AU in 2007 July and might reach 15th magnitude.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-E03 [2007 March 2] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.003833 and +0.004455 (+/- 0.000024) AU^-1, respectively.
    The large "original" value suggests that this is not a "new" comet from the Oort cloud and that it has visited the inner solar system before.
    2006 XG16 (P/Spacewatch)
    Carl Hergenrother detected cometary activity in the asteroid 2006 XG16, which was discovered by Spacewatch on 2006 December 10.41. Images taken with the 1.54-m Catalina telescope on 2007 January 27 and 28 showed a coma and tail on the 18th magnitude object. It is currently near perihelion and has a period of 6.9 years.
    A/2006 XH1 [Catalina]
    This unusual asteroid, of 20th magnitude, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on December 11.35. [MPEC 2006-X36, 2006 December 11, 0.5-day orbit] It is in an orbit with a period of 7.6 years and perihelion was at 1.2 AU in mid November. It can pass within 0.3 AU of Jupiter and is a JFC candidate.
    A/2006 XL5 [NEAT]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by NEAT on December 5.44. [MPEC 2006-Y29, 2006 December 21] It has a period of 7.2 years and perihelion was at 1.82 AU in late November. It is a possible JFC and can pass within 0.2 AU of Jupiter.
    2006 XQ51
    Gareth Williams notes on MPEC 2009-P44 [2009 August 13] that
    Most of the additional observations were located by A. Doppler. The orbit has a Uranus MOID of 0.34 AU, but in the time-frame 1800 to 2100 the closest approach of 2006 XQ51 to Uranus is 6.85 AU in 1979. The closest approach to any of the outer planets during 1800-2100 is an approach to 3.62 AU to Saturn in 1942.

    A/2006 XQ56 [LINEAR]
    This unusual asteroid, of 19th magnitude, was discovered by LINEAR on December 12. [MPEC 2007-C46, 2007 February 10, 60 day arc] It has a period of 6.6 years and perihelion is at 1.44 AU in late 2007 February. It can approach within 0.3 AU of Jupiter and is a JFC candidate. It is estimated at 1.6km diameter.
    2006 YC (Catalina-Christensen)
    Almost simultaneous observations of an object were made by the Catalina Sky Survey (December 16.42) and the Mount Lemmon Survey (December 16.49), with Eric Christensen of the latter noting that it showed a coma and tail. A high inclination orbit was published on MPEC 2006-Y15, however at that time the MPC wasn't aware of the additional information. The object is around 20th magnitude. The preliminary orbit gave perihelion at 4.2 AU in 2007 September. Calculations by Hirohisa Sato show that an elliptical orbit with the comet near perihelion at 4.7 AU and a period of 72 years is also fitted by the available observations. Further observations suggest a parabolic orbit, with perihelion at 4.9 AU in 2006 September.

    Brian Marsden notes on MPEC 2007-E04 [2007 March 2] that

    The "original" and "future" barycentric values of 1/a are +0.000028 and +0.000420 (+/- 0.000018) AU^-1, respectively.
    The small "original" value suggests that this is a "new" comet from the Oort cloud on its first pass through the inner solar system.
    2006 Y1 (183P/Korlevic-Juric)
    Eric Christensen recovered 1999 DN3 (P/Korlevic-Juric) with the Mt Lemmon 1.5-m on December 16.36. The comet was 20th magnitude, and the indicated correction to the prediction on MPC 54168 is Delta(T) = -2.0 days. Perihelion is at 3.9 AU in May 2008 and the comet has a period of 9.6 years.
    2006 Y2 (P/Gibbs)
    Alex Gibbs discovered a 18th magnitude comet on December 26.49 during the course of the Catalina Sky Survey with the 0.68-m Schmidt. The comet was near perihelion at 1.3 AU, and has a period of 5.3 years.
    2006 Y12 (SOHO)(IAUC )
    This was a non-group comet discovered in C2 images by Rainer Kracht on 2006 December 27.
    Ephemerides of current comets are available on the CBAT ephemeris page and positions of newly discovered comets are on the NEO confirmation page.
    More information on LINEAR. A list of comets discovered by selected search programs.
    The Northumberland refractor is the telescope that was used in the search for Neptune. It now has a 0.30-m f20 doublet lens which gives a stellar limiting magnitude of around 15 at the zenith on good nights. The Thorrowgood refractor was built in 1864 and has a 0.20-m f14 doublet lens.
    Published by Jonathan Shanklin. Jon Shanklin - jds@ast.cam.ac.uk