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Comet C/2017 S3 Pan-STARRS - Outburst - Disintegration?

CentaurZ

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CentaurZ

CentaurZ

Posted
Posted

A brightness outburst has been reported for Comet C/2017 S3 Pan-STARRS that may lead to its disintegration. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5922963/The-incredible-hulk-comet.html

The magnitude given in the chart below does not take the outburst into account. Photos and descriptions of the comet would be welcome additions to this thread.

Pan-STARRS.thumb.JPG.54e4a72283f6655199b39b313d72d5e0.JPG

 

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Davey-T

Davey-T

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I can't find this comet in Stellarium, but i can't find out how to load new comet data. Can anyone give me a pointer?

Hi Neil, it's a bit complicated so here goes

Click on configuration the spanner

Plug ins

Solar System editor ( bottom left )

Configure

Solar System ( top centre )

Import orbital elements ( bottom )

Click on Comets ( top left )

Select bookmark

MPC List of observable comets

Get orbital elements ( bottom )

Gets list of comets

Type  C/2017 S3 (PANSTARRS) IN the bar at the top

Tick its box

Add object

I think that's it hope I haven't missed a step

Dave

 

 

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Hi Neil, it's a bit complicated so here goes

Click on configuration the spanner

Plug ins

Solar System editor ( bottom left )

Configure

Solar System ( top centre )

Import orbital elements ( bottom )

Click on Comets ( top left )

Select bookmark

MPL List of observable comets

Gets list of comets

Type  C/2017 S3 (PANSTARRS) IN the bar at the top

Tick its box

Add object

I think that's it hope I haven't missed a step

Dave

 

 

Brilliant, can't think why I didn't figure that out myself? ?

Unfortunately the list seems to be empty, may have got something wrong. Need to head out, I'll try again later.

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Davey-T

Davey-T

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Brilliant, can't think why I didn't figure that out myself? ?

Unfortunately the list seems to be empty, may have got something wrong. Need to head out, I'll try again later.

May have missed a step, will check, knew I shouldn't have done it from memory at my age :grin:

Dave

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Davey-T said:

Yep missed a bit, have edited original in red.

Just tried it and it worked OK.

Dave

I had to change to the 'online search' which then found the comet and added it to the list, so I could check it and then download it.

Cheers!

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Davey-T

Davey-T

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I had to change to the 'online search' which then found the comet and added it to the list, so I could check it and then download it.

Cheers!

That's weird, if you click on the MPC list of observable comets it should automatically log onto the MPC site and gets a list.

Dave

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John

John

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Posted

Got this comet this evening. Brighter than I was expecting with my ED120 refractor. Comparing it with M81 and M82 I'd say that it was closer to the surface brightness of M82 so perhaps around magnitude 9 ?.

It looked a bit like a globular cluster except that it won't resolve into stars (of course !). I'm no good at sketches but the position in Cartes du Ciel seems accurate. About half a degree W of the 5th magnitude star 4 Camelopardalis curently (but moving quite fast hour to hour !). No obvious tail noticed.
 
Picked up to start with at 43x and then observed at 70x.
 
Here is a link to it's live position tracker on the Sky Live website:
 
Well worth a look ! :smiley:
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andrew63

andrew63

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Just had my first view of comet S3 Pan from around just before midnight.  It's quite low and the conditions are a bit hazy, but it was well seen in my 4" at 19x and 39x. A smallish blob perhaps around  mag. 8.  It's less than a degree from 5 Cam and Sky Safari is spot on.

 

 

andrew

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andrew63

andrew63

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Just been viewing the comet again tonight around 11.30. Although not really dark and hazy conditions, It stood out quite well, forming a triangle with 7 Cam and 5 Cam best seen at 39x. It's still holding it's brightness, perhaps a bit brighter than mag. 8.

andrew

 

 

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Mark at Beaufort

Mark at Beaufort

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Although I have a good dark east/west horizon my northern outlook points towards Hereford and some LP. I was not totally hopeful of seeing the Comet but I started with looking at Capella to start the star hopping. I was using my Heritage 130P and a 2" Revelation 30mm EP giving me 22X and over 3 degrees FOV. 

I used the Sky Live website to give the RA and Dec and crossed reference this into my Interstellarum star atlas. As @andrew63stated the Comet formed a triangle between 5 and 7 Cam and it was close to star CK. It was easily picked up in the 30mm EP and I changed to the 13mm Ethos giving me 50X.

Comet very clear with a mag around 8 or maybe slightly brighter - nice sight with the 3 stars  in a line (ending with CK) plus a small triangle of stars. 

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Nyctimene

Nyctimene

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Observed C/2017 S 3 PANSTARRS this morning from 02.15 to 03.40 CEST with the 8" f/4 Hofheim traveldob. NELM 5.0, SQM-L 20.9, good seeing. Starting from Capella, I found the comet with the 26mmf/82° ES after some easy star-hopping with SkySafari 5 Pro still deep down in the NE. The brightness outburst seems to have subsided. With the Baader Hyperion zoom and using the Sidgwick method for evaluating the brightness, I got 9.5 mag (compared to the double star LDS 3667 just south). The comet was located in a small star trapezium (NW border); the coma diameter was about 3 to 4 arc min; DC (=degree of condensation; 0=diffuse; 9= starlike) was estimated rather low with 4. No signs of a tail. Using a 6 mmf 66° UWA, giving 133x, for very short moments, I could glimpse the "false nucleus" (not quite sure about the observation). The comet's movement could easily be made out within a few minutes, about 5-6 arc min within the observing time to the NE. Still a nice view of the comet (for me, it's first observation), but no longer spectacular. Hope remains for another outburst before perihelion (but the observing conditions are getting worse rather fast).

Thanks for reading.

Stephan

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  • 2 weeks later...
Davey-T

Davey-T

Posted
Posted

Having dropped out of sight from my location C/2017 S3 has reappeared in the dawn sky in the NE just before sunrise, had a look this morning but the only cloud was on the horizon, will hopefully have another try tomorrow.

Dave

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