Comets provide a very different but well understood environment in which to search for DIBs. Observations of occultations by cometary comae have not detected DIBs, but none were very near the nucleus, where the column density of dust is highest. We report here unidentified emission bands, centered at λ4430, very near the nucleus of comet Hyakutake. These may be vaporized forms of grain carriers or fragments of large-molecule carriers. At least two different species appear to be present based on two different spatial distributions.

Previous comet flyby missions enabled detailed studies of the photometric properties of several cometary nuclei from disk-resolved images, including 9P/Tempel 1, 19P/Borrelly, and 81P/Wild 2. Two recent missions, DIXI and Stardust-NExT, encountered Comets 103P/Hartley 2 and Tempel 1 respectively, expanding the pool of sampled cometary nuclei in their unique ways: Hartley 2 is a hyperactive comet; Tempel 1 was visited and impacted by the Deep Impact dual-spacecraft during its previous perihelion passage. Photometric modeling shows that the global photometric properties of the nuclei of Hartley 2 and Tempel 1 are similar to those of other cometary nuclei. The photometric variation of the hyperactive nucleus of Hartley 2 is about 15%, similar to that of weakly active comets Tempel 1 and Wild 2. The photometric properties of Tempel 1 measured by NExT suggest little change from those measured by DI. These results, together with the photometric properties of Wild 2 and Borrelly, indicate that the photometric properties of cometary nuclei are independent of the activity level and gross geomorphology of cometary nuclei. Instead, cometary nucleus photometric properties might be determined by its outgassing, which leaves low-albedo deposit on the surface and forms similar photometric texture. The time scale for the photometric alteration on cometary nuclei due to outgassing should be much shorter than the dynamic time scale.

A total of 701 comets received names between July 2005 and June 2008. Comets observed only from the SOHO and STEREO missions, as well as further comets recognized from the long-defunct SOLWIND satellite, accounted for 520 of these names.

The NASA Discovery mission EPOXI, utilizing the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft, comprises two phases: EPOCh (Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization) and DIXI (Deep Impact eXtended Investigation). With EPOCh, we use the 30-cm high resolution visible imager to obtain ultraprecise photometric light curves of known transiting planet systems. We will analyze these data for evidence of additional planets, via transit timing variations or transits; for planetary moons or rings; for detection of secondary eclipses and the constraint of geometric planetary albedos; and for refinement of the system parameters. Over a period of four months, EPOCh observed four known transiting planet systems, with each system observed continuously for several weeks. Here we present an overview of EPOCh, including the spacecraft and science goals, and preliminary photometry results.

EPOXI (EPOCh + DIXI) is a NASA Discovery Program Mission of Opportunity using the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft. The EPOCh (Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization) Science Investigation will gather photometric time series of known transiting exoplanet systems from January through August 2008. Here we describe the steps in the photometric extraction of the time series and present preliminary results of the first four EPOCh targets.

After a brief discussion it was agreed that this membership is well distributed in terms of geography, gender, and fields of planetary work.

As for comets 619 comets received names from July 2002 to June 2005. Of this naming 76 percent are SOHO comets and 11 percent include the name of the LINEAR project. A revision of the guidelines for naming comets has been completed in March 2003. The assistance of the director of CBAT, Daniel W. E. Green, in redrafting these guidelines was much appreciated by the committee.

The period covered by this report, 1984 July to 1987 June, was of extraordinary importance for the progress of cometary physics. For the first time in the history, special space probes were launched to comets. Vega 1, Vega 2 and Giotto encountered P/Halley, providing us with the first close-up pictures of a cometary nucleus, its surface features, and with the first in situ measurements of the matter escaping from it. ICE, Suisei and Sakigake carried out measurements relevant to P/Giacobini-Zinner and P/Halley in interplanetary space. Unprecedented worldwide campaigns of ground-based observations, with the participation of about 1000 professional and 2000 amateur astronomers, were coordinated in 8 sections of the International Halley Watch. Additional measurements were made from artificial satellites, sounding rockets, and highflying airplanes. The wealth of data collected in this way, to a major extent thanks to an excellent international cooperation, represents a milestone in cometary astronomy. Another important step was the progress in processing the extensive 1983 IRAS observations of minor planets and comets, including the discovery of asteroid dust bands and cometary dust trails.

Tribute is paid to those members of Commission 15 who have passed away since the last General Assembly: Dr. Ludwig BIERMANN, Dr. Nicholas BOBROVNIKOFF, Dr. Richard Heinrich GIESE, Dr. Marie-Therese MARTEL, Dr. Reginald WATERFIELD.

The Commission had one Business Session, two Science Sessions on “News in Cometary Research” (organized by C. Arpigny), one Science Session on “News in Minor Planet Research” (organized by A.W. Harris), a Joint Discussion with Commission 20 on “Major Observing Programs and Data Bases” (organized by Y. Kozai and L. Kresak), and a Joint Discussion with Commission 22 on “Interrelation of Meteor Streams, Comets and Asteroids” (organized by P. Babadzhanov and L. Kresak)