Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

[HaleBopp2007]

Look at this thing! Nice light curve!

 

[Waddensky]

Such a rapid brightnening so close to the Sun... I don't want to be a pessimist (because I am not 😉) but couldn't that be a sign of desintegration? Perihelion is 3 July, fingers crossed. If it survives, it could be interesting.

[verreli]

The C3 animation seems to show a significant brightening in the last 24 hours.  Is this good or bad news?

[Corncrake]

I saw reports of the brightening on another forum last night, so some trepidation when I looked on C3 just now, but I dont see any of the lumpy that I saw earlier on, all looks normal - - so far ! -- fingers and everything xxed !

There is some doubt in the other place about the veracity of those two new  observations on the light curve, apparently based on only one comparison star of unknown colour index, but hey, bit academic, we'll know soon enough.

 

 

 

[HaleBopp2007]

Is it me, or is the tail expanding in this page?

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/lasco-coronagraph

[Corncrake]

Yes, me two just now, thinking two tails beginning to display nice

and playing in Gimp to see what I could pull out :-

edit I think I over did the blur a bit trying to squish the noise.

Edited June 25, 2020 by Corncrake

[HaleBopp2007]

The comet is really getting better. I think the tail (or tails, idk...) looks quite short. That's surely because the comet is pointing close to the SOHO... I hope I'm right. Here, the comet last monday and right when I publish this comment

I think the comet is likely going to be similar to C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) back then by 2013, or even better! 

Edited June 26, 2020 by HaleBopp2007

[HaleBopp2007]

21 hours ago, Waddensky said:

I don't want to be a pessimist (because I am not 😉) but couldn't that be a sign of desintegration? 

I don't think so, but if the comet was fading, then it would be a sign. Look what happened to SWAN

Edited June 26, 2020 by HaleBopp2007

[HaleBopp2007]

Well, the second magnitude star Alhena has entered the LASCO C3 camera field. Honestly, the comet is quite brighter. Maybe mag 1.2

[verreli]

Neo seems to have brightened again in the last 24hrs and continues to show distinct twin ion and dust tails.  The continual brightening for me is a good sign.  It shows the increased material ejection wasn't an 'event'   Neo really is the 'one'.

[HaleBopp2007]

Yup, and if the magnitude is the one I said earlier, the maximum brightness is going to be crazy! 

[uhb1966]

On 22/06/2020 at 12:00, Corncrake said:

There is an overlay of all transits of C3 for2020 in the spaceweater archive for 16June.
which shows NEOWISE crossing the field bottom right.

https://www.spaceweather.com/images2020/15jun20/c3transits.jpg

EDIT harrumpf it was there when I posted onnest but now it is giving a 404

try again :

https://www.spaceweather.com/images2020/15jun20/c3transits.jpg

 

C/2020 seems to be clearly visible on LASCO C3: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/lasco-coronagraph

Its no Halley, but considerably brighter than all stars in view...

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by uhb1966

[Corncrake]

3 minutes ago, uhb1966 said:

C/2020 seems to be clearly visible on LASCO C3: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/lasco-coronagraph

Yes, thanks.

The problem in my post was that the graphic with the transits failed to show initially so  I did a quick update to correct it ! All has been working fine since then, except I forgot to go back to edit and tidy up my post !

[Corncrake]

Who has hidden the remote ? SOHO/LASCO needs turning a bit ! 🤣

Edited June 27, 2020 by Corncrake

[verreli]

BAA estimate that Neo has hit Mag 1 with six more days before perihelion so expect further improvement to come.  Negative magnitudes are realistic at this stage.  Only one more day on SOHO then it's a waiting game to see what appears in the pre-dawn sky.

[Pete Presland]

Looks really promising, not for the first time lately. Lets hope a treat is in store for us.

[HaleBopp2007]

Wow... I still can't believe it's true...  Finally, after almost 30 years, the northern hemisphere is (possibly) having a major comet. 

Edited June 27, 2020 by HaleBopp2007

[Waddensky]

There's an interesting post about C/2020 F3 on CN. If the comet survives perihelion, it will be visible very low above the NE horizon early July in the morning, the view unfortunately much affected by dawn and moonlight. Later in the month the comet becomes an evening object, still very low and already much dimmer.  So while the conditions are not favourable, if it lives up to the expectations the comet might become a nice binocular object. Fingers crossed!

[HaleBopp2007]

I think the comet is likely going to be like PANSTARRS back then in 2013... About the moonlight thing, the moon is going to be in the other side of the sky when the comet is in the sky... 

Edited June 27, 2020 by HaleBopp2007

[HaleBopp2007]

So the comet has left the LASCO C3 camera field. Now we have to wait for a week or so. Fingers crossed

[verreli]

I'm now checking the weather forecast just as intently as I was C3.  Just a week to wait before all is revealed... or not.

Edited June 28, 2020 by verreli

[HaleBopp2007]

1 hour ago, verreli said:

I'm now checking the weather forecast just as intently as I was C3.  

Well, I'm getting sunny and hot days until the 11th or so. Since then, few cirrus clouds but nothing else... 

[HaleBopp2007]

Some reports have said that the comet was mag +0.7 when it left the LASCO C3 field. I don't think it made it that bright that early, but if it did, it's better than +1.5 magnitude as most people say...

EDIT: So, the comet DID leave the LASCO field at that magnitude, well, +0.8, but it's still really good! 

Edited June 30, 2020 by HaleBopp2007

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sounds interesting, but the weather forecast doesn't bode well here

[HaleBopp2007]

Let's hope it survives perihelion! Still 2 days to wait... And -0.5 to -1 mag that day ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2020_F3_(NEOWISE)#:~:text=As of the 30th June,recently developed a second tail ) . 

Edited July 1, 2020 by HaleBopp2007