New Comet Discovered from Mauna Kea (Forwarded)

Institute for Astronomy
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii

Contacts:
Dr. Fabrizio Bernardi
1-808-387-4851

Mrs. Karen Rehbock, Assistant to the Director
Institute for Astronomy
University of Hawaii
1-808-956-6829

For immediate release: December 1, 2005

New Comet Discovered from Mauna Kea

While searching for "killer asteroids" on Halloween night, University of
Hawaii astronomer Fabrizio Bernardi found a new comet, the first
discovered from Mauna Kea Observatories.

"While studying images I had taken with the Canada-France-Hawaii
Telescope, I noticed an object with a faint tail. I checked to see if
there were any known comets in that part of the sky, and was surprised
to find that there were none," said Bernardi.

"I consulted with my colleagues David Tholen, Andrea Boattini, and Jana
Pittichová, and we decided to monitor the object for a few nights.
Having confirmed that it was a comet, we reported the find to the
International Astronomical Union."

The comet is now officially "P/2005 V1 Bernardi" after its discoverer.

The comet, which orbits the Sun about once every 10 years, does not come
close enough to Earth to be visible to the naked eye. When discovered,
it was about 280 million miles away from Earth -- almost three times the
distance from Earth to the Sun. The length of its tail is estimated to
be more than 13,000 miles.

Bernardi is working with Tholen, a UH astronomer who heads a NASA-funded
program to find asteroids that pass close to Earth and are therefore
potentially dangerous.

The Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii conducts
research into galaxies, cosmology, stars, planets, and the sun. Its
faculty and staff are also involved in astronomy education, deep space
missions, and in the development and management of the observatories on
Haleakala and Mauna Kea.

Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of
Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaii is the state's sole
public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of
undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs
on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers
across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaii, the
U.S. mainland, and around the world.

IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press...cometOrbit.jpg
(51KB)]
Orbit of Comet P/2005 V1 Bernardi