Monthly Information about Comets in August 1996

Japanese version Home page	Updated on August 21 1996
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Comets Ranking Explanations Faint Comets Positions Table Finding Charts (PostScript)

Comets Ranking

Here is the ranking of comets in August, 1996. Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), the probable greatest comet in this century, is really coming bright now. The magnitude is already 5.5-6.0 now, which means a naked-eye object. This comet is the hottest topic in this summer. New comet C/1996 N1 (Brewington) discovered on July 4 is about 1 mag brighter than expected now. It is 8 mag in the evening sky. A periodic comet 22P/Kopff was also bright but may became faint rapidly. It seems to be fainter than 10 mag now. 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte, which is normally 18 mag or fainter, bursted to be 13 mag. This comet is usually too faint to observe but now is a big chance to see it. In addition, someone report that comet C/1996 E1 (NEAT), which has been expected to be about 15 mag, bursted suddenly and is 10-11 mag now. But many people says that they cannot see so. It seems to be about 13-14 mag. The super comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), which passed 0.10 AU far from the earth and reached 0 mag with 100 deg tail late in March, left to the southern sky. It passed the perihelion on May 1 and is getting fainter slowly day by day. It is about 10 mag now. It probably began to be faint rapidly in mid August. A periodic comet P/1996 P1 (IRAS) was recovered in the southern sky. It was about 13 mag, as bright as expected. New comet C/1996 P2 (Russell-Watson) was discovered in the southern sky, too. It is 13-14 mag now and will be faint on and on. No. 1 C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) 5.5 mag No. 2 C/1996 N1 (Brewington) 8 -> 9 mag No. 3 22P/Kopff 8.5 -> 11.5 mag No. 4 C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 9 -> 11 mag No. 5 P/1996 P1 (IRAS) 12.5 -> 11.5 mag No. 6 116P/Wild 4 11.5 -> 12 mag No. 7 C/1996 J1 (Evans-Drinkwater)13 -> 12 mag No. 8 C/1996 E1 (NEAT)12.5 mag No. 9 65P/Gunn 13 -> 13.5 mag No. 10 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte 13 mag No. 11 C/1996 P2 (Russell-Watson) 13.5 -> 14 mag No. 12 32P/Comas Sola 14 -> 14.5 mag No. 13 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 14 -> 14.5 mag No. 14 96P/Machholz 1 16.5 -> 14.5 mag No. 15 125P/Spacewatch 15 -> 15.5 mag Other faint comets are as follows. 95P/Chiron 15.5 mag P/1987 U1 (Shoemaker-Holt 1) 17 -> 16.5 mag 119P/Parker-Hartley 17 mag 118P/Shoemaker-Levy 4 17.5 -> 17 mag 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 17 -> 17.5 mag C/1995 Y1 (Hyakutake) 17.5 -> 18 mag P/1990 R2 (Holt-Olmstead) 18 -> 17.5 mag 46P/Wirtanen 18.5 -> 17.5 mag 85P/Boethin 18.5 -> 18 mag 81P/Wild 2 18.5 -> 18 mag D/1978 X2 (Tritton) 19.5 -> 18 mag 77P/Longmore 18.5 -> 19 mag 107P/Wilson-Harrington 18.5 mag 43P/Wolf-Harrington 18.5 mag P/1990 R1 (Mueller 2) 19 mag 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 19 mag 2P/Encke 19.5 -> 19 mag 7P/Pons-Winnecke 19 -> 19.5 mag 72P/Denning-Fujikawa 20 -> 23 mag Observable now Not observable in the Northern Hemisphere Periodic comets not yet observed at this return Periodic comets not yet observed at this return but not observable in the Northern Hemisphere

Explanations

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), which was discovered a year ago (July 1995) with 11 mag and said to be extremely bright in next spring, is really coming bright now. It was about 10 mag just before set in the west last autumn. After conjunction with Sun it appeared in the east again at dawn in late February with magnitude 8-9. It has been coming brighter favorably, 7-8 mag in May, 6 mag in June, 5.5-6.0 mag in July and August, and already been a naked-eye object. The diameter is already 15', half of the Moon. You can see the comet even through 5cm finding scope. This is a big present for our summer vacation. Generally, a magnitude equation of a new comet is made from brightness on discovery by calculating absolute magnitude m0 with an assumption a coefficient of log r as 10. For comet Hale-Bopp the equation m1 = -2.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r was calculated last summer, which means this comet will reach -2 mag at its perihelion in next spring. So far the magnitude of this comet brightens along it well. On the contrary the brightening pace was quicker than expected so far. But the magnitude was about 5.5-6 mag for these two months, so total light curve became much more suitable to this equation as a result. The equation calculated in method of least squares with data from last summer is m1 = -3.13 + 5 log d + 11.64 log r It is almost same as the equation above. The current slow brightening pace causes us some anxiety, but to see wholy, we can say the magnitude keeps brightening favorably. The distance from the sun becomes less than 3.5 AU this month and the comet is about 5 mag in this summer. The shape of this comet in this year has been also interesting. CCD users and photographers caught the spiral image. This is because we are now watching the comet in the front, the bending of the tail looks as the spiral. The inclination of coma to the north is seen clearly with naked eyes through a telescope. Someone also see a one-degree tail in the dark spot. The comet goes across Serpens in August and enters into Ophiuchus in September. It is an evening-sky object now. It has been in the south at the end of daylight and is too low in the west to see at mid-night. In September it becomes low at 22 o'clock and sets in the west before mid-night. It is most at east now and not observable around first quarter moon because the moon is too close. This comet has been in Sagittarius and very close to Jupiter since its discovery so we could find it from Jupiter. The comet seems to go far from Jupiter shortly and the tip to find it is, "About 15 deg northwest of Jupiter" this month. It is very bright enough to find without a detail chart. The comet has gone across the Milky Way and it is not surrounded by fine clusters and nebulae now as it was last month. But let's see eastwards of the comet, you can find Jupiter, the king of the planets, and big clusters and nebulae around it. Especially Jupiter closes a big globular cluster M22 (5.0 mag, 24') as seen in one view of a telescope in August and September and it will be a quite sight to see. As said above, this summer is a so luxury vacation that we can watch the greatest comet Hale-Bopp, the king of planet Jupiter, and beautiful summer nebulae in the Milky Way at once in the evening. Let's go out watching stars with your family and friends. Mr. Isao Sato at National Astronomical Observatory in Japan forecasts occultations of some stars by comet Hale-Bopp as follows. It is not sure that the occultation by the core can be observed but dicreasing of brightness by the coma may be observed. Date Time Comet mag. Star Star mag. Sep. 4 21:51 5.3 mag PPM200854 9.8 mag The comet moves west until late September, then starts to move to the northeast in Ophiuchus after October. But because the speed is not fast now, it will be in Ophiuchus until its set in the west in early December. The magnitude reaches 4 mag if it goes along expectation. On the way it closes a globular cluster M14 (7.5 mag, 12') in Ophiuchus from mid October to late October. The hilight is October 27 and the distance is about 20'. The magnitude of the comet is about 4-5. It is not observable from late December to early January. After that it appears at dawn in mid January and seen in the dawn sky till mid March. In this period the magnitude brightens rapidly from 2 mag to -1 mag. March 9 is the day of a solar eclipse in Mongolia and Siberia and the comet is seen overhead just in the eclipse. The "eclipse comet" is after an interval of 115 years. The comet outruns the Sun around March 20. But Hale-Bopp can be watched even both in the evening and at dawn these days because it passes 45 degress north of the Sun at this conjunction and the brightness is at peak, -1 mag. It is seen in the evening sky from late March to late May and the magnitudes goes down from -2 to 1. It begins to move south these days. After set in the west in late May with magnitude 1, we cannot see the comet for a while. In autumn it appears just over the horizon in the south east with magnitude 5 from September to October. But it leaves to the south in November and then will never seen again in the Northern Hemisphere.

C/1996 N1 (Brewington) On July 4 Mr. Howard Brewington in New Mexico discovered a new comet C/1996 N1 (Brewington) in the evening sky with magnitude 10. This comet passes the perihelion on this August 3, and is brightest now. The comet has been observed as about 9 mag in July, which was a typical small comet with about 3-min diameter and weakly condensed image. But after it passed the perihelion on August 3, it was observed as about 8 mag, which is 1 mag brighter than expected. It is also much larger now. It seems to be faint gradually but probably we can see it for some more while. It is still seen in the evening sky this month. It goes northwards, from Coma Berenices to Canes Venatici in August, then reaches Draco in September. The height becomes higher. The time to be low and unable to observe it becomes later, 22 o'clock around August 1, 23 o'clock around September 1 and mid-night aound October 1. The comet will be overhead in the evening in late September. The comet passes among spring galaxies belt. So you can enjoy many galaxies around the comet. Major ones which the comet will passes near are: M63(8.6 mag, 12'), M51(8.3 mag, 11'), M101(7.6 mag, 27'). In late September it closes to comet NEAT. The magnitude of Brewington is 11, that of NEAT is perhaps 13 mag. It keeps moving northwards after this and becomes higher. It is seen overhead in the evening from September to January and comes faint from 10 mag to 17 mag in this period. After that it sets in the west in early March.

22P/Kopff 22P/Kopff has passed the perihelion on July 2 and observed as 8-9 mag last month. It became much larger in July, as 5-10' diameter. Perhaps it is because the comet is at perihelion. It goes far away from both the sun and the earth after this and faints day by day. At first they say this comet reaches 7 mag in June and July, but actually it is fainter, 8-9 mag now. The magnitude equation from November 1994 (23 mag) to June is m1 = 5.3 + 5 log d + 21.0 log r and the magnitude brightening is much weaker than the expected equation, m1 = 3.0 + 5 log d + 26.0 log r The actual brightness has been along the equation very well so far. But it seemed to be faint in mid August. Someone say it is about 12 mag now. So the magnitude seems to be much fainter than expected from the equation above. Therefore I assumed the equation here. Anyway it is so hard to see this comet now. Now the comet is in the east of Sagittarius, about 10-15 degrees east from Jupiter. But the comet moves eastwards and goes away from Jupiter. It is an evening-sky object now and becomes very low in the west in late August. It moves Capricornus in September and sets before mid-night. In addition it also becomes much fainter and no bright stars around to find the comet in September. It means finding the comet is so hard then. It is just in the south of Uranus and Neptune till late September. And it passes 2.5 degrees from a globular cluster M75(8.6 mag, 6') on September 11-15. Then the magnitude is about 12.

C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), discovered in the morning on January 31 by Yuji Hyakutake in Japan, became one of the greatest comets since comet West in 1976. The comet closes 0.10 AU to the earth on March 25 and then it was 0 mag with 100 deg long tail. On the contrary it shined overhead at midnight so we could watch it all night. We could see it move among stars with a telescope. After the approach, the comet has been observed till late April with magnitude 2 in the Northern Hemisphere. It passed 0.23 AU from the sun at perihelion on May 1. After perihelion it was observed in mid May in the Southern Hemisphere. The magnitude is about 3 and seems to pass perihelion without accidents. Then it was 4 mag on May 20, 5 mag on June 5, 6 mag on June 20, 7 mag on July 10 and reached about 8 mag in late July. The light curve in this period is along the equation: m1 = 4.9 + 5 log d + 7.0 log r It shows the comet is fainting more slowly than expected. But the comet was observed as 10.5 mag in early August. And the images taken in mid August shows that it just began to become faint rapidly now. So I assumed how it will be faint after this here. It says the comet will be faint from 9 to 11 mag this month. Comet Hyakutake moves from Carina to Musca in August and closes alpha Centaurus and beta Centaurus in September. It is high in the evening sky in the Southern Hemisphere. It enters the Milky Way in mid August and closes such as the Southern Cross, the Jewel Box (HGC4755, 4.1 mag, 10'), the Coal Sack and alpha and beta Centaurus. That is so fantastic. It closes 96P/Machholz 1 just south of Crux on August 27. The distance is 20'. The magnitudes are 10.5 mag (Hyakutake) and 14.5 mag(96/Machholz 1). The comet is much close to the south pole and observable all night in the Southern Hemisphere. But it is nealy at conjunction and too low in the south at mid-night. It is best to see in the evening from August to September but the conditions of the evening and the dawn come same in autumn. In winter it will be best to see at dawn.

P/1996 P1 (IRAS) A periodic comet P/1996 P1 (IRAS) is expedted to see with magnitude 11 from autumn to winter. It has not been observed for a while and seemed that it might be much fainter than expected. But it was finally recovered on 8th in this month. The magnitude was about 13, which was as bright as expected. The comet is in Tucana in August. To be sorry, it cannot be obverved in the Northern Hemisphere for a while after this. It is almost at opposition and rises high in the south at mid-night to be seen all night this month. It begins to move northward rapidly in September and moves from Tucana to Grus. The condition in early September is same as in August, but in late September the comet becomes an evening object and unable to see in the morning sky. The expected magnitude in September is about 11. It goes more northwards in October, from Grus to Piscis Austrinus, and becomes observable in the low south sky even in the Northern Hemisphere. The magnitude will be 10-11 mag. Then we can observe it until it sets in the west in late March with magnitude 15-16.

116P/Wild 4 A periodic comet 116P/Wild 4 has been as bright as 12 mag in this spring and passes its perihelion on August 31. But the condition of this return is bad and cannot be observed because it is too close to the sun this month. This comet was discovered in 1990 and this time is the first return. It brightened and darkened rapidly last time and much more this time. It reached 13 mag already in January. Then the condition came bad and was about 12-13 mag in May and June. The total magnitude equation from the detect in February 1995 with magnitude 20.5 is m1 = 1.4 + 5 log d + 27.0 log r 12 mag is brighter than expected but it was not observed with eyes (not pictures) after all. The comet is at conjunction but will appear again late in next March at dawn in Sagittarius with 14 mag. Then it is observable till summer when it reaches 17 mag.

C/1996 J1 (Evans-Drinkwater) C/1996 J1 (Evans-Drinkwater) is a new comet discovered on May 16 with magnitude about 16. The reported magnitude is 16 and very faint but actually it seems to be about 14 mag now. The perihelion is January 2, 1997, much in advance, and the distance is 1.2 AU. It brightenes slowly after this and reaches 9-10 mag around its perihelion. But the condition is worst. We cannot see the comet at all around its perihelion because of conjunction with the Sun. The comet reached 13 mag in June and July but has been already unable to observe in the Northern Hemisphere since last month. It becomes not observable this month even in the Southern Hemisphere. The next chance to see this is June 1997 when it appears at dawn in Triangulum but the magnitude is 13. After this it goes away from the Sun and comes fainter on and on.

C/1996 E1 (NEAT) C/1996 E1 (NEAT) is a new comet discovered on March 15. Some people reports that this comet bursted and is 10 mag now, so it is noteworthy now. This is very low in the northern sky now but rises higher and higher after this. Please confirm the image of this comet. Comet NEAT has been very strange since the discovery. The brightness of this comet has been indistinct for 4 months and still it is. The discoverer reported as 16 mag. All reports in March said 16-17 mag. But after that, the brightness differed a few magnitudes from others depending on the observer. It seems as they were observing different comets. In April some said 13.5 mag and some said 17 mag. In May, from 13.5 to 16 mag. There are a few reports in June and they said 14-15 mag. In July a rumor suddenly spread out that comet NEAT had made a great outburst and was 10 mag. They said it was about 10-12 mag, less than 3-min diameter and very diffused. But some Japanese observers tried to take pictures of it but no images there. Some says it is at least fainter than 13 mag. I don't know it is just because it is low now, or it is actually faint. Anyway the current magnitude is indistinct. In August most report say it is about 12-14 mag. Here I decided the light curve as: m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 18.0 log r Then the comet will be 12-13 mag this month. It already passed the perihelion on July 27 and comes closer and closer to the earth after this, so the magnitude will not change. The approach day is late September and passes 1.1 AU from the earth. Then it goes away from both the sun and the earth and faints rapidly. The comet closes to the North Pole in this August and September. So the condition to see it dynamically changes. It is in the head of Ursa Major in early August and seen 20 degress high both in the evening and dawn in the northern sky. The comet never sets but is at conjunction, so it is lowest at mid-night. It moves northwards much more in late August and is in Camelopardalis. Then the height both in the evening and at dawn gradually becomes higher. In early September it closes about 7 degrees to Polaris. The height both in the evening and at dawn keeps increasing until early September. After that the comet moves from Ursa Minor to Draco and becomes an evening object. In this period the height in the evening rapidly rises and the condition to see the comet becomes much better. On the other hand at dawn the height rapidly decreases and becomes unable to see the comet. It moves to Cygnus in late September and is seen overhead in the evening and observable until after mid-night. The comet closes to comet Brewington at that time.

65P/Gunn 65P/Gunn has already passed the perihelion on 24 July. This comet has been observed as 12-13 mag for these several months. It will be gradually faint after this. The condition of this return is good, almost at opposition at perihelion, so expected to be 10-11 mag and be observed with eyes. But actually the magnitude brightening is not so quite and stopped at 12 mag. The magnitude equation since January 1995 is m1 = 7.7 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r that is quite a normal light curve. The comet is still now in the head of Scorpius and moving together with the asteroid Ceres. There are many bright stars around here and not so hard to find it. The comet is seen low in the evening now. The height after daylight is about 20 degrees in late August, about 15 degrees in late September. Observation of this comet in this season will finish in September. But the eccentricity is like a circle and it becomes observable again in Cetus at dawn in June 1997 with magnitude 15. There are many bright nebulae and clusters around the comet now and it closes some of them as follows. Date Period Comet mag. Object Kind Mag Diameter Distance Aug. 16 - 17 13 mag M4 globular cluster 5.9 mag 26' passes in front Aug. 16 12 days 13 mag M4 globular cluster 5.9 mag 26' in 1 deg Aug. 20 12 days 13 mag Antares 1.0 mag in 1 deg Sept. 17 4 days 13.5 mag M62 globular cluster 6.5 mag 14' in 2 degs Sept. 17 4 days 13.5 mag M19 globular cluster 7.1 mag 14' in 3 degs Sept. 25 13.5 mag NGC6304 globular cluster 8.3 mag 7' 40' Sept. 26 13.5 mag NGC6316 globular cluster 9.0 mag 5' 1.5 deg But the comet is so low in the west and so faint that it is hard to enjoy these phenomena.

57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte A Periodic comet 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte passed the perihelion in last spring, March 5, has made a super outburst and brightened 6 mag and is now 13 mag at dawn. This comet has been observed as 21 mag in May 1995. It was just at conjunction around the day of the perihelion and not observable then. The expected magnitude was about 18 mag at best and not remarked when it appeared again at dawn. But in fact it bursted and became 13 mag in late July. Then the comet has been observed as 12-13 mag. So I decided the light curve as: m1 = 6.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r This comet is originally a very small object and normally out of our observations. But now is a big chance to see this comet. Why don't you try to see or take pictures of it? The comet is in Aries in August and September and very high in the east at dawn. The condition to see this keeps good for several months on its position. I don't know when the burst happened. If the brightness remains for a while, it keeps 13 mag until October, 14 mag in November, 15 mag in January. Of course it may suddenly faint before that.

C/1996 P2 (Russell-Watson) A new comet C/1996 P2 (Russell-Watson) was discovered on August 10 as 13 mag in the southern constellation Sculptor. It was about 2 degrees near by NGC613 (galaxy, 10 mag, 6') at that time. The elements say it has already passed the perihelion on February 24 and will be faint on and on after this. This comet has been about 12-13 mag arount its perihelion but too close to the sun to observe it. It began to go away from the sun in spring, but because it is in the southern sky, now it just began to be observable in the Northern Hemisphere. It will be at opposition in late September and early October and be as bright as 14.5 mag. Then it goes to the evening sky, moving northwards, and will be 17.5 mag in next February when it will be low in the west. It is in Sculptor for a while after this and hard to observe in the Northern Hemisphere because it is too low in the south. It can be observed only for a few hours. In August it is seen in the south at the beginning of daylight (3:30 in Tokyo). The altitude is about 25 degrees. In early September it is just in the south at 2:30, in late September 0:30 (the time is in Tokyo). The altitude is around 20 degrees.

32P/Comas Sola 32P/Comas Sola has already passed its perihelion on June 10 and is at conjunction and not observable now. Even the condition of this return is bad, it was observed brighter than expected. About 15 mag in this year. The magnitude equation from last August (20 mag) is m1 = 5.5 + 5 log d + 22.5 log r The comet will appear again at dawn in Virgo with mag 16 so CCD users have another chance to take a picture of it. It is observable until early next year after this.

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 22P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 bursted out in last February and reached about 11 mag. But after that it extremely diffused and has beed quite hard to observe. The diameter was about 4-5' in March and April but is less than 1' now. The reported magnitudes were decreasing since May and about 14 mag in mid June. The comet is in Leo. It is at conjunction and not observable now. It will appear at dawn in November. Then the image of this comet will be stellar as usual.

96P/Machholz 1 A famous periodic comet for its quite small q (0.12 AU), 96P/Machholz 1, which passes the perihelion on October 15, will begin to be bright rapidly now. It is in the southern sky and not yet observed in this return. But the magnitude brightens from 16.5 to 14.5 in August, from 14.5 to 9 in September and so the observations will be reported soon. By the way this comet cannot be observed in the Northern Hemisphere in this return at all. Now the comet is almost at the South Pole and can be observed all night in the Southern Hemisphere. It is near by Small Magellanic Cloud. It starts to move northwards in mid August and enters into the Milky Way in Musca. The comet at this time will be seen in the evening southern sky in the Southern Hemisphere. It closes the super comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) on August 27. The distance is only 20' and the magnitudes are 9.5 mag (Hyakutake) and 14.5 mag (96P/Machholz 1). It enters into Crux in September and becomes lower and lower rapidly in the evening southwest sky, even in the Southern Hemisphere. The magnitude goes brighter but the condition to see it goes worse rapidly. It reaches Centaurus in late September but then already under the horizon. The observable period is until around September 20 with about 10 mag brightness. So it is possible for only a few days in mid September to see the comet with eyes through a telescope. It will reach 2 mag depending on the equation at perihelion, but too close to the sun to see. It will keep close to the sun after that and becomes observable late in next March in the Northern Hemisphere. But the magnitude is 20 or fainter then so actually observers in the Northern Hemisphere cannot see this comet this time.

125P/Spacewatch 125P/Spacewatch was detected in March with magnitude 17 and kept 17 mag after that. But it was observed brighter in July, 15.5 mag in early July and 14.5 mag in late July. It passed the perihelion on July 14 and seems to become fainter after this. It is about 15 mag this month. The comet moves from Virgo to Libra and still seen in the eveing western sky in August. The height just after daylight is about 30 degrees. It seems to set soon in the west, but it is moving eastward rapidly and seen in the same position, low in the west, until set in late November. It moves from Libra to Ophiuchus in September. It is about 16 mag then and the height is about 25 degrees. It passes one degree south of Sakurai object in Sagittarius around October 20. Then it sets in November as 18 mag.

Faint Comets

95P/Chiron, originally considered as an asteroid and registered again as a comet, is still west of Spica this month and too low in the west to observe it. The height just after daylight is only about 10 degrees even in early August. It is under the horizon in late August. The comet will be observable again in December. It passed its first perihelion in last February but the distance from the Sun is 8.5 AU and no happenings on it. It has been stellar with magnitude 15. The observation of it finish this month but CCD users can observe it for some years after this because of the large q and its slow magnitude curve like an asteroid. Generally about 16 mag in 2000, 17 mag in 2002 and 18 mag in 2004.

P/1987 U1 (Shoemaker-Holt 1), which passes the perihelion in November 1997, has not been detected yet. It is in the northeast of Aquarius and should be about 16.5 mag in August and September. It is at opposition in next month. But those who tried to detect it in July could not get the image. So probably the comet is much fainter. Anyway because the condition is best now, it is a good target for CCD users. This season is pre-perihelion and expected to be 16.5 mag in summer and autumn. It sets in the west in next Febuary with magnitude 17 and appears again in July with magnitude 16. Then it reaches 15 mag in November at opposition. It will be observable for a few years after that.

119P/Parker-Hartley is in its first return now. It passed the perihelion on June 24 and was too close to observe it then. Now the comet appears at dawn again. Before the perihelion it was observed from last summmer to last winter with magnitude from 19 to 16. It will go away from the sun after this but the distance changes so slightly that it will be observable as 16-17 mag until the opposition in January. Then it faints to 18.5 mag at set in the west in May. It is now in Gemini in August and September and moves together with 81P/Wild 2 within 3 degrees. Especially those two comets and Venus and M1(nebula, 8.3 mag, 6') are all within 5 degrees.

118PShoemaker-Levy 4, which is also in its first return now, appeared at dawn again. It was observed as 22 -> 20 mag from last summer to autumn and brightened as 17 mag in last July. It is brighter than expected. The comet is in Taurus in August and Orion in September. The magnitude is 17.5 -> 16.5 then. The perihelion is in next January and it is just at opposition. So the condition of this return is best and brightens as 14.5 mag in winter. Then it will be observable until setting in the west in June as 18 mag.

117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 has been observed as 17 mag since detected in May 1995. But it is in the head of Scorpius and will be low in the west this month and maybe unable to observe it. The perihelion is March 1997 and the distance is 3.7 AU so the comet becomes observable with 17 mag in next May.

C/1995 Y1 (Hyakutake) was discovered at dawn on December 26 and brightened as 8 mag in February and March. Then it came faint and 11 mag in April. But it suddenly darken after that and reached 16 mag late in May. It was observed as 17-18 mag in July. Comparing the two magnitude equations, before darkening and after darkening, m1 = 7.4 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r m1 = 10.0 + 5 log d + 14.5 log r you see it suddenly darken about 3 mag. It is in Pegasus in August and September. It is a good position, overhead at dawn, but the brightness is 18 mag or fainter.

A periodic comet P/1990 R2 (Holt-Olmstead) will pass its perihelion in next February as its first return. It is at opposition in August and September. It has been low in the south and not detected yet but it should be 17.5 mag now. But those who tried to detect it in July could not get the image. Maybe it is much fainter. The condition of this return is not good and hard to see at its perihelion because it is close to the sun. The magnitude is only 18.5 at that time. About one mag brighter in this autumn than at perihelion and the position is better, just after opposition, therefore this summer and autumn is best to observe it. It is one of good targets for CCD users.

46P/Wirtanen passes its perihelion in next March and was expected to be 10 mag then. But it was observed in July as 19 mag, 1 mag fainter than expected. It is at opposition in Piscis Austrinus in August, and enters into Microscopium in September. It is low in the south and will be an evening low-sky object soon. But it keeps the same position, 25 deg high in the evening, from December to next July. The comet will brighten as 12 mag in March and faint to 16 mag in July. By the way comet P/1990 R2 (Holt-Olmstead) is also in Piscis Austrinus with magnitude 18.

Comet 85P/Boethin, which will pass the perihelion in next April, has not been observed in this return yet. It is in the Milky Way in the northwest of Sagittarius in August and September and be close to open clusters M6(4.1 mag, 15') and M7(3.2 mag, 80'). It is already in the south in the evening and will be low in the west in September, become unable to observe in October. The condition of this return is worst. It should be 9.5 mag around the perihelion but too close to the sun to see it. After setting in October, it will appear at dawn about one year later, October 1997. Then it is as faint as 17 mag.

81P/Wild 2, which will pass the perihelion in May 1997, appears again at dawn. It was about 20.5 mag in last January and is now 18 mag in Gemini. It moves along a periodic comet 119P/Parker-Hartley. Comet 81P/Wild 2 will be observable as 12-13 mag in the evening sky from January to July in 1997. So it can be observed for about a year after now including the day of perihelion.

A lost periodic comet D/1978 X2 (Tritton) is expected to begin to brighten now. It is in the dawn sky and moves from Taurus to Auriga in August and enters into Gemini in September. The expected magnitude is 19 > 18. The perihelion is in November, and from then to January, when the comet approaches the earth, it is obvserable as 16-17 mag. Then it faints rapidly after the opposition and reaches 20 mag in April. The condition of this return is not bad. Will this comet be really detected.

Comet 77P/Longmore has already passed ths perihelion in last October and goes fainter and fainter. It has been already observed as 16-17 mag in spring 1995. It is now in Microscopium and unable to observe in Japan. It maybe cannot be observed even in the Southern Hemisphere because it is as faint as 19 mag.

Comet 107P/Wilson-Harrington, which is also registered as an asteroid, will pass the perihelion on December 6. It was observed as 19 mag in May. It is in Libra in August and Scorpius in September. It is quite a evening low-sky object now. It is hard to observe it from September to November because the height is less than 20 degrees just after daylight. Then it moves higher again and keeps high enough until next March. The magnitude of this period is about 17. Then the comet becomes low and faint rapidly and sets in the west in late May as 20 mag.

43P/Wolf-Harrington, which will pass the perihelion in September 1997, is now at opposition in Aquila and seen overhead as 18.5 mag. Nobody has observed this comet yet. It brightens as 17.5 mag in January and sets in the west. After conjunction, it appears again at dawn near by the Pleiades as 14.5 mag. Then is will be seen as 12 mag from September to January 1998. Moreover it will be observed until set in June 1998 as 17 mag, totally for more than one year.

P/1990 R1 (Mueller 2) is also waiting for being detected. It is in Scutum as 19 mag now. It will be observable until late November. The perihelion is in November 1997 and seems to brighten as 15.5-16 mag then. After conjunction it will appears again at dawn as 17.5-18 mag in next May. By the way this comet has not been detected at opposition in this early summer so maybe it is actually much fainter.

Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, which bursted and brightened as 6 mag in autumn 1995, is now seen high at dawn,. It is just in Hyades. The burst has been already finished and the comet should be extremely faint now. It was about 14 mag in February so is expected to be 19 mag in August. But it should be much fainter actually.

A famous periodic comet 2P/Encke will begin to brighten gradually for the perihelion in next May. It is 19 mag in Pisces in August and September. Saturn is just south of the comet. It is at opposition next month and observable until set in the west as 16 mag in next February. It is too close to the sun around the day of perihelion and moves southwards rapidly after perihelion. So the condition of this return is good for southern observers, bad for northern observers. After perihelion it appears as 7 mag in June in the Southern Hemisphere and will be observed until autumn. Then the comet is about 18 mag. Northern observers can see it after mid August 1997 but the comet is fainter than 13 mag.

7P/Pons-Winnecke is now in its 21th return. But it has been close to the sun and unable to see at all. It finally came away from the sun but was observed as faint as 19 mag in July. It is in Eridanus in August and September but observing it is so hard. By the way, in early August it is close to the supernova SN1996an in NGC1084 discovered by Mr. Aoki on July 27 as 14 mag.

A lost comet 72P/Denning-Fujikawa should have passed its perihelion on May 29 and seems to leave without being observed in this return as well. The extremely rapid magnitude change is a big characteristic of this comet and it is bright enough to be observed only around the perihelion. This time observers in the Southern Hemisphere had a little chance to detect it in this spring but not seen after all. It moves from Gemini to Cancer in August but is too close to the sun to see. In the Northern Hemisphere it appears at dawn in Leo in September but the magnitude is 24 or fainter, too dark to see.

Positions Table

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) m1 = -2.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 18 19.98 -9 14.8 3.659 2.753 148 5.8 1996- 8- 5 18 6.69 -8 21.5 3.548 2.742 136 5.7 1996- 8-15 17 55.04 -7 33.4 3.436 2.758 124 5.6 1996- 8-25 17 45.51 -6 51.2 3.323 2.794 113 5.4 1996- 9- 4 17 38.37 -6 14.3 3.209 2.844 102 5.3 1996- 9-14 17 33.67 -5 42.0 3.094 2.898 91 5.2 1996- 9-24 17 31.36 -5 12.6 2.977 2.952 81 5.1 1996-10- 4 17 31.25 -4 44.4 2.859 2.999 72 4.9

C/1996 N1 (Brewington) m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 12 38.74 24 18.1 0.938 0.867 59 8.3 1996- 8- 5 13 9.50 32 26.0 0.926 0.894 57 8.3 1996- 8-15 13 41.40 39 36.8 0.948 0.921 58 8.5 1996- 8-25 14 16.29 45 48.3 1.002 0.944 61 8.9 1996- 9- 4 14 57.06 50 59.2 1.080 0.960 66 9.4 1996- 9-14 15 47.20 55 1.5 1.177 0.974 72 10.0 1996- 9-24 16 48.96 57 33.9 1.286 0.988 80 10.6 1996-10- 4 17 59.91 58 4.8 1.402 1.012 88 11.2

22P/Kopff m1 = 8.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 19 24.97 -21 25.3 1.598 0.593 166 8.4 1996- 8- 5 19 28.41 -22 36.2 1.616 0.632 157 8.7 1996- 8-15 19 34.36 -23 29.5 1.640 0.686 148 10.9 1996- 8-25 19 43.07 -24 1.8 1.669 0.756 141 11.2 1996- 9- 4 19 54.35 -24 12.7 1.703 0.840 134 11.6 1996- 9-14 20 7.72 -24 3.3 1.741 0.937 127 12.0 1996- 9-24 20 22.77 -23 35.1 1.784 1.046 121 12.4 1996-10- 4 20 38.98 -22 50.4 1.830 1.166 115 12.8

C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) m1 = 3.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 8 58.29 -69 54.6 1.933 1.653 89 8.0 1996- 8- 5 10 20.06 -70 3.1 2.095 1.867 88 9.2 1996- 8-15 11 24.36 -69 9.1 2.251 2.096 85 9.9 1996- 8-25 12 13.84 -67 58.4 2.402 2.335 81 10.6 1996- 9- 4 12 53.11 -66 51.9 2.549 2.577 77 11.2 1996- 9-14 13 25.71 -65 57.2 2.693 2.820 72 11.7 1996- 9-24 13 53.92 -65 16.2 2.833 3.058 67 12.2 1996-10- 4 14 19.15 -64 48.3 2.970 3.289 62 12.7

P/1996 P1 (IRAS) m1 = 6.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 1 4.52 -62 53.3 2.001 1.335 116 12.7 1996- 8- 5 0 48.68 -63 31.7 1.949 1.236 119 12.3 1996- 8-15 0 20.83 -63 37.6 1.900 1.147 123 11.9 1996- 8-25 23 42.60 -62 29.4 1.855 1.072 125 11.5 1996- 9- 4 23 0.93 -59 25.9 1.815 1.014 127 11.2 1996- 9-14 22 24.60 -54 11.9 1.781 0.980 127 11.0 1996- 9-24 21 58.63 -47 10.0 1.752 0.972 124 10.8 1996-10- 4 21 43.07 -39 8.3 1.730 0.994 120 10.7

116P/Wild 4 m1 = 1.4 + 5 log d + 27.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 10 48.60 8 47.2 2.009 2.727 36 11.8 1996- 8- 5 11 9.57 6 24.5 2.000 2.772 33 11.7 1996- 8-15 11 30.73 3 57.0 1.993 2.815 29 11.7 1996- 8-25 11 52.08 1 26.3 1.990 2.854 25 11.7 1996- 9- 4 12 13.62 -1 6.1 1.989 2.890 21 11.8 1996- 9-14 12 35.36 -3 38.6 1.992 2.924 18 11.8 1996- 9-24 12 57.32 -6 9.3 1.998 2.954 14 11.9 1996-10- 4 13 19.50 -8 36.5 2.006 2.982 10 11.9

C/1996 J1 (Evans-Drinkwater) m1 = 6.5 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 11 40.53 -18 51.2 2.583 2.903 61 12.9 1996- 8- 5 11 54.60 -19 13.6 2.477 2.900 55 12.8 1996- 8-15 12 10.31 -19 47.6 2.370 2.887 50 12.5 1996- 8-25 12 27.70 -20 31.8 2.264 2.864 44 12.3 1996- 9- 4 12 46.84 -21 24.5 2.159 2.832 39 12.1 1996- 9-14 13 7.83 -22 23.3 2.055 2.791 35 11.9 1996- 9-24 13 30.82 -23 25.8 1.953 2.742 31 11.6 1996-10- 4 13 55.94 -24 28.2 1.853 2.687 27 11.3

C/1996 E1 (NEAT) m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 18.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 7 59.56 60 10.8 1.353 1.945 40 12.8 1996- 8- 5 8 14.62 64 32.9 1.359 1.804 48 12.7 1996- 8-15 8 39.21 69 58.0 1.381 1.646 56 12.6 1996- 8-25 9 32.12 76 36.6 1.417 1.483 66 12.6 1996- 9- 4 12 40.64 82 36.6 1.467 1.331 76 12.6 1996- 9-14 17 24.45 76 52.9 1.528 1.214 86 12.7 1996- 9-24 18 45.87 63 4.2 1.600 1.160 95 13.0 1996-10- 4 19 19.61 47 38.6 1.679 1.189 99 13.4

65P/Gunn m1 = 7.7 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 6-26 16 11.04 -23 35.1 2.468 1.533 150 12.6 1996- 7- 6 16 7.35 -24 8.1 2.465 1.597 140 12.6 1996- 7-16 16 6.48 -24 42.4 2.462 1.678 130 12.7 1996- 7-26 16 8.56 -25 18.5 2.462 1.774 121 12.9 1996- 8- 5 16 13.48 -25 56.2 2.463 1.881 113 13.0 1996- 8-15 16 21.01 -26 34.8 2.466 1.995 105 13.1 1996- 8-25 16 30.90 -27 13.2 2.470 2.116 98 13.3 1996- 9- 4 16 42.86 -27 50.0 2.475 2.240 91 13.4

57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte m1 = 6.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 2 22.12 14 6.5 2.136 1.961 85 12.9 1996- 8- 5 2 33.06 14 47.4 2.185 1.895 92 13.0 1996- 8-15 2 41.68 15 14.5 2.236 1.829 99 13.1 1996- 8-25 2 47.65 15 27.6 2.287 1.763 107 13.1 1996- 9- 4 2 50.72 15 26.4 2.339 1.703 116 13.2 1996- 9-14 2 50.71 15 10.9 2.392 1.651 126 13.3 1996- 9-24 2 47.64 14 41.6 2.445 1.611 137 13.4 1996-10- 4 2 41.83 13 60.0 2.498 1.589 148 13.5

C/1996 P2 (Russell-Watson) m1 = 7.3 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 1 32.90 -27 16.5 2.720 2.208 109 13.4 1996- 8- 5 1 38.47 -28 53.8 2.794 2.197 115 13.5 1996- 8-15 1 41.28 -30 35.0 2.869 2.197 122 13.6 1996- 8-25 1 41.31 -32 13.9 2.947 2.212 128 13.7 1996- 9- 4 1 38.75 -33 43.4 3.026 2.243 133 13.9 1996- 9-14 1 33.95 -34 56.4 3.106 2.292 137 14.0 1996- 9-24 1 27.53 -35 46.6 3.186 2.362 138 14.2 1996-10- 4 1 20.27 -36 10.0 3.268 2.452 138 14.4

32P/Comas Sola m1 = 5.5 + 5 log d + 22.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 8 43.89 26 11.7 1.896 2.895 8 14.1 1996- 8- 5 9 11.25 24 39.9 1.920 2.919 8 14.2 1996- 8-15 9 37.56 22 55.7 1.948 2.942 8 14.4 1996- 8-25 10 2.79 21 2.0 1.979 2.963 10 14.5 1996- 9- 4 10 26.91 19 1.7 2.014 2.981 13 14.7 1996- 9-14 10 49.96 16 57.4 2.052 2.996 16 14.9 1996- 9-24 11 11.97 14 51.9 2.093 3.006 20 15.1 1996-10- 4 11 32.98 12 47.1 2.137 3.011 24 15.3

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 m1 = 4.0 + 5 log d + 7.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 10 30.23 4 55.6 6.267 7.080 34 14.2 1996- 8- 5 10 36.58 4 15.8 6.268 7.159 26 14.3 1996- 8-15 10 43.16 3 33.4 6.269 7.218 18 14.3 1996- 8-25 10 49.87 2 48.9 6.269 7.257 11 14.3 1996- 9- 4 10 56.65 2 2.7 6.270 7.274 5 14.3 1996- 9-14 11 3.43 1 15.3 6.271 7.269 6 14.3 1996- 9-24 11 10.14 0 27.1 6.272 7.242 13 14.3 1996-10- 4 11 16.69 0 21.4 6.272 7.193 21 14.3

96P/Machholz 1 m1 = 13.0 + 5 log d + 12.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 0 12.02 -80 0.8 1.944 1.288 114 17.0 1996- 8- 5 2 15.98 -87 58.3 1.772 1.181 107 16.3 1996- 8-15 11 28.33 -82 43.2 1.591 1.102 97 15.6 1996- 8-25 11 57.66 -73 41.2 1.400 1.044 85 14.8 1996- 9- 4 12 11.16 -64 33.9 1.198 1.000 73 13.9 1996- 9-14 12 20.01 -55 13.3 0.978 0.962 59 12.8 1996- 9-24 12 25.66 -44 52.3 0.735 0.923 44 11.2 1996-10- 4 12 28.87 -31 15.2 0.454 0.888 27 8.6

125P/Spacewatch m1 = 10.5 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 13 55.17 0 56.7 1.544 1.289 83 14.8 1996- 8- 5 14 20.34 -2 3.4 1.554 1.351 80 15.0 1996- 8-15 14 46.42 -5 0.3 1.571 1.420 78 15.2 1996- 8-25 15 13.27 -7 48.8 1.593 1.497 76 15.4 1996- 9- 4 15 40.70 -10 24.3 1.620 1.581 73 15.7 1996- 9-14 16 8.55 -12 43.0 1.653 1.673 71 16.0 1996- 9-24 16 36.64 -14 42.1 1.689 1.774 68 16.3 1996-10- 4 17 4.77 -16 19.8 1.730 1.881 65 16.6

95P/Chiron m1 = 4.0 + 5 log d + 7.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 12 35.66 -5 26.7 8.475 8.820 66 15.7 1996- 8- 5 12 39.30 -5 45.0 8.477 8.965 58 15.7 1996- 8-15 12 43.39 -6 6.3 8.480 9.097 49 15.8 1996- 8-25 12 47.88 -6 30.2 8.483 9.215 41 15.8 1996- 9- 4 12 52.70 -6 56.4 8.486 9.314 33 15.8 1996- 9-14 12 57.79 -7 24.2 8.490 9.393 24 15.8 1996- 9-24 13 3.10 -7 53.4 8.493 9.451 16 15.8 1996-10- 4 13 8.54 -8 23.2 8.497 9.486 7 15.9

P/1987 U1 (Shoemaker-Holt 1) m1 = 8.5 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 23 17.31 0 14.5 3.926 3.164 132 16.9 1996- 8- 5 23 14.79 0 3.3 3.899 3.040 143 16.8 1996- 8-15 23 10.91 -0 18.4 3.871 2.938 153 16.7 1996- 8-25 23 5.94 -0 49.5 3.844 2.862 164 16.6 1996- 9- 4 23 0.26 -1 27.9 3.817 2.813 174 16.6 1996- 9-14 22 54.36 -2 10.7 3.790 2.792 171 16.5 1996- 9-24 22 48.78 -2 54.4 3.763 2.801 160 16.5 1996-10- 4 22 44.04 -3 35.2 3.736 2.838 149 16.5

119P/Parker-Hartley m1 = 2.0 + 5 log d + 25.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 5 34.14 22 44.8 3.050 3.767 39 17.0 1996- 8- 5 5 49.64 22 41.3 3.053 3.680 45 16.9 1996- 8-15 6 4.56 22 31.6 3.057 3.584 51 16.9 1996- 8-25 6 18.73 22 16.2 3.062 3.479 57 16.9 1996- 9- 4 6 32.03 21 55.8 3.069 3.367 64 16.8 1996- 9-14 6 44.29 21 31.3 3.075 3.248 71 16.8 1996- 9-24 6 55.32 21 3.7 3.083 3.124 78 16.7 1996-10- 4 7 4.94 20 34.1 3.092 2.998 85 16.6

118P/Shoemaker-Levy 4 m1 = 10.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 3 38.44 12 29.4 2.395 2.592 67 17.8 1996- 8- 5 3 55.60 12 56.0 2.358 2.448 72 17.5 1996- 8-15 4 12.46 13 12.2 2.322 2.305 78 17.3 1996- 8-25 4 28.82 13 17.7 2.287 2.162 83 17.1 1996- 9- 4 4 44.47 13 12.4 2.254 2.021 89 16.8 1996- 9-14 4 59.13 12 56.2 2.222 1.883 95 16.6 1996- 9-24 5 12.48 12 30.0 2.193 1.750 102 16.3 1996-10- 4 5 24.19 11 54.7 2.165 1.622 108 16.1

117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 m1 = 6.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 15 47.29 -19 48.9 3.822 3.271 115 17.3 1996- 8- 5 15 49.03 -20 11.1 3.814 3.398 106 17.4 1996- 8-15 15 52.48 -20 37.2 3.806 3.532 97 17.4 1996- 8-25 15 57.53 -21 6.5 3.798 3.670 89 17.5 1996- 9- 4 16 4.04 -21 38.0 3.791 3.808 81 17.6 1996- 9-14 16 11.88 -22 11.1 3.784 3.943 73 17.6 1996- 9-24 16 20.92 -22 44.7 3.777 4.072 65 17.7 1996-10- 4 16 31.02 -23 18.1 3.771 4.194 58 17.8

C/1995 Y1 (Hyakutake) m1 = 10.0 + 5 log d + 14.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 0 14.43 38 10.8 2.510 2.113 100 17.2 1996- 8- 5 0 8.20 37 18.2 2.627 2.098 110 17.5 1996- 8-15 23 59.54 35 55.4 2.742 2.091 120 17.7 1996- 8-25 23 49.23 34 0.0 2.857 2.099 130 18.0 1996- 9- 4 23 38.26 31 33.9 2.971 2.128 139 18.3 1996- 9-14 23 27.63 28 43.2 3.084 2.185 147 18.5 1996- 9-24 23 18.25 25 37.8 3.196 2.272 152 18.8 1996-10- 4 23 10.71 22 29.9 3.307 2.392 151 19.2

P/1990 R2 (Holt-Olmstead) m1 = 11.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 22 26.63 -30 35.2 2.535 1.605 149 18.1 1996- 8- 5 22 19.94 -31 10.4 2.502 1.536 157 17.9 1996- 8-15 22 11.10 -31 33.1 2.470 1.490 161 17.8 1996- 8-25 22 1.16 -31 35.5 2.439 1.469 158 17.6 1996- 9- 4 21 51.46 -31 12.9 2.409 1.472 151 17.6 1996- 9-14 21 43.30 -30 24.3 2.380 1.497 143 17.5 1996- 9-24 21 37.71 -29 12.4 2.353 1.542 134 17.5 1996-10- 4 21 35.25 -27 41.7 2.326 1.604 124 17.5

46P/Wirtanen m1 = 11.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 22 5.94 -27 32.3 2.699 1.744 155 18.7 1996- 8- 5 21 56.94 -29 13.7 2.626 1.641 162 18.4 1996- 8-15 21 45.52 -30 51.8 2.551 1.565 163 18.1 1996- 8-25 21 32.64 -32 15.7 2.476 1.517 156 17.8 1996- 9- 4 21 19.72 -33 16.5 2.398 1.494 146 17.6 1996- 9-14 21 8.29 -33 49.2 2.320 1.494 135 17.4 1996- 9-24 20 59.74 -33 53.7 2.240 1.512 124 17.2 1996-10- 4 20 54.92 -33 33.3 2.159 1.541 114 17.0

85P/Boethin m1 = 6.5 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 17 51.36 -30 5.5 3.237 2.358 144 18.6 1996- 8- 5 17 43.69 -29 51.6 3.155 2.373 133 18.4 1996- 8-15 17 38.40 -29 34.5 3.071 2.405 122 18.2 1996- 8-25 17 35.83 -29 16.4 2.987 2.451 112 18.0 1996- 9- 4 17 36.06 -28 58.9 2.901 2.505 102 17.7 1996- 9-14 17 39.03 -28 42.7 2.815 2.562 93 17.5 1996- 9-24 17 44.64 -28 27.8 2.727 2.619 85 17.3 1996-10- 4 17 52.69 -28 13.4 2.639 2.671 77 17.1

81P/Wild 2 m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 5 30.91 20 52.8 2.918 3.619 40 18.8 1996- 8- 5 5 46.59 20 59.8 2.861 3.470 46 18.5 1996- 8-15 6 2.29 21 0.5 2.803 3.311 52 18.3 1996- 8-25 6 17.91 20 55.0 2.745 3.144 57 18.1 1996- 9- 4 6 33.36 20 43.4 2.687 2.971 64 17.8 1996- 9-14 6 48.54 20 26.0 2.628 2.794 70 17.5 1996- 9-24 7 3.31 20 3.4 2.569 2.612 76 17.2 1996-10- 4 7 17.53 19 36.4 2.510 2.429 82 16.9

D/1978 X2 (Tritton) m1 = 13.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 3 32.16 25 48.0 1.794 1.938 66 19.5 1996- 8- 5 4 0.95 27 31.0 1.736 1.811 69 19.1 1996- 8-15 4 31.61 28 57.1 1.682 1.691 72 18.7 1996- 8-25 5 4.05 30 1.0 1.631 1.579 74 18.2 1996- 9- 4 5 38.02 30 37.6 1.584 1.476 76 17.8 1996- 9-14 6 13.09 30 42.5 1.543 1.382 78 17.5 1996- 9-24 6 48.58 30 12.5 1.507 1.297 80 17.1 1996-10- 4 7 23.75 29 6.6 1.478 1.220 82 16.8

77P/Longmore m1 = 7.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 18 58.01 -58 0.3 2.982 2.145 138 18.1 1996- 8- 5 18 49.28 -56 57.1 3.014 2.230 132 18.3 1996- 8-15 18 44.25 -55 36.8 3.046 2.332 126 18.5 1996- 8-25 18 42.96 -54 6.1 3.079 2.451 119 18.7 1996- 9- 4 18 45.09 -52 30.6 3.111 2.582 112 18.9 1996- 9-14 18 50.14 -50 53.7 3.144 2.725 105 19.1 1996- 9-24 18 57.61 -49 17.6 3.177 2.875 98 19.3 1996-10- 4 19 7.02 -47 43.1 3.210 3.030 91 19.5

107P/Wilson-Harrington m1 = 16.5 + 5 log d + 5.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 15 0.20 -17 52.1 1.873 1.341 104 18.5 1996- 8- 5 15 5.07 -17 54.4 1.790 1.374 95 18.5 1996- 8-15 15 13.59 -18 11.4 1.707 1.403 88 18.4 1996- 8-25 15 25.58 -18 40.1 1.623 1.425 81 18.3 1996- 9- 4 15 40.86 -19 17.3 1.539 1.440 75 18.2 1996- 9-14 15 59.39 -19 58.9 1.456 1.445 70 18.1 1996- 9-24 16 21.18 -20 40.6 1.375 1.439 65 18.0 1996-10- 4 16 46.27 -21 17.2 1.296 1.423 61 17.8

43P/Wolf-Harrington m1 = 8.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 20 47.75 4 24.7 3.686 2.738 155 18.7 1996- 8- 5 20 39.52 4 19.0 3.638 2.678 158 18.6 1996- 8-15 20 31.23 3 59.5 3.590 2.645 155 18.4 1996- 8-25 20 23.52 3 28.2 3.541 2.640 148 18.3 1996- 9- 4 20 17.00 2 48.3 3.492 2.660 139 18.3 1996- 9-14 20 12.12 2 3.3 3.442 2.702 130 18.2 1996- 9-24 20 9.23 1 17.0 3.391 2.761 121 18.2 1996-10- 4 20 8.45 0 32.8 3.339 2.834 111 18.1

P/1990 R1 (Mueller 2) m1 = 11.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 18 38.92 -13 38.3 3.620 2.677 154 18.7 1996- 8- 5 18 33.16 -13 52.8 3.588 2.716 144 18.7 1996- 8-15 18 28.98 -14 9.8 3.557 2.779 133 18.7 1996- 8-25 18 26.67 -14 28.4 3.525 2.859 123 18.8 1996- 9- 4 18 26.36 -14 47.4 3.493 2.954 114 18.8 1996- 9-14 18 28.07 -15 5.7 3.461 3.058 105 18.8 1996- 9-24 18 31.74 -15 22.4 3.428 3.169 96 18.9 1996-10- 4 18 37.22 -15 36.4 3.396 3.281 87 18.9

73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 m1 = 5.5 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 4 7.32 16 53.3 3.288 3.669 60 18.7 1996- 8- 5 4 14.89 17 15.5 3.350 3.595 68 18.8 1996- 8-15 4 21.10 17 32.6 3.411 3.510 76 18.9 1996- 8-25 4 25.75 17 44.9 3.471 3.417 84 19.0 1996- 9- 4 4 28.68 17 52.9 3.529 3.321 93 19.1 1996- 9-14 4 29.70 17 56.7 3.586 3.224 102 19.1 1996- 9-24 4 28.65 17 56.5 3.642 3.132 112 19.2 1996-10- 4 4 25.48 17 52.4 3.697 3.049 123 19.3

2P/Encke m1 = 11.0 + 5 log d + 12.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 0 37.94 9 43.1 3.381 2.885 110 19.6 1996- 8- 5 0 35.48 9 56.5 3.329 2.696 120 19.4 1996- 8-15 0 30.68 9 57.1 3.276 2.519 131 19.2 1996- 8-25 0 23.39 9 42.5 3.220 2.360 142 19.0 1996- 9- 4 0 13.64 9 11.1 3.162 2.224 154 18.7 1996- 9-14 0 1.75 8 22.5 3.102 2.117 165 18.5 1996- 9-24 23 48.41 7 18.4 3.039 2.042 172 18.3 1996-10- 4 23 34.60 6 3.3 2.973 2.001 163 18.2

7P/Pons-Winnecke m1 = 11.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 2 54.78 -7 40.5 2.503 2.377 85 18.9 1996- 8- 5 3 1.80 -8 15.8 2.576 2.327 92 19.0 1996- 8-15 3 6.55 -9 4.1 2.647 2.275 100 19.1 1996- 8-25 3 8.79 -10 3.6 2.718 2.226 108 19.3 1996- 9- 4 3 8.39 -11 11.2 2.788 2.183 116 19.4 1996- 9-14 3 5.29 -12 22.9 2.857 2.150 125 19.5 1996- 9-24 2 59.58 -13 32.9 2.924 2.133 134 19.6 1996-10- 4 2 51.63 -14 34.6 2.991 2.135 142 19.8

72P/Denning-Fujikawa m1 = 15.5 + 5 log d + 25.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 1996- 7-26 7 12.20 26 43.5 1.231 2.159 17 19.4 1996- 8- 5 7 45.47 26 8.6 1.347 2.256 19 20.5 1996- 8-15 8 15.16 25 15.2 1.464 2.345 22 21.5 1996- 8-25 8 41.64 24 10.8 1.581 2.423 26 22.4 1996- 9- 4 9 5.30 23 1.1 1.697 2.490 30 23.2 1996- 9-14 9 26.47 21 50.2 1.812 2.542 34 24.0 1996- 9-24 9 45.39 20 41.5 1.924 2.580 40 24.7 1996-10- 4 10 2.26 19 37.4 2.035 2.602 45 25.3

Finding Charts (PostScript)

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) P/1990 R1 (Mueller 2) 45KB C/1996 N1 (Brewington) C/1996 E1 (NEAT) 70KB 22P/Kopff 56KB C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 96P/Machholz 1 92KB P/1996 P1 (IRAS) 77P/Longmore 88KB 116P/Wild 4 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 95P/Chiron 61KB C/1996 J1 (Evans-Drinkwater) 64KB 65P/Gunn 85P/Boethin 62KB 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 72KB C/1996 P2 (Russell-Watson) 7P/Pons-Winnecke 66KB 32P/Comas Sola 72P/Denning-Fujikawa 75KB 125P/Spacewatch 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 107P/Wilson-Harrington 74KB P/1987 U1 (Shoemaker-Holt 1) 2P/Encke 51KB 119P/Parker-Hartley 118P/Shoemaker-Levy 4 81P/Wild 2 D/1978 X2 (Tritton) 103KB C/1995 Y1 (Hyakutake) 79KB P/1990 R2 (Holt-Olmstead) 46P/Wirtanen 51KB 43P/Wolf-Harrington 59KB