PANSTARRS breaking up ??

[Ptarmigan]

Peter Rosen posts images of a possible fragment following same track as the main body

http://spaceweather....upload_id=78751

is this the start of a breakup resulting in :-

(1) release of many more volatiles resulting in massive increase in visibility

or

(2) vanishes, á lá comet Elinin ?

[Ptarmigan]

The good news is that it is still there,

the bad news is that I still needed 10x50 binos to see it !

I watced it in and out of thin bands of cloud from 19:12 till 19:25 then, with a mass of cloud heading towards it and my hands turning to ice, I retired indoors for a bowl of soup.

(North Somerset - SW of Bristol )

[Matt I]

Same here in North Bristol. Only got about 5 mins in binos and scope before disappearing behind that same cloud. When the cloud went it had gone below the horizon. :-( Was my first chance to see it though so happy I have. Will try again Tuesday night as it looks lie it may be clear! :-)

[Ptarmigan]

Fingers xxed for Tues.

Sky looked good this evening but domestic duties trumped :-((

[jonathan]

I have yet to see this at all due to it always being cloudy at sunset. It could be in the shape of a pink elephant for all I know!

[Ptarmigan]

:)

Or even transmogrified into a flying pig ! for all I've seen of it the past few nights

but anyhow, per original post,

latest update (21/3/2013)from spaceweather.com is that

Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab finds no evidence in StereoB pics of any breakup.

[Bluey]

I've not seen it yet either, I will wait a week or two and try to get a scope on it, clouds permitting of course!