Verification of Comets Detection from 2MASS Images

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Updated on May 3, 2003

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o Abstract

I analyzed the comets detected by the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), the Known Comet Detection List of the Second Incremental Data Release and Known Comet Detection List of the All-Sky Data Release.

I investigated the brightness of those comets based on visual and CCD observations at the time of 2MASS detections, and found many false detections. I also found some pre-discovery detections.

o Comets Detections

Second Incremental Data Release:

CometJDDateJ magH magKs magvisual
/CCD
Note
43P/Wolf-Harrington2450903.659501998 Mar. 3116.15015.77815.09114.9
52P/Harrington-Abell2451094.962051998 Oct. 814.66614.09614.04612.7
93P/Lovas 12451119.894051998 Nov. 215.68115.22815.09313.4
C/1998 K1 (Mueller)2450907.815941998 Apr. 415.57015.42415.02314.5*1
C/1998 K1 (Mueller)2450943.722881998 May 1015.94215.42215.28714.6*1
C/1998 M2 (LINEAR)2450937.904201998 May 415.74315.24614.22414.4
C/1998 Q1 (LINEAR)2450982.845421998 June 1816.75516.71315.65315.4

All-Sky Data Release:

CometJDDateJ magH magKs magvisual
/CCD
Note
43P/Wolf-Harrington2450903.659501998 Mar. 3115.94115.62215.75014.9
52P/Harrington-Abell2451094.962051998 Oct. 814.55214.02514.01412.7
74P/Smirnova-Chernykh2451633.632402000 Mar. 3016.23815.73715.79616.0
88P/Howell2451034.467281998 Aug. 914.92614.51314.15211.5
93P/Lovas 12451119.894051998 Nov. 214.77214.41014.33113.4
110P/Hartley 32451857.855932000 Nov. 915.70415.34815.28715.5
117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 12451102.714591998 Oct. 1616.66016.10214.77516.4*3
C/1996 J1-B (Evans-Drinkwater)2450797.661481997 Dec. 1516.66015.47314.85315.9
C/1997 J2 (Meunier-Dupouy)2451108.573311998 Oct. 2214.61614.38114.21712.1
C/1997 T1 (Utsunomiya)2450947.768851998 May 1415.29815.15214.60414.0
C/1998 K1 (Mueller)2450907.807521998 Apr. 415.56315.26215.12314.5*1
C/1998 K1 (Mueller)2450907.815941998 Apr. 415.57115.36415.04014.5*1
C/1998 K1 (Mueller)2450943.722881998 May 1015.85315.38315.21314.6*1
C/1998 M2 (LINEAR)2450937.904201998 May 415.72915.22214.28014.4
C/1998 M5 (LINEAR)2451258.777811999 Mar. 2113.03612.54512.4669.7
C/1998 T1 (LINEAR)2451087.889221998 Oct. 116.33316.09815.33616.2*1
C/1998 T1 (LINEAR)2451615.656972000 Mar. 1216.29315.92815.12916.1
P/1998 W1 (Spahr)2451130.699241998 Nov. 1316.12215.56015.03015.8*1
C/1999 E1 (Li)2451153.719741998 Dec. 615.93315.59415.25815.0*1
C/1999 E1 (Li)2451190.659051999 Jan. 1215.62415.19314.97714.9*1
C/1999 F2 (Dalcanton)2450948.635681998 May 1515.55215.37714.26715.1*1
C/1999 F2 (Dalcanton)2451248.896071999 Mar. 1116.25815.98415.31515.5*1
C/1999 K5 (LINEAR)2451313.917041999 May 1515.88715.52915.22816.0*1
C/1999 K8 (LINEAR)2451487.618511999 Nov. 516.33515.96515.00913.5
P/2000 C1 (Hergenrother)2451617.700742000 Mar. 1416.54916.27215.08516.4
C/2000 SV74 (LINEAR)2451817.738492000 Sept. 3016.75816.60415.39116.4

o False Detections

The following records in the Known Comet Detection List should be false. Those comets were fainter than 20 mag at the time of 2MASS detections, except for 64P/Swift-Gehrels (see note).

Second Incremental Data Release:

CometJDDateJ magH magKs magNote
19P/Borrelly2450950.844431998 May 1716.46615.51015.229
42P/Neujmin 32450781.959351997 Nov. 2911.87111.64411.561*5
57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte2450775.943751997 Nov. 2311.95711.51411.347*6
90P/Gehrels 12451008.653781998 July 1415.84615.14715.471*7
91P/Russell 32451091.555841998 Oct. 516.20715.30515.028*2
147P/Kushida-Muramatsu2450962.933021998 May 2913.96713.71513.527*8
C/1974 F1 (Lovas)2451152.610371998 Dec. 514.69314.26813.944*9
C/1984 O2 (SOLWIND 5)2451152.730051998 Dec. 516.68816.23516.555
C/1988 B1 (Shoemaker)2451146.854001998 Nov. 2915.79515.24715.167*10
C/1988 L1 (Shoemaker-Holt-Rodriquez)2450876.657431998 Mar. 414.34313.82313.657*11
C/1988 Q1 (SMM 4)2451152.754241998 Dec. 515.47615.28115.099*12
C/1988 W1 (SMM 6)2451152.754201998 Dec. 514.94314.50114.499*13
C/1998 G2 (SOHO)2451205.541101999 Jan. 2716.57216.51714.971*14

All-Sky Data Release:

CometJDDateJ magH magKs magNote
17P/Holmes2451347.752951999 June 1814.25114.26713.265*15
19P/Borrelly2450950.844431998 May 1716.43215.49715.148
23P/Brorsen-Metcalf2451333.607741999 June 411.13210.116 9.733*16
27P/Crommelin2451297.834811999 Apr. 2913.64512.76712.475*17
32P/Comas Sola2451759.497992000 Aug. 315.12114.70214.663*18
39P/Oterma2450992.638951998 June 2816.30515.41015.535
39P/Oterma2451013.635671998 July 1913.46212.78012.535*19
42P/Neujmin 32450781.959351997 Nov. 2911.89811.67211.595*5
64P/Swift-Gehrels2451407.502231999 Aug. 1715.16314.16813.859*4
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko2451296.816301999 Apr. 2816.59516.08515.670
71P/Clark2450798.710121997 Dec. 1616.51215.45915.233
112P/Urata-Niijima2451440.531721999 Sept. 1915.16214.88714.707*20
C/1979 Q1 (Howard-Koomen-Michels)2451546.604132000 Jan. 314.80714.38114.338*21
C/1983 R1 (Shoemaker)2451272.740581999 Apr. 415.89215.21215.138*22
C/1988 B1 (Shoemaker)2451146.854001998 Nov. 2915.78915.25315.163*10
C/1988 L1 (Shoemaker-Holt-Rodriquez)2450876.657431998 Mar. 414.37013.85313.685*11
C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko-George)2451591.734692000 Feb. 1716.35214.95814.785
C/1996 E1 (NEAT)2451822.608142000 Oct. 513.95113.65113.621*23
C/1998 K1 (Mueller)2451823.503612000 Oct. 615.03214.66114.583*24
P/2000 B3 (LINEAR)2451080.725731998 Sept. 2416.82916.12415.852

o Notes

*1
Pre-discovery observations.
*2
91P/Russell 3 is expected to be 19.9 mag on 1998 Oct. 5. However, the last observation before that day was 17.3 mag on 1998 Sept. 16 (M.P.E.C. 1998-T10), although it was expected to be 19.4 mag. Therefore, the comet might be in ourburst and brighter than expected at the time of 2MASS detection. However, there is a faint star at this position on the DSS-1 Bj image and DSS-2 I and R images.
*3
117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 is expected to be 17.3 mag in 1998 October by the ephemeris. However, it was reported as bright as 16.3 - 16.5 mag from September to November in 1998 by Yasukazu Ikari and Akimasa Nakamura. No star is found on the DSS-2 I image at this position.
*4
64P/Swift-Gehrels is expected to be 18.2 mag on 1999 Aug. 17 by the ephemeris. However, nobody could observe it in 1999. Therefore, it was probably much fainter than the ephemeris in 1999. The image detected by the 2MASS is USNO-A2.0 0600.32175843, 17.1 mag(R), 17.7 mag(B).
*5
USNO-A2.0 1050.04987362, 13.0 mag(R), 13.6 mag(B).
*6
USNO-A2.0 1050.03479906, 14.0 mag(R), 14.9 mag(B).
*7
USNO-A2.0 0525.23469599, 17.1 mag(R), 18.4 mag(B).
*8
USNO-A2.0 0675.33961908, 15.2 mag(R), 15.9 mag(B).
*9
USNO-A2.0 1425.02883388, 15.5 mag(R), 17.1 mag(B).
*10
USNO-A2.0 0300.05314200, 16.8 mag(R), 18.3 mag(B).
*11
USNO-A2.0 1200.05774451, 15.7 mag(R), 16.8 mag(B).
*12
USNO-A2.0 0750.03028764, 16.6 mag(R), 17.1 mag(B).
*13
USNO-A2.0 0750.03035673, 16.3 mag(R), 17.2 mag(B).
*14
USNO-A2.0 0675.03541727, 18.4 mag(R), 18.8 mag(B).
*15
USNO-A2.0 0375.28960203, 16.0 mag(R), 17.5 mag(B).
*16
USNO-A2.0 0450.24319658, 15.1 mag(R), 18.0 mag(B).
*17
Very red star. Visible on the DSS-2 R images, but near limit on the DSS-1 Bj image.
*18
USNO-A2.0 0525.37135685, 15.3 mag(R), 16.6 mag(B).
*19
USNO-A2.0 0600.33119934, 16.7 mag(R), 18.9 mag(B).
*20
USNO-A2.0 0375.39512075, 16.1 mag(R), 17.0 mag(B).
*21
USNO-A2.0 0750.02726716, 15.9 mag(R), 16.8 mag(B).
*22
USNO-A2.0 0525.14977002, 17.4 mag(R), 19.5 mag(B).
*23
USNO-A2.0 0300.37189022, 15.1 mag(R), 14.8 mag(B).
*24
Faint star south west of USNO-A2.0 0300.32066169, 13.0 mag(R), 14.8 mag(B).

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Copyright(C) Seiichi Yoshida (comet@aerith.net). All rights reserved.