Circular No. 5387 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only) TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM EASYLINK 62794505 MARSDEN or GREEN@CFA.BITNET MARSDEN or GREEN@CFAPS2.SPAN 1991 VG J. V. Scotti, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, reports his dis- covery with the Spacewatch 0.91-m telescope of a fast-moving aster- oidal object: 1991 UT R.A. (1950) Decl. V Nov. 6.32553 2 53 38.56 +13 29 58.9 20.7 6.33633 2 53 36.87 +13 29 41.6 6.35398 2 53 34.21 +13 29 10.9 7.18437 2 53 51.41 +13 06 37.6 20.8 7.19491 2 53 50.09 +13 06 21.8 7.20631 2 53 48.71 +13 06 08.8 7.33878 2 53 28.47 +13 02 39.6 7.34932 2 53 26.83 +13 02 20.5 7.36008 2 53 25.19 +13 02 00.5 21.2 8.25231 2 53 33.82 +12 36 21.5 8.26526 2 53 31.74 +12 35 59.3 20.3 8.27777 2 53 29.59 +12 35 38.6 8.29081 2 53 27.53 +12 35 16.1 8.30357 2 53 25.37 +12 34 52.8 20.7 8.31659 2 53 23.25 +12 34 29.3 9.22124 2 53 29.91 +12 06 29.5 20.6 9.26343 2 53 22.98 +12 05 13.6 9.38013 2 53 03.50 +12 01 22.7 9.38854 2 53 02.23 +12 01 03.7 20.8 9.39727 2 53 00.94 +12 00 43.9 11.24590 2 53 08.27 +10 57 24.0 11.25073 2 53 07.44 +10 57 15.6 20.8 11.32859 2 52 53.14 +10 54 23.5 11.40787 2 52 40.05 +10 51 10.0 20.3 The following orbital elements, by B. G. Marsden, are remarkab- ly similar to those of the earth. The minimum geocentric distance is 0.0031 AU on Dec. 5.4 UT (H = 28.8). Geocentric solutions yield e > 3. The object might be a returning spacecraft. Epoch = 1991 Oct. 31.0 ET T = 1992 Jan. 14.1186 ET Peri. = 260.8887 e = 0.065262 Node = 212.9200 1950.0 q = 0.971470 AU Incl. = 0.3913 a = 1.039297 AU n = 0.9302397 P = 1.060 years 1991 November 13 Daniel W. E. Green