Circular No. 7983
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Mailstop 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html  ISSN 0081-0304
Phone 617-495-7440/7244/7444 (for emergency use only)


COMET P/2002 T1 (LINEAR)
     M. Blythe and S. Partridge, Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, report the LINEAR discovery of a comet
showing a coma and a possible tail in p.a. about 260 deg (discovery
observation below).  Following posting on the NEO Confirmation
Page, other observers confirmed the cometary appearance, including
P. Birtwhistle, Great Shefford, England (Oct. 4.11 UT, m_1 = 15.4,
faint 1' tail in p.a. 231 deg), and J. McGaha, Tucson, AZ (Oct.
4.33, nuclear condensation of mag about 15.3 and diameter about 6",
with a tail 45" long and about 12" wide in p.a. 235 deg curving
toward the north).

     2002 UT             R.A. (2000) Decl.        m1
     Oct.  3.25540    1 43 00.66   + 2 56 58.5   16.2

The available astrometry, the following preliminary elliptical
elements, and an ephemeris appear on MPEC 2002-T15.

     T = 2002 Oct.  8.030 TT          Peri. =   1.256
     e = 0.65413                      Node  =  15.485   2000.0
     q = 1.19004 AU                   Incl. =  20.528
       a =  3.44071 AU     n = 0.154430     P =   6.38 years


SUPERNOVAE 2002gb AND 2002gc
     Two apparent supernova discoveries have been reported.
Further to IAUC 7979, W. M. Wood-Vasey, G. Aldering, and P. Nugent
report their discovery of SN 2002gb on unfiltered Palomar NEAT
images.  T. Boles, Coddenham, England, reports his discovery of SN
2002gc in UGC 1394 on an unfiltered CCD image taken with a 0.35-m
reflector in the course of the U.K. Nova/Supernova Patrol.

SN       2002 UT          R.A. (2000.0) Decl.   Mag.   Offset
2002gb   Aug. 28.26   22 43 21.31  - 0 06 53.0  18.9  1".4 S
2002gc   Oct.  3.88    1 55 46.56  +46 48 19.4  17.4  44".3 E, 11".9 N

Additional unfiltered magnitudes reported by the respective
observers:  SN 2002gb, 2001 Oct. 5 UT, [20.5; 2002 Aug. 16, [20.5;
Sept. 9, 19.4; Oct. 3, 19.5.  SN 2002gc, 2001 Sept. 3, [19.0; 2002
July 15, not present; Aug. 12, not present; Oct. 4.845, 17.3.
Boles adds that SN 2002gc is not present on second Palomar Sky
Survey red and blue plates.

                      (C) Copyright 2002 CBAT
2002 October 4                 (7983)            Daniel W. E. Green