Comet News

[FLO]

So many comets, so little time! Astronomers are now monitoring almost 40 fragments of dying comet 73P/Schwassmann Wachmann 3. Of special interest is fragment B, which has just split in two. Using the online Faulkes telescope, Nick James took this picture of the double fragment on April 22nd:

Fragment B is glowing like a 9th magnitude star, making it an easy target for backyard telescopes. Look for it in the constellation Corona Borealis an hour or so after sunset: sky map. The view will only improve in the weeks ahead as 73P approaches Earth for a close encounter in mid-May.

Source: http://www.spaceweather.com/

[FLO]

Just for fun, using StarryNight, this is the view of our Solar system from the comet 8)

I know, I know, Ishould get out more but its cloudy outside

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

EXCUSE ME!!!!

Look at the background! All his stars are double!

I did the same trick with not being able to Registax things, but I owned up later.

Captain Chaos

[radioactive]

good point CC think they may need to recheck the file

[Naz]

EXCUSE ME!!!!

Look at the background! All his stars are double!

I did the same trick with not being able to Registax things, but I owned up later.

Captain Chaos

Go to the top of the class Capt.

well spotted, just shows you have to be extremely careful before you shout to loud.

naz

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

If you recall my "BITS of the comet" fiasco - BTDT, got the red face, though not in quite the same situation.

Captain Chaos

[FLO]

Well spotted Captain :salute:

[FLO]

Lets see if I can't make amends with this post:

Crumbling Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 Approaches

A crumbling comet will soon pass near the Earth. Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is brightening and may even be visible to the unaided eye when the fragmented comet zooms past Earth during the middle of next month. Still, the small comet poses no Earth hazard, since it will pass the Earth at about 25 times the distance of the Moon. Exactly how bright Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 will get is unknown. It is even possible, althought unlikely, that debris from the comet will have spread out enough to cause a notable meteor shower. Pictured above, Fragment B of Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 was photographed two nights ago by a 8.2-metre Very Large Telescope in Chile. Visible to the lower right of the large B fragment are many mini-comets that have broken off and now orbit the Sun separately. Each mini-comet itself sheds gas and dust and so appears to have its own hazy coma. The comet will pass closest to the Sun on June 7.

http://tinyurl.com/hwtpb

[FLO]

Heres more:

Only a few days ago, fragment B of dying comet 73P/Schwassmann Wachmann 3 split in two. One of those two pieces is now "in outburst," almost doubling in brightness since April 23rd. These false-color images from Rolando Ligustri of Talmassons, Italy, show the pair yesterday:

The outburst could signal a new breakup of fragment B, which brightens as fresh veins of ice and dust are exposed to sunlight. If so, the pair may soon be a triple--or more.

Fragment B is shining like a 9th magnitude star, which makes it an easy target for backyard telescopes. Look for it in the constellation Corona Borealis an hour or so after sunset. The view will only improve in the weeks ahead as 73P approaches Earth for a close encounter in mid-May

Source: www.spaceweather.com

[The Warthog]

So, is this thing going to get anywhere near naked-eye visibility?

[FLO]

I guess that depends on how large/intact it is when at its closest; currently, its a good binocular object.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

As in good to see in binoculars, or you need good binoculars to be able to see it?

Captain Chaos

[The Warthog]

It is very close to us at the moment, at .15 AU, so perhaps it isn't going to get to the 4 or 5 mag that would make it a good naked-eye object for clear skies.

I found one comet a couple years ago in my little monocular, but couldn't find it in the scope, because my finder wasn't up to the job. Strange but true. I've acquired a better finder and more eps since then.

[FLO]

As in good to see in binoculars, or you need good binoculars to be able to see it?

Sorry, it was a bit ambiguous.

Given a dark sky, a good 50mm binocular will take you to around mag +10.

The comet is currently around mag +9 so it is a good target for good binocular/seeing conditions.