Verification of Comets Detection from 2MASS Images

Home page

Updated on May 3, 2003

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. Comets Detections Second Incremental Data Release: Comet JD Date J mag H mag Ks mag visual /CCD Note 43P/Wolf-Harrington 2450903.65950 1998 Mar. 31 16.150 15.778 15.091 14.9 52P/Harrington-Abell 2451094.96205 1998 Oct. 8 14.666 14.096 14.046 12.7 93P/Lovas 1 2451119.89405 1998 Nov. 2 15.681 15.228 15.093 13.4 C/1998 K1 (Mueller) 2450907.81594 1998 Apr. 4 15.570 15.424 15.023 14.5 *1 C/1998 K1 (Mueller) 2450943.72288 1998 May 10 15.942 15.422 15.287 14.6 *1 C/1998 M2 (LINEAR) 2450937.90420 1998 May 4 15.743 15.246 14.224 14.4 C/1998 Q1 (LINEAR) 2450982.84542 1998 June 18 16.755 16.713 15.653 15.4 All-Sky Data Release: Comet JD Date J mag H mag Ks mag visual /CCD Note 43P/Wolf-Harrington 2450903.65950 1998 Mar. 31 15.941 15.622 15.750 14.9 52P/Harrington-Abell 2451094.96205 1998 Oct. 8 14.552 14.025 14.014 12.7 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh 2451633.63240 2000 Mar. 30 16.238 15.737 15.796 16.0 88P/Howell 2451034.46728 1998 Aug. 9 14.926 14.513 14.152 11.5 93P/Lovas 1 2451119.89405 1998 Nov. 2 14.772 14.410 14.331 13.4 110P/Hartley 3 2451857.85593 2000 Nov. 9 15.704 15.348 15.287 15.5 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 2451102.71459 1998 Oct. 16 16.660 16.102 14.775 16.4 *3 C/1996 J1-B (Evans-Drinkwater) 2450797.66148 1997 Dec. 15 16.660 15.473 14.853 15.9 C/1997 J2 (Meunier-Dupouy) 2451108.57331 1998 Oct. 22 14.616 14.381 14.217 12.1 C/1997 T1 (Utsunomiya) 2450947.76885 1998 May 14 15.298 15.152 14.604 14.0 C/1998 K1 (Mueller) 2450907.80752 1998 Apr. 4 15.563 15.262 15.123 14.5 *1 C/1998 K1 (Mueller) 2450907.81594 1998 Apr. 4 15.571 15.364 15.040 14.5 *1 C/1998 K1 (Mueller) 2450943.72288 1998 May 10 15.853 15.383 15.213 14.6 *1 C/1998 M2 (LINEAR) 2450937.90420 1998 May 4 15.729 15.222 14.280 14.4 C/1998 M5 (LINEAR) 2451258.77781 1999 Mar. 21 13.036 12.545 12.466 9.7 C/1998 T1 (LINEAR) 2451087.88922 1998 Oct. 1 16.333 16.098 15.336 16.2 *1 C/1998 T1 (LINEAR) 2451615.65697 2000 Mar. 12 16.293 15.928 15.129 16.1 P/1998 W1 (Spahr) 2451130.69924 1998 Nov. 13 16.122 15.560 15.030 15.8 *1 C/1999 E1 (Li) 2451153.71974 1998 Dec. 6 15.933 15.594 15.258 15.0 *1 C/1999 E1 (Li) 2451190.65905 1999 Jan. 12 15.624 15.193 14.977 14.9 *1 C/1999 F2 (Dalcanton) 2450948.63568 1998 May 15 15.552 15.377 14.267 15.1 *1 C/1999 F2 (Dalcanton) 2451248.89607 1999 Mar. 11 16.258 15.984 15.315 15.5 *1 C/1999 K5 (LINEAR) 2451313.91704 1999 May 15 15.887 15.529 15.228 16.0 *1 C/1999 K8 (LINEAR) 2451487.61851 1999 Nov. 5 16.335 15.965 15.009 13.5 P/2000 C1 (Hergenrother) 2451617.70074 2000 Mar. 14 16.549 16.272 15.085 16.4 C/2000 SV74 (LINEAR) 2451817.73849 2000 Sept. 30 16.758 16.604 15.391 16.4 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: Comet JD Date J mag H mag Ks mag Note 19P/Borrelly 2450950.84443 1998 May 17 16.466 15.510 15.229 42P/Neujmin 3 2450781.95935 1997 Nov. 29 11.871 11.644 11.561 *5 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte 2450775.94375 1997 Nov. 23 11.957 11.514 11.347 *6 90P/Gehrels 1 2451008.65378 1998 July 14 15.846 15.147 15.471 *7 91P/Russell 3 2451091.55584 1998 Oct. 5 16.207 15.305 15.028 *2 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu 2450962.93302 1998 May 29 13.967 13.715 13.527 *8 C/1974 F1 (Lovas) 2451152.61037 1998 Dec. 5 14.693 14.268 13.944 *9 C/1984 O2 (SOLWIND 5) 2451152.73005 1998 Dec. 5 16.688 16.235 16.555 C/1988 B1 (Shoemaker) 2451146.85400 1998 Nov. 29 15.795 15.247 15.167 *10 C/1988 L1 (Shoemaker-Holt-Rodriquez) 2450876.65743 1998 Mar. 4 14.343 13.823 13.657 *11 C/1988 Q1 (SMM 4) 2451152.75424 1998 Dec. 5 15.476 15.281 15.099 *12 C/1988 W1 (SMM 6) 2451152.75420 1998 Dec. 5 14.943 14.501 14.499 *13 C/1998 G2 (SOHO) 2451205.54110 1999 Jan. 27 16.572 16.517 14.971 *14 All-Sky Data Release: Comet JD Date J mag H mag Ks mag Note 17P/Holmes 2451347.75295 1999 June 18 14.251 14.267 13.265 *15 19P/Borrelly 2450950.84443 1998 May 17 16.432 15.497 15.148 23P/Brorsen-Metcalf 2451333.60774 1999 June 4 11.132 10.116 9.733 *16 27P/Crommelin 2451297.83481 1999 Apr. 29 13.645 12.767 12.475 *17 32P/Comas Sola 2451759.49799 2000 Aug. 3 15.121 14.702 14.663 *18 39P/Oterma 2450992.63895 1998 June 28 16.305 15.410 15.535 39P/Oterma 2451013.63567 1998 July 19 13.462 12.780 12.535 *19 42P/Neujmin 3 2450781.95935 1997 Nov. 29 11.898 11.672 11.595 *5 64P/Swift-Gehrels 2451407.50223 1999 Aug. 17 15.163 14.168 13.859 *4 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 2451296.81630 1999 Apr. 28 16.595 16.085 15.670 71P/Clark 2450798.71012 1997 Dec. 16 16.512 15.459 15.233 112P/Urata-Niijima 2451440.53172 1999 Sept. 19 15.162 14.887 14.707 *20 C/1979 Q1 (Howard-Koomen-Michels) 2451546.60413 2000 Jan. 3 14.807 14.381 14.338 *21 C/1983 R1 (Shoemaker) 2451272.74058 1999 Apr. 4 15.892 15.212 15.138 *22 C/1988 B1 (Shoemaker) 2451146.85400 1998 Nov. 29 15.789 15.253 15.163 *10 C/1988 L1 (Shoemaker-Holt-Rodriquez) 2450876.65743 1998 Mar. 4 14.370 13.853 13.685 *11 C/1989 Y1 (Skorichenko-George) 2451591.73469 2000 Feb. 17 16.352 14.958 14.785 C/1996 E1 (NEAT) 2451822.60814 2000 Oct. 5 13.951 13.651 13.621 *23 C/1998 K1 (Mueller) 2451823.50361 2000 Oct. 6 15.032 14.661 14.583 *24 P/2000 B3 (LINEAR) 2451080.72573 1998 Sept. 24 16.829 16.124 15.852 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).