BAA Comet Section : 2006 Kreutz & other group comets

Updated 2010 February 22

COMETS C/2006 A4-A7, B2-B4, E2, F3 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on SOHO website images (cf.
IAUC 8679) -- all being Kreutz sungrazers except for C/2006 B4
(Meyer group) and for C/2006 E2 and C/2006 F3 (Marsden group).
C/2006 A4 is described by K. Battams as very faint and diffuse.
C/2006 A5 had a bright coma that "evaporated" quickly in the C2
images, with a tail that "lingered for a long time", being longer
than 1 deg on Jan. 5.612 UT at about 4 solar radii; in C3 images,
the comet was still brightening when at mag perhaps -1.5 on Jan.
5.112 at 11.6 solar radii, showing a bright, thin tail, but it was
at mag about 2.9 and fading fast by the time it reached 7 solar
radii.  The other comets were stellar in appearance.  Peak
magnitudes:  C/2006 A6, 6.3, Jan. 10.431, 10.8 solar radii; C/2006
A7, 5.8, Jan. 12.738, 11.1 solar radii; C/2006 B3, 4.3, Jan.
22.612, 10.4 solar radii.  C/2006 B2 and C/2006 F3 were very small
and faint.  C/2006 B4, at mag approximately 7, was slightly
elongated in the direction of motion.  C/2006 E2 was extremely
faint and slightly diffuse in C2 images (stellar in C3).

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 A4    Jan.  2.904  19 04.2   -25 26   C3/2   RM   2006-F43
 C/2006 A5          4.096  19 15.1   -27 53   C3/2   TH   2006-F43
 C/2006 A6         10.071  19 40.1   -24 21   C3     TH   2006-F43
 C/2006 A7         12.431  19 49.2   -24 12   C3     SF   2006-F43
 C/2006 B2         20.321  20 22.8   -21 51   C3     HS   2006-F44
 C/2006 B3         21.654  20 38.1   -23 16   C3     RK   2006-F44
 C/2006 B4         26.496  20 37.2   -17 18   C2     HS   2006-F44
 C/2006 E2    Mar. 15.096  23 50.5   - 1 26   C3/2   RM   2006-F50
 C/2006 F3         26.101   0 23.1   + 4 13   C2     TH   2006-F50
[IAUC 8694, 2006 March 29]

I thought you would be interested in some photometry results I got from comet 2006 A5 (SOHO-1087). Peak brightness was at a distance of ~10 Rsun. At this point it was begining to show signs of saturation in the images. Unfortunatley, due to pixel values going out of range (software bug), I was only able to get C3 photometry to ~11.5 Rs. Numbers were slightly inconsistent, but I was getting values between 0 and -1 mag, which is consistent with the near-saturation I saw. Certainly one of the brightest we've seen! It entered C2 (~7Rs) in the mid-2's and faded (evaporated!) quite rapidly thereafter.

COMETS C/2006 B5, C/2006 B6, C/2006 C1-C3, C/2006 D2 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8694).  C/2006 B5 and C/2006 C3 were
described by K. Battams as tiny, stellar, and extremely faint.
C/2006 B6, which was independently found by Q. Ye, was quite
condensed and slightly elongated, reaching mag 4.3 on Jan. 30.638
UT at about 10.8 solar radii.  C/2006 C1 was small and stellar,
reaching mag 6.4 on Feb. 8.404 at 12.4 solar radii.  C/2006 C2 was
elongated and peaked at mag about 5.5, but good photometry was not
possible due to a large data gap.  C/2006 D2 was very small and
faint in C3 images, and extremely faint and diffuse in C2 images.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 B5    Jan. 26.821  20 51.6   -20 08   C3     RM   2006-J50
 C/2006 B6         29.821  21 12.8   -20 29   C3     KB   2006-J50
 C/2006 C1    Feb.  7.988  21 46.5   -16 41   C3     RM   2006-J50
 C/2006 C2          9.513  21 58.1   -16 53   C3     SF   2006-J50
 C/2006 C3         10.904  21 53.8   -15 25   C3     SF   2006-J51
 C/2006 D2         16.571  22 18.6   -14 08   C3/2   HS   2006-J51
[IAUC 8712, 2006 May 18]
COMETS C/2006 D3-D6, C/2006 E3, C/2006 E4 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8712).  C/2006 D3 and C/2006 D4 were
described by K. Battams as tiny, stellar, and extremely faint.
C/2006 D5 had a teardrop shape, reaching mag 5.2 on Feb. 26.738 UT
at 11.8 solar radii.  C/2006 D6 and C/2006 E3 appeared stellar,
both reaching mag 4.6, on Mar. 1.358 at 11.7 solar radii and Mar.
13.399 at 11.4 solar radii, respectively.  C/2006 E4 was extremely
faint (mag about 8.5) and diffuse.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 D3    Feb. 19.738  22 27.8   -12 07   C3     SF   2006-J51
 C/2006 D4         21.138  22 32.9   -11 31   C3     HS   2006-J51
 C/2006 D5         26.279  22 58.3   - 9 59   C3     SH   2006-K09
 C/2006 D6         28.691  23 11.0   - 9 16   C3     SF   2006-K09
 C/2006 E3    Mar. 12.899  23 53.4   - 4 15   C3     HS   2006-K09
 C/2006 E4         15.133  23 47.2   - 2 27   C2     TH   2006-K09
[IAUC 8713, 2006 May 23]
COMETS C/2006 F5-F8 AND C/2006 G2 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on SOHO website images (cf.
IAUC 8713; MA = M. Mazzucato), all Kreutz sungrazers except C/2006
F6 (Meyer group).  C/2005 F5 was described by K. Battams as small,
slightly diffuse, and too faint for photometry.  C/2006 F6 was
condensed and quite elongated, reaching mag 7.6 on Mar. 22.993 UT
at 7.1 solar radii.  C/2006 F7 and C/2006 G2 were extremely faint
and diffuse.  C/2006 F8 reached mag 4.7 in C3 images on Mar. 30.571
at 12.0 solar radii; in C2 images it showed a very faint, thin tail
that reached a length of 21' on Mar. 30.922 at 5.1 solar radii,
with a possible secondary component ('lump' on the side of the head).

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 F5    Mar. 21.321   0 18.4   - 0 33   C3     MA   2006-K10
 C/2006 F6         22.963   0 12.2   + 2 37   C2     TH   2006-K10
 C/2006 F7         28.326   0 36.1   + 2 34   C2     RM   2006-K10
 C/2006 F8         29.654   1 00.3   + 1 58   C3/2   HS   2006-K10
 C/2006 G2    Apr. 11.246   1 27.0   + 7 33   C2     TH   2006-K29
[IAUC 8714, 2006 May 23]
COMETS C/2006 G3 AND C/2006 H2 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8714).  C/2006 G3 was elongated and
diffuse, reaching mag 7.5 at 7.1 solar radii on Apr. 14.563 UT,
when it had an 84" tail.  C/2006 H2 was tiny but slightly elongated
and too faint for photometry.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 G3    Apr. 14.526   1 38.8   + 8 38   C2     HS   2006-K29
 C/2006 H2    Apr. 17.493   1 49.0   + 9 40   C2     HS   2006-K29
[IAUC 8717, 2006 June 3]
COMETS C/2006 H3-H6 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8717; AA = A. Ambrus).  C/2006 H3 was
described by K. Battams as very faint, slightly diffuse, and
elongated.  C/2006 H4 appeared stellar in C3 images, reaching mag
6.1 on Apr. 21.988 at 10.6 solar radii; in C2 images, it showed a
faint, thin tail that reached a length of 383" on Apr. 22.313.
C/2006 H5 was very small, slightly diffuse, and also too faint for
photometry.  C/2006 H6, which was also found by H. Su, was small
and stellar in C3 images, but elongated in C2 images, where it
reached mag 6.4 on Apr. 28.603 at 6.6 solar radii.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 H3    Apr. 19.354   1 56.3   +10 16   C2     KB   2006-K29
 C/2006 H4         21.404   2 15.3   + 9 44   C3/2   AA   2006-K29
 C/2006 H5         24.314   2 13.8   +11 51   C2     HS   2006-K29
 C/2006 H6         28.321   2 32.9   +12 34   C3/2   JS   2006-L20
[IAUC 8718, 2006 June 5]
COMETS C/2006 G3, C/2006 J1-J3, C/2006 K5 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on SOHO website images (cf.
IAUC 8718) -- all being Kreutz sungrazers except C/2006 K5 (no
known group).  C/2006 J1 was very small, slightly diffuse, and too
faint for photometry.  C/2006 J2 was small, stellar, and faint (mag
about 8.0).  C/2006 J3 was slightly diffuse and reached mag 7.7 on
May 4.496 at 6.4 solar radii; it showed a 162" tail on May 4.538 at
5.9 solar radii.  C/2006 K5 was extremely faint, peaking at mag
about 8.5 at May 22.196, and measurer K. Battams could only find it
in about 10 images.  Corrigendum:  C/2006 G3 was found by J. Sachs,
not H. Su (cf. IAUC 8717).

 Comet        2006 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 J1    May  3.213   2 44.6   +14 13   C2     HS   2006-L20
 C/2006 J2         4.413   2 50.7   +14 43   C2     HS   2006-L20
 C/2006 J3         4.479   2 51.5   +14 46   C2     TH   2006-L20
 C/2006 K5        22.113   4 12.5   +22 43   C3     HS   2006-L20
[IAUC 8719, 2006 June 7]
COMETS C/2006 J4-J8 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on SOHO website images (cf.
IAUC 8719) -- all being Kreutz sungrazers except C/2006 J5 (Meyer
group).  C/2006 J4 was stellar in C3 images, reaching mag 4.9 on
May 8.762 UT at 9.1 solar radii; C2 images showed a very faint tail
that reached a length of 500" on May 9.188 at 3.7 solar radii.
C/2006 J5 was very small, stellar but slightly elongated in the
direction of motion, and too faint for photometry.  C/2006 J6,
which was also found by J. Sachs, was extremely faint, diffuse, and
elongated.  C/2006 J7 and J8 were very close (only a few pixels
apart), the leading component (J7) being marginally larger,
brighter, and longer-lasting; both components were small and
stellar.

 Comet        2006 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 J4    May  7.696   3 16.6   +13 35   C3/2   KB   2006-L31
 C/2006 J5         7.979   3 03.2   +18 16   C2     HS   2006-L31
 C/2006 J6         8.854   3 07.3   +15 52   C2     RM   2006-L31
 C/2006 J7        10.163   3 12.1   +16 13   C2     TH   2006-L32
 C/2006 J8        10.163   3 12.1   +16 13   C2     TH   2006-L32
[IAUC 8720, 2006 June 8]
COMETS C/2006 J9, C/2006 J10, C/2006 J11 (SOHO)
     Three additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on
SOHO website images (cf. IAUC 8720).  C/2006 J9, which was also
found by T. Chen, was stellar and reached mag 7.3 on May 10.579 UT
at 5.9 solar radii.  C/2006 J10 was small and diffuse, reaching mag
7.8 on May 11.204 at 6.0 solar radii.  C/2006 J11 was small,
diffuse, and too faint for photometry.

 Comet        2006 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 J9    May 10.564   3 13.6   +16 20   C2     HS   2006-L32
 C/2006 J10       11.204   3 15.3   +16 22   C2     TH   2006-L32
 C/2006 J11       11.746   3 18.1   +16 34   C2     JS   2006-L32
[IAUC 8722, 2006 June 16]
COMETS C/1997 B5-B7, 1997 O3, 1997 V8 AND V9, 1997 X7 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on archival SOHO website
images (cf. IAUC 8722) -- all being small and stellar in appearance,
of mag 7.5-8.0, and with no tails.  C/1997 O3 and C/1997 V8 were
Kreutz sungrazers, C/1997 X7 was a Meyer-group object, C/1997 V9
belonged to no known group, and the rest belong to the Marsden
group.

 Comet       1997 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/1997 B5   Jan. 29.497   20 55.5  -16 51   C2     RK   2006-C49
 C/1997 B6        29.604   20 56.1  -16 49   C2     RK   2006-C49
 C/1997 B7        29.647   20 56.4  -16 49   C2     RK   2006-C49
 C/1997 O3   July 31.906    8 30.0  +16 55   C3     RK   2006-J44
 C/1997 V8   Nov.  6.216   14 34.7  -19 27   C3     RK   2006-J44
 C/1997 V9        14.240   15 13.5  -19 32   C2     RK   2006-J44
 C/1997 X7   Dec. 15.413   17 32.8  -22 14   C2     RK   2006-J45
[IAUC 8724, 2006 June 22]
COMETS C/2006 J12 AND C/2006 K6 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8724; GS = G. Sun) -- both described by K.
Battams as being small and stellar in appearance, with no tails.
C/2006 K6 reached mag 6.5 on May 17.246 UT at 5.5 solar radii in C2
images.

 Comet        2006 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 J12   May 15.646   3 31.6   +17 23   C2     GS   2006-M28
 C/2006 K6        17.071   3 38.1   +17 24   C3/2   RM   2006-M28
[IAUC 8727, 2006 June 30]
COMETS C/1996 R5 AND C/1996 X3-X5 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on archival SOHO website
images (cf. IAUC 8724) -- all described by K. Battams as being
small and stellar in appearance.  C/1996 R5, a Kreutz sungrazer,
peaked at mag 7.5-8.0; the other objects belong to the Kracht group,
with C/1996 X3 and C/1996 X4 peaking at mag about 7.0, and C/1996
X5 peaking at mag about 7.5.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/1996 R5   Sept. 3.821  10 34.6   + 6 14   C3     RK   2006-J44
 C/1996 X3   Dec.  5.629  16 56.8   -22 39   C2     RK   2006-C49
 C/1996 X4         5.813  16 57.0   -22 36   C2/3   RK   2006-C49
 C/1996 X5         5.908  16 56.3   -22 32   C2/3   RK   2006-C49


COMETS C/1998 G9, 1998 L10, 1998 T2, 1998 W8 (SOHO)
     The following SOHO comets (Kreutz sungrazers except for
Meyer-group member C/1998 G9) were all small and stellar in
appearance (mag 7.5-8.0), except for C/1998 L10, which was very
faint and slightly diffuse.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/1998 G9   Apr. 11.894   1 22.8   +10 12   C2     RK   2006-J45
 C/1998 L10  June  2.316   4 36.9   +20 17   C2     RK   2006-J45
 C/1998 T2   Oct. 14.806  13 01.2   - 9 43   C3     RK   2006-J45
 C/1998 W8   Nov. 30.064  16 24.5   -23 15   C3     RK   2006-J45
[IAUC 8734, 2006 August 1]
COMETS C/1999 V5 AND C/1999 X3 (SOHO)
    Further to IAUC 8734, given below are the discovery data for
additional small, stellar-appearing comets found on archival SOHO
images.  C/1995 V5, a Kreutz sungrazer, was of mag about 7.5 or
fainter.  C/1999 X3, not a member of any known comet group (T =
1999 Dec. 12.7 TT, q = 0.081, e = 1.0, i = 7.2 deg), was too faint
for photometry.

 Comet       1999 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/1999 V5   Nov. 14.379  15 13.6  -19 34   C2     HS   2006-O20
 C/1999 X3   Dec. 12.564  17 22.9  -23 22   C2     HS   2006-L20
[IAUC 8735, 2006 August 3]
COMET C/1998 J5 (SOHO)
     Further to IAUC 8735, the following Kreutz-sungrazing archival
SOHO comet was diffuse, elongated, and very faint.

 Comet        1998 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/1998 J5    May 12.227   3 17.5   +16 46   C2     HS   2006-L20
[IAUC 8737, 2006 August 8]
COMETS C/2006 K7-K21, C/2006 L3-L5 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8727, 8737; LC = L. Cane).  C/2006 K7 is
described by K. Battams as being slightly diffuse and small,
reaching mag 8.1 on May 18.313 UT at 6.1 solar radii.  C/2006 K8
was faint, quite diffuse, and too faint for photometry.  C/2006 K9
was extremely faint and diffuse.  C/2006 K10 was very faint,
diffuse, and slightly elongated.  C/2006 K11 appeared small and
stellar in C3 images, while in C2 images it reached mag about 6.5
and had a tail that reached a length of 113" on May 23.254.  C/2006
K12 was small, diffuse, and very faint.  C/2006 K13 and K14 were a
fairly close pair -- both being very small and faint -- the former
(the leading fragment) being diffuse and the brighter of the two,
and the latter being slightly diffuse.  C/2006 K15, K16, K18, K19,
and C/2006 L5 were all faint and slightly diffuse; C/2006 K15 and
K19 were described as tiny, the other two as small.  C/2006 K17 and
K20 were diffuse, the former extremely faint and the latter very
small.  C/2006 K15-20 all peaked in the magnitude range 8-9.
C/2006 K21 was small and stellar in appearance, peaking at mag
about 4.5 in C3 images at about 13 solar radii; there was a vague
hint of a tail in C2 images.  C/2006 L3 was very faint and diffuse.
C/2006 L4 was tiny and slightly diffuse.

 Comet        2006 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 K7    May 18.314   3 42.4   +18 00   C2     LC   2006-M28
 C/2006 K8        18.898   3 45.2   +18 09   C2     BZ   2006-M28
 C/2006 K9        19.913   3 47.6   +18 13   C2     RM   2006-M28
 C/2006 K10       20.564   3 51.0   +18 26   C2     WX   2006-M30
 C/2006 K11       22.513   4 03.3   +17 20   C3/2   HS   2006-M30
 C/2006 K12       22.754   3 59.4   +18 50   C2     HS   2006-M30
 C/2006 K13       24.421   4 05.8   +19 08   C2     GS   2006-M30
 C/2006 K14       24.438   4 05.8   +19 09   C2     RM   2006-M30
 C/2006 K15       25.004   4 07.7   +19 12   C2     TC   2006-M64
 C/2006 K16       25.913   4 11.4   +19 22   C2     RM   2006-M64
 C/2006 K17       25.938   4 11.5   +19 21   C2     RM   2006-M64
 C/2006 K18       26.413   4 11.9   +19 24   C2     GS   2006-M64
 C/2006 K19       29.300   4 23.9   +19 51   C2     HS   2006-M64
 C/2006 K20       29.408   4 24.7   +19 54   C2     TC   2006-M64
 C/2006 K21       29.554   4 32.8   +17 18   C3/2   VB   2006-O20
 C/2006 L3    June 1.908   4 38.1   +20 21   C2     GS   2006-O20
 C/2006 L4         4.592   4 48.2   +20 39   C2     WX   2006-O20
 C/2006 L5         8.058   5 00.7   +20 56   C2     HS   2006-O20
[IAUC 8738, 2006 August 9]
COMETS C/2006 L6-L8, C/2006 M5-M9, C/2006 N1-N3 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8738) -- all very faint except where noted
below.  C/2006 L6, C/2006 M5, C/2006 M8, and C/2006 M9 were
slightly diffuse (and generally small), while C/2006 L7, C/2006 L8,
and C/2006 M7 were diffuse.  C/2006 M9 was also found by T. Chen.
C/2006 L5-L8 and C/2006 M5-M7 peaked at mag about 7.5 or fainter.
C/2006 N1 was tiny, faint, and stellar in appearance in C3 images;
in C2 images, it was diffuse and very faint with a hint of
elongation.  C/2006 N2 was small and stellar in appearance, peaking
at mag about 6.5.  C/2006 N3 appeared stellar in C3 images, peaking
at mag approximately 5; in C2 images, it was rather condensed with
no tail, fading rapidly.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 L6   June  8.833   5 04.9   +21 00   C2     GS   2006-O21
 C/2006 L7        10.450   5 10.9   +21 07   C2     TH   2006-O21
 C/2006 L8        14.617   5 27.1   +21 24   C2     HS   2006-O21
 C/2006 M5        16.521   5 34.6   +21 30   C2     TC   2006-O21
 C/2006 M6        19.064   5 44.4   +21 38   C2     TH   2006-O21
 C/2006 M7        22.438   5 57.2   +21 40   C2     HS   2006-O21
 C/2006 M8        25.064   6 07.5   +21 47   C2     HS   2006-O62
 C/2006 M9        27.163   6 15.7   +21 44   C2     HS   2006-O62
 C/2006 N1   July 11.821   7 12.0   +20 10   C3/2   SF   2006-O62
 C/2006 N2        13.971   7 17.4   +19 55   C3     HS   2006-O62
 C/2006 N3        14.363   7 19.5   +17 46   C3/2   WX   2006-O62
[IAUC 8739, 2006 August 9]
COMETS C/2006 O3-O8, C/2006 P2-P7 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8739; AK = A. Kubczak, SY = S. Yuan).
C/2006 O3-O6 were all very small and stellar in appearance, with no
tails; C/2006 O3 peaked at mag about 6.5-7, C/2006 O4 and O5 peaked
at mag about 7, and C/2006 O6 peaked at mag about 5.5-6.  C/2006 O7
peaked at mag about 3.5-4 with a stubby tail in C3 images; in C2
images, it showed a a diffuse head and a very thin tail that peaked
in length at about 29'.  C/2006 O8 showed a hint of elongation and
peaked at mag about 5.5.  C/2006 P2 was tiny, faint, and stellar in
appearance, peaking at mag about 7-7.5.  C/2006 P3 appeared stellar
with a hint of elongation, peaking at mag approximately 6-6.5.
C/2006 P4 was teardrop-shaped in C3 images, peaking at mag about
5.5; in C2 images, it was very faint and diffuse with a very slight
elongation but no tail.  C/2006 P5, C/2006 P6, and C/2006 P7 were
all was quite faint, tiny, and stellar in appearance, with C/2006
P7 reaching mag about 7.5.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 O3    July 17.113   7 31.2   +19 28   C3     TH   2006-P28
 C/2006 O4         20.179   7 41.9   +18 25   C3     HS   2006-P28
 C/2006 O5         21.488   7 47.8   +17 47   C3     HS   2006-P28
 C/2006 O6         23.571   7 51.7   +17 20   C3     HS   2006-P28
 C/2006 O7         25.679   7 55.2   +16 13   C3/2   HS   2006-P32
 C/2006 O8         26.488   8 02.6   +17 07   C3     HS   2006-P32
 C/2006 P2    Aug.  1.696   8 30.7   +16 35   C3     AK   2006-P32
 C/2006 P3          2.138   8 27.9   +15 40   C3     AK   2006-P32
 C/2006 P4          2.431   8 24.8   +15 13   C3/2   SY   2006-P33
 C/2006 P5          3.179   8 36.5   +16 05   C3     HS   2006-P33
 C/2006 P6          3.363   8 35.5   +15 58   C3     HS   2006-P33
 C/2006 P7          4.196   8 39.5   +15 51   C3     AK   2006-P33
[IAUC 8740, 2006 August 10]
COMETS C/2006 R3, C/2006 R4, C/2006 S7-S9 (SOHO)
     Several additional apparent comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8740), all being Kreutz sungrazers except
for C/2006 R3 (Meyer group), which was very small, stellar in
appearance, elongated, and of mag about 7.5.  K. Battams notes that
C/2006 R4 was mostly stellar in appearance with a hint of tail,
reaching mag about 3.5.  C/2006 S7 shows a hint of tail and was
mostly stellar in appearance (mag about 5) in C3 images, while in
C2 images it appeared very diffuse and quite faint.  C/2006 S8 was
slightly elongated and reached mag about 4.5 in C3 images; in C2
images, it was somewhat diffuse with a hint of tail, and it faded
quite rapidly.  C/2006 S9 appeared stellar with a hint of
elongation (mag about 6) in C3 images; in C2 images, it was diffuse
with a hint of tail and quite faint.

Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
C/2006 R3    Sept. 2.675  10 42.6   + 9 38   C2     HS   2006-U63
C/2006 R4         11.746  10 53.9   + 3 18   C3     TH   2006-U63
C/2006 S7         18.138  11 20.8   + 0 52   C3/2   RM   2006-U63
C/2006 S8         18.488  11 22.4   - 0 03   C3/2   RM   2006-U63
C/2006 S9         18.488  11 27.3   + 0 54   C3/2   RM   2006-U63
[IAUC 8772, 2006 November 11]
COMETS C/2006 S10 AND C/2006 S11 (SOHO)
     Two additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on
SOHO website images (cf. IAUC 8772).  K. Battams notes that C/2006
S10 was small and stellar in appearance (mag about 6) in C3
coronagraph images, while in C2 images it appeared very small,
faint, and diffuse.  C/2006 S11 was small with a hint of tail and
peaked in brightness at mag about 5.5 in C3 images, but it was very
diffuse and elongated in C2 images.

 Comet        2006 UT        R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 S10   Sept. 18.763   11 23.9  + 0 38   C3/2   RM   2006-U63
 C/2006 S11         18.821   11 24.9  + 0 43   C3/2   RM   2006-U63
[IAUC 8774, 2006 November 15]
COMETS C/2006 S12, C/2006 S13, C/2006 T2-T9 (SOHO)
     Additional apparent comets have been found on SOHO website
images (cf. IAUC 8774), all being Kreutz sungrazers except C/2006
T6 (Meyer group).  K. Battams notes that C/2006 S12 was small,
stellar in appearance, and around mag 6 in C3 coronagraph images,
while it appeared slightly diffuse with no tail in C2 images.
C/2006 S13 was very small and around mag 7 in C3 frames, and it
appeared small, quite diffuse, and extremely faint in C2 exposures.
C/2006 T2 was small, stellar in appearance, and around mag 6 in C3
images, and quite diffuse and faint in C2 frames.  C/2006 T3 was
tiny, stellar in appearance, and of mag about 7.5 in C3 exposures,
but it appeared very diffuse and faint in C2 images.  C/2006 T4
(which was also found by T. Chen) was diffuse and extremely faint
(mag 7.5-8.0) in C3 images, and extremely diffuse and faint in C2
frames.  C/2006 T5 was slightly diffuse, extremely small, and faint
(mag about 8).  C/2006 T6 was tiny and stellar in appearance in all
exposures, being very faint (mag 7.5-8) in C3 frames and fading
rapidly in C2 images.  C/2006 T7 and C/2006 T9 were extremely faint
(mag about 8.5) and diffuse with no tail.  C/2006 T8 was tiny,
stellar in appearance, and of mag about 7.5 in C3 images, while C2
frames showed it to be faint and diffuse with a hint of tail.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 S12   Sep. 26.763  11 48.2   - 2 50   C3/2   RM   2006-W64
 C/2006 S13        30.433  12 11.9   - 3 48   C3/2   HS   2006-W64
 C/2006 T2    Oct.  2.113  12 11.4   - 4 52   C3/2   RM   2006-W64
 C/2006 T3          3.263  12 21.6   - 4 59   C3/2   HS   2006-W64
 C/2006 T4          3.279  12 21.5   - 5 01   C3/2   GS   2006-W64
 C/2006 T5          6.314  12 40.7   - 5 43   C2     WX   2006-W65
 C/2006 T6          9.904  12 49.9   - 5 28   C3/2   BZ   2006-W65
 C/2006 T7         10.379  12 54.7   - 7 18   C2     BZ   2006-W65
 C/2006 T8         15.429  13 08.2   - 9 54   C3/2   TH   2006-W65
 C/2006 T9         15.881  13 15.6   - 9 35   C2     TH   2006-W65
[IAUC 8780, 2006 November 26]
COMETS C/2006 T10 AND C/2006 U8-U11 (SOHO)
     Additional apparent comets have been found on SOHO website
images (cf. IAUC 8780), all being Kreutz sungrazers except C/2006
U10 (Meyer group).  K. Battams notes that C/2006 T10 was small and
extremely faint (mag about 8.5).  C/2006 U8 was tiny, stellar, and
faint (mag about 8.0) in C3 images, and extremely faint and diffuse
in C2 images.  C/2006 U9 was small and stellar in appearance (mag
about 7) with big data gaps in C3 images, but slightly diffuse (mag
6.5-7) with a hint of a short tail in C2 images.  C/2006 U10 was
stellar in appearance and very faint, fading out as it neared the
sun.  C/2001 U11 appeared stellar and reached mag about 6.5 in C3
images, while it showed a stubby tail in C2 images.

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 T10   Oct. 12.538  13 03.0   - 8 15   C2     BZ   2006-X25
 C/2006 U8         16.532  13 14.8   -11 01   C3/2   TS   2006-X25
 C/2006 U9         19.679  13 20.4   -11 47   C3/2   SF   2006-X25
 C/2006 U10        20.104  13 34.6   - 8 45   C2     TH   2006-X26
 C/2006 U11        24.138  13 36.1   -13 37   C3/2   HS   2006-X26
[IAUC 8783, 2006 December 12]
COMET C/2003 B3 (SOHO)
     Another Kreutz sungrazing comet found on SOHO website images
(cf. IAUC 8783), being of stellar appearance (mag about 7.5-8):

 Comet        2003 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2003 B3    Jan. 22.696  20 32.4  -21 22   C3     HS   2006-X25
[IAUC 8786, 2006 December 20]
COMETS C/2006 U12 AND C/2006 U13 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8786).  K. Battams notes that C/2006 U12
was diffuse, small, and faint (reaching mag 7.5).  C/2006 U13 was
tiny, very faint, and slightly diffuse with no tail.

 Comet        2006 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 U12   Oct. 24.413  13 49.0  -12 51   C2     TC   2006-X26
 C/2006 U13        25.381  13 52.9  -13 14   C2     HS   2006-X26
[IAUC 8787, 2006 December 28]
COMET C/2003 G5 (SOHO)
     Another Kreutz sungrazing comet (cf. IAUC 8786) found on
archival SOHO website images, being very faint and diffuse with no
tail:

 Comet        2003 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2003 G5    Apr.  6.518   1 07.8  + 5 46   C2     HS   2006-X25
[IAUC 8788, 2006 December 30]
COMETS C/2006 U14, C/2006 U15, C/2006 U16 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8788).  K. Battams notes that C/2006 U14
was stellar in appearance and of mag about 7 in C3 images, while it
appeared "condensed" and small in C2 images.  C/2006 U15 was very
small, faint, and a little diffuse.  C/2006 U16 (which was
independently reported by T. Chen, H. Su, and R. Kracht) was
stellar in appearance and very faint (mag about 8).

 Comet        2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 U14   Oct. 28.096  13 57.5   -14 42   C3/2   HS   2007-B37
 C/2006 U15        28.329  14 04.5   -14 15   C2     LC   2007-B37
 C/2006 U16        30.604  14 13.9   -15 05   C2     TC   2007-B37
[IAUC 8805, 2007 February 10]
COMET C/2003 C6 (SOHO)
     An additional Kreutz sungrazing comet has been found on
archival SOHO website images (cf. IAUC 8805).  K. Battams notes
that C/2003 C6 was stellar in appearance and faint (mag about 8).

 Comet        2003 UT      R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2003 C6    Feb. 8.179  21 41.0   -16 21   C3     RK   2007-B75
[IAUC 8807, 2007 February 16]
COMETS C/2006 V2-V10 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8807).  C/2006 V2 was very bright, peaking
at mag 1.3 on Nov. 3.154 UT at 11.0 solar radii in C3 images, with
a thin tail that was 1.25 deg long at 8.0 solar radii on Nov. 3.429;
in C2 images, the long, thin tail survived for some hours after the
comet's head had disappeared behind the occulter.  C/2006 V3 and V4
were stellar in appearance and faint (mag 7.5).  C/2006 V5, V6, V7,
V8, and V10 were somewhat diffuse and faint (mag about 8, 7.5, 7,
7.5, and 8, respectively).  C/2006 V9 was stellar in appearance and
of mag about 5 in C3 images; in C2 images, it had a condensed head
and an extremely faint, thin tail that extended to about 17' on Nov.
14.171 at 5 solar radii.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 V2   Nov. 2.013   14 00.6   -18 18   C3/2   JS   2007-B38
 C/2006 V3        3.021   14 27.2   -16 13   C2     HS   2007-B38
 C/2006 V4        4.013   14 25.3   -17 28   C3     HS   2007-B38
 C/2006 V5        7.379   14 46.0   -17 44   C2     HS   2007-B38
 C/2006 V6        7.521   14 46.1   -17 43   C2     TH   2007-B38
 C/2006 V7        8.579   14 50.6   -18 02   C2     HS   2007-B38
 C/2006 V8       11.851   15 04.7   -19 07   C2     RK   2007-B75
 C/2006 V9       13.321   14 59.3   -21 16   C3/2   BZ   2007-B75
 C/2006 V10      13.993   15 13.4   -19 40   C2     HS   2007-B75
[IAUC 8811, 2007 February 21]
COMETS C/2006 W5, C/2006 W6, C/2006 W7, C/2006 X2 (SOHO)
     Additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on SOHO
website images (cf. IAUC 8811).  K. Battams notes that C/2006 W5
appeared as a fuzzy streak about 2' long and quite faint (mag about
7.5).  C/2006 W6 was very small, quite diffuse, and very faint (mag
8).  C/2006 W7 was also very small and faint (mag about 7.5), and
slightly diffuse.  C/2006 X2 was very diffuse, faint, and somewhat
elongated.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.  Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 W5   Nov. 20.004  15 40.3   -21 16   C2    TH   2007-B76
 C/2006 W6        20.038  15 40.2   -21 21   C2    TH   2007-B76
 C/2006 W7        25.479  16 03.1   -22 28   C2    RK   2007-B76
 C/2006 X2   Dec.  9.049  17 04.6   -24 41   C2    RK   2007-B76
[IAUC 8813, 2007 February 26]
COMETS C/2006 X3-X10 (SOHO)
     Additional comets have been found on SOHO website images (cf.
IAUC 8813) -- all Kreutz sungrazers except for C/2006 X10 (Meyer
group).  K. Battams notes that C/2006 X3, C/2006 X5, C/2006 X6,
C/2006 X8, and C/2006 X9 were all extremely faint (mag about 8.5).
C/2006 X3, which was observed during a solar-particle storm that
hit the SOHO spacecraft, appeared diffuse.  C/2006 X4 was stellar
in appearance and reached mag about 6 in C3 images, while C2 images
showed a hint of a very faint tail.  C/2006 X5 was very diffuse and
elongated.  C/2006 X6 was tiny and slightly diffuse.  C/2006 X7 was
stellar in appearance in C3 images, of mag about 6.5, while C2
images showed it as slightly diffuse with a hint of a faint tail.
C/2006 X8 was stellar in appearance.  C/2006 X9, which was also
found by R. Kracht, was a very diffuse blob.  C/2006 X10 was
stellar in appearance, reaching mag about 7.5.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 X3   Dec. 9.567   17 06.8   -24 43   C2     BZ   2007-C40
 C/2006 X4       10.513   17 08.9   -26 51   C3/2   TS   2007-C40
 C/2006 X5       10.550   17 11.4   -24 49   C2     MM   2007-C40
 C/2006 X6       11.675   17 16.4   -24 53   C2     XG   2007-C40
 C/2006 X7       11.988   17 17.0   -26 10   C3/2   HS   2007-C41
 C/2006 X8       12.567   17 20.9   -24 55   C2     BZ   2007-C41
 C/2006 X9       15.204   17 34.6   -25 01   C2     TH   2007-C41
 C/2006 X10      15.479   17 30.3   -22 17   C2     RK   2007-C41
[IAUC 8815, 2007 February 28]
COMETS C/2006 X11 AND C/2006 Y3-Y9 (SOHO)
     Eight additional Kreutz sungrazing comets have been found on
SOHO website images (cf. IAUC 8815).  All were stellar in
appearance except C/2006 X11 (diffuse and small), C/2006 Y8
(slightly diffuse, tiny, mag about 8), and C/2006 Y9 ("mostly
stellar" in appearance).  C/2006 X11, C/2006 Y3 (C3 images), C/2006
Y7, and C/2006 Y9 were very faint (mag about 8.5).  C/2006 Y3 was
of mag about 8 in C2 images.  C/2006 Y4 was of mag about 7.5-8.
C/2006 Y5 reached mag 5.3 on Dec. 21.529 UT (at 10 solar radii) but
showed no apparent tail.  C/2006 Y6 reached mag 5.0 on Dec. 21.846
(at 11 solar radii) in C3 images, while C2 images show a hint of an
extremely faint, thin tail.

 Comet       2006 UT       R.A.(2000)Decl.   Inst.  F    MPEC
 C/2006 X11  Dec. 15.371   17 33.8  -25 05   C2     RM   2007-D16
 C/2006 Y3        17.863   17 47.8  -25 35   C3/2   SY   2007-D16
 C/2006 Y4        20.038   17 55.6  -25 16   C2     RK   2007-D16
 C/2006 Y5        20.929   18 00.8  -27 40   C3/2   TH   2007-D16
 C/2006 Y6        21.238   18 02.3  -27 58   C3/2   BZ   2007-D17
 C/2006 Y7        21.854   18 03.6  -25 20   C2     TH   2007-D17
 C/2006 Y8        21.884   18 03.8  -25 10   C2     RK   2007-D17
 C/2006 Y9        21.914   18 04.1  -25 15   C2     MA   2007-D17
[IAUC 8819, 2007 March 16]
Here is a full list of the 2006 SOHO discoveries, with the date of the comet, date of discovery, coronagraph and discoverer.
Published by Jonathan Shanklin. mailto:jds@ast.cam.ac.uk