Monthly Information about Comets in December, 1997

Japanese version Home page	Updated on December 7, 1997
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Comets Ranking Bright Comets Faint Comets Ephemeris Table

Comets Ranking

Here is the ranking of comets in December, 1997. 55P/Tempel-Tuttle will brighten rapidly. It should be 15 mag in early December, reach 11 mag at the end of this year and become a target of visual observation. However, it was fainter than prediction in early November. There is no report that it is becoming brighter after that. Anyway this comet is the most important in this month. Other bright comets are all in the evening sky. The best target is 103P/Hartley 2, about 9 mag. The best comet in November, C/1997 T1 ( Utsunomiya ) will be too low in late December. C/1997 J2 ( Meunier-Dupouy ) is 11 mag but becomes low, too. P/1997 V1 ( Larsen ) was discovered but it will not become brighter than 17 mag. P/1983 J3 ( Kowal-Vavrova ) appears at dawn. It should brighten rapidly and is a good target to recover. No. 1 C/1995 O1 ( Hale-Bopp ) 6 -> 6.5 mag No. 2 103P/Hartley 2 9.5 -> 9 mag No. 3 C/1997 T1 ( Utsunomiya ) 10.5 -> 11 mag No. 4 55P/Tempel-Tuttle 15 -> 11 mag No. 5 C/1997 D1 ( Mueller ) 11 -> 12 mag No. 6 C/1997 J2 ( Meunier-Dupouy ) 11.5 mag No. 7 43P/Wolf-Harrington 12.5 -> 13 mag No. 8 78P/Gehrels 2 13 -> 13.5 mag No. 9 104P/Kowal 2 13.5 -> 13 mag No. 10 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 14 mag No. 11 C/1997 J1 ( Mueller ) 14.5 -> 15 mag Other faint comets are as follows. 128P/Shoemaker-Holt 1 15.5 mag 65P/Gunn 15.5 -> 16 mag 132P/Helin-Roman-Alu 2 16 -> 16.5 mag 95P/Chiron 16 mag C/1996 J1 ( Evans-Drinkwater ) 16 -> 16.5 mag 48P/Johnson 16.5 mag C/1997 O1 ( Tilbrook ) 16.5 -> 17.5 mag 62P/Tsuchinshan 1 17 -> 16.5 mag P/1997 V1 ( Larsen ) 16.5 -> 17 mag 129P/Shoemaker-Levy 3 17 mag 88P/Howell 18 -> 17 mag 22P/Kopff 17 -> 17.5 mag 69P/Taylor 17.5 mag C/1997 A1 ( NEAT ) 17.5 -> 18 mag C/1997 BA6 ( Spacewatch ) 18 -> 17.5 mag 1997 CU26 18 -> 17.5 mag 49P/Arend-Rigaux 18 mag (5145) Pholus 18 mag 1997 MD10 18 -> 18.5 mag 85P/Boethin 18 -> 18.5 mag 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh 18 -> 18.5 mag P/1996 R2 ( Lagerkvist ) 18 -> 18.5 mag P/1983 J3 ( Kowal-Vavrova ) 19 -> 18.5 mag 131P/Mueller 2 18.5 -> 19 mag C/1996 P2 ( Russell-Watson ) 18.5 -> 19 mag P/1997 T3 19 mag P/1992 G2 ( Shoemaker-Levy 8 ) 20.5 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

Bright Comets

C/1995 O1 ( Hale-Bopp ) [Finding Chart] Comet Hale-Bopp was observed again in Japan from September to October as 5-6 mag in the southeastern low sky at dawn. But it has gone southwards after final observation in Japan on Nov. 2. It will never be seen again in the Northern Hemisphere, except for some low latitude countries. Because this comet is so big, it will take several years to fade out gradually. It will keep the brightness as 10 mag even at the end of 1998. However only southern observers can trace it. The comet was observed 6.0-6.5 mag in November. Although it is already father than 3.5AU from the Sun, it is still a naked-eye object this month. It moves from the middle of Carina to the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Earth passes the point where the orbits of Comet Hale-Bopp and the Earth closes most on Jan. 3. Some predict that some meteors related to this comet may appear at that time if there are meteorites moving on the comet's orbit. However the distance of both orbits is farther than 0.1AU, so the possibility is very small. In addition, Quadrantids becomes at the peak on that day. The radiant point predicted from Comet Hale-Bopp is around the head of Bootus, which is very near to that of Quadrantids. Therefore it is extremely hard to catch a meteor from the comet visually.

103P/Hartley 2 [Finding Chart] 103P/Hartley 2 will pass the perihelion on 21th in this month. This is the best comet in this month. It has been brightening as 19 mag in May, 17-19 mag in June, 16.5-18.5 mag in July, 13-15.5 mag in August and 12-15 mag in September and October. The results of CCD observations are about 1-3 mag fainter than visual reports, probably because of the diffused image. However the comet was easily observed as 10-9 mag even visually in November. It brightens 9.5 -> 9 mag this month, and maybe reaches 8 mag. It moves eastwards in Aquarius in December. It locates in the southwest at dusk. The altitude at the end of the evening glow keeps 40 deg for a while. It is just north of Jupiter in early December. But there are no bright stars around after that, so maybe it is a bit hard to find the comet. This comet keeps brighter than 12 mag until next February and observable visually. It will be in the southwest at dusk at the same altitude all through the period. We can observe it until next June when it becomes 18 mag. By the way, at the last return in 1991, some reported that he observed the meteor shower of this comet from Nov. 10 to 12. The detected R.P. is (296, +13), near Altair in Aquila. It locates in the southwest at dusk in November. As the orbit of the comet changes, the radiant point is predicted around the head of Cygnus in early November this year. Some reported that there were several appearances of related meteors.

C/1997 T1 ( Utsunomiya ) [Finding Chart] This is a new comet discovered by Syogo Utsunomiya in Kumamoto, Japan, as 10.5 mag on Oct. 3. The comet was discovered just when it had brightened rapidly as it approached to the Earth. It was observed as 9 mag from mid October to mid November. This is the brightest comet in the Northern Hemisphere in November since Comet C/1995 O1 ( Hale-Bopp ) has gone to the southern sky. The discovery position is very high in the north, Decl. as +72 deg, but it moved southwards rapidly and the altitude became lower. So it was a bit hard to see it after mid November. It passes the perihelion on Dec. 10. Then it goes far away from both the Sun and the Earth and goes fainter and fainter. The brightness is 10.5 -> 11 mag in this month. It moves southwards in the western part of Aquila. It locates in the evening western sky until mid December. But the altitude becomes too low and we cannot see it in late December. Then it becomes at conjunction with the Sun. It will appear at dawn again as 11.5 mag in late January.

55P/Tempel-Tuttle [Finding Chart] 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the mother of Leonids, is expected to brighten rapidly this month. The magnitude equation used to describe this information is: m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r which is determined to fit the magnitude at the ancient returns in 1366, 1699 and 1865. However, the observations in these returns are all within a month from the perihelion date, so the comet was very bright. The condition of the last return in 1965 was worse and this comet was found on a plate taken about 2 months after the perihelion date. But the comet was estimated as 16 mag, about 3 mag fainter than expected from the equation above. In addition, the comet was 2 mag brighter than expected at the perihelion passage in 1865. Therefore the light curve of 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is so unstable. It may brighten only just around the perihelion passage. It has been already recovered in March as faint as 22.4 mag. Then it had been too close to the Sun. Appearing again at dawn in early November, the comet was observed as 18.4-19.5 mag at Geisei, Saji and Kuma observatories. The brightness was fainter than expected from the equation above. There is no report that it began to get brighter so far. However, it is the first time in the history that the comet is observed when it is so faint. Therefore nobody can predict how the brightness changes after this. The ephemeris says the comet is already brighter than 15 mag in early December, which is bright enough to catch with a CCD. It brightens rapidly and reaches to 11 mag at the end of this year, so visual observation will be also possible. It moves northwards from Coma Berenices to Canes Venatici and locates high in the morning eastern sky. The motion becomes so rapid after late December. It reaches 8 mag at the peak in mid January when it approaches the Earth up to 0.36AU. The comet passes the perihelion on Feb. 28. But the condition after perihelion is bad and we in the Northern Hemisphere can hardly observe the comet. So the best season is until early March for the Northern observers. We cannot miss it for three months after this. It moves among many galaxies between Coma Berenices and Virgo in early December. Especially it closes to M88 up to less than 1 deg from Dec. 1 to 3. Because it moves rapidly next month, the comet closes to many objects. Especially, to M106 up to 1.3 deg on Jan. 8, then to M76 up to 30 arcmin on Jan. 24. In late January, the comet closes to M33 up to 2.6 deg. Leonids has bursted out many times at the past returns of this comet. In this return 1998 is the best year in Japan. This year is one year before and a large Moon shining on the peak day, so the condition was bad. We in Japan was also obstructed by bad weather. However, many bright meteors appeared on the peak day which implies the large number of appearance in 1998.

C/1997 D1 ( Mueller ) [Finding Chart] C/1997 D1 ( Mueller ) is a new comet discovered by Jean Mueller on a plate of the second Palomar Sky Survey taken on Feb. 17. Though it was reported as 16 mag at the discovery, it was actually observed about 1-3 mag brighter. It was at the conjunction with the Sun in summer. When it appeared again at dawn after September, it was a bit brighter, observed as 12-14 mag. Visual observers reported as 11 mag in November. However photo and CCD observers reported much fainter, about 13-14.5 mag at the same time. Here I adopt the brightest report for prediction. Though it has already passed the perihelion on Oct. 11, the comet has been coming close to the Earth. So the peak is from late November to early December. The comet is predicted to fade out from 11 mag to 12 mag in this month. However, observers should consider that it may be about 2-3 mag fainter than ephemeris, as the CCD observers reported. The comet moves southwestwards rapidly among winter constellations. It moves from the center of Orion to Eridanus this month. It was at opposition and locates in the south at midnight in early December. But it will be already opposite in the evening, around 21:00, in late December. The comet closes up to 24 arcmin to the Horsehead Nebula on Dec. 2, then up to 1.8 deg to the Orion Nebula M42 on Dec. 4. In January the comet suddenly fades out and becomes 14 mag or fainter in late February when it locates very low in the evening western sky. But the perihelion distance is so large as 2.2 AU. So it can be observable again in next summer as 16 mag, though it locates low in the south.

C/1997 J2 ( Meunier-Dupouy ) [Finding Chart] A new comet discovered as 14 mag on May 7. It was discovered while tracing another new comet C/1997 J1 ( Mueller ) discovered four days before. C/1997 J2 was found in the field of C/1997 J1 by chance. The both had quite same brightness at that time. Following observations say this comet is about 1 mag brighter than the prediction. It passes the perihelion on next Mar. 10 but only reaches to 3AU from the Sun. Because of the large distance, the light curve is very gentle. It has brightened steadily and reached to 11-12 mag in November. After this, it will be observable as 11 mag for about one year. The ephemeris shows it keeps observable as 16 mag even in 2000. It moves southeastwards in Lyra this month and enters into Cygnus next month. It is still in the northwest at dusk. But the altitude at the end of the evening glow becomes so low, 35 -> 25 deg. In next month, the altitude becomes only 15 deg. In addition, the comet locates in the Milky Way in Cygnus, so the observation of this comet will be so hard. After mid January it turns to be in the morning sky, then the altitude goes higher again.

43P/Wolf-Harrington [Finding Chart] 43P/Wolf-Harrington had been too close to the Sun in the former half of this year, but it had brightened rapidly during that. When it appeared at dawn in July, it was bright as 14 mag. Then it was observed as 13 mag in summer and reached 12 mag in autumn. This is a bit brighter than the prediction. The perihelion passage was on Sept. 29. The peak was already past and the comet will be fainter gradually. The ephemeris says the magnitude goes 12 -> 13 mag. However, the comet has not yet shown to fade out still in November. So it may keep the current brightness for a while more. It is in the morning southern sky. It moves southwards from Sextans to Hydra. This comet will be at opposition in next February. It is in the southern sky and the altitude in Japan is only 30 deg or more after next month. But we can observe it until next early summer when it reaches 19 mag.

78P/Gehrels 2 [Finding Chart] 78P/Gehrels 2 has already passed the perihelion on Aug. 7. But it keeps so bright as 12 mag for four months from August to November. The peak of this comet was also already past, but it has not yet shown to fade out still in November. It still locates in the foot of Gemini this month and overhead after midnight. It becomes at opposition at the end of this year. The ephemeris says the magnitude goes 12 -> 13 mag. But actually t may keep the current brightness for a while more. After next month it will go fainter rapidly as it goes far away from both the Sun and the Earth. But the positional condition of this comet keeps good for a while. We can observe it until next early summer when it reaches 19 mag.

104P/Kowal 2 [Finding Chart] 104P/Kowal 2, which passes the perihelion on Mar. 2, 1998, has been brightening as 19 mag in May, 18 mag in June, 17.5 mag in July, 16.5 -> 15.5 mag in August, 15 mag in September and October, and 14.5 -> 13.5 mag in November. The magnitude equation of this period is: m1 = 9.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r This is about 1 mag brighter than prediction and implies the comet will reach to 12 mag in winter and spring. It moves from the head of Pegasus to Pisces this month. The brightness is about 13 mag and probably one of the targets for visual observers. It locates very high at dusk. This comet will keep in the evening sky until next May.

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 [Finding Chart] 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is now around the aphelion, but the orbit is almost a circle and looks as a same magnitude for years. It is still active and sometimes happens a small outburst. This year it bursted out and reached 11 mag in early February and late May. However the outburst continues for only a few days. Though the total magnitude keeps always 13 mag, the image is so diffused and as hard to observe as 16-17 mag comets. The comet has been at conjunction with the Sun and impossible to observe. It appears at dawn now. It locates south of Spica. The altitude at the beginning of morning glow becomes higher, 20 -> 33 deg in Japan.

C/1997 J1 ( Mueller ) [Finding Chart] C/1997 J1 ( Mueller ) is a new comet discovered by Jean Mueller on a plate of the second Palomar Sky Survey taken on May 3. Though it was reported as 14 mag at the discovery, it was actually a bit brighter, observed as about 12-14 mag after that. The comet has passed the perihelion on the discovery day and is getting fainter now. But because the perihelion distance is large as 2.3AU, it was observed bright as 14 mag still in October and November. It locates north of Gemini and moves westwards this month. Because it locates overhead after midnight, the condition is very good. It keeps the brightness as 14 mag. We can observe this comet until next spring when it reaches 17 mag. After that, it will appear again at dawn in next autumn as 19 mag.

Faint Comets

128P/Shoemaker-Holt 1 [Finding Chart] has been already recovered in September 1996. Though it was so faint as 20.7 mag at that time, the nucleus was split into two pieces. In this year, it has been brightening as 18 mag in August, 17 mag in September, 16 mag in October, and reached to 15 mag in late November. That is much brighter than expected. The magnitude equation for this rapid brightening becomes: m1 = -92.5 + 5 log d + 220 log r This is quite unusual. Maybe this is the result of the nucleus splitting. It passed the perihelion on Nov. 20 and will turn to fade out after this. But it is just after opposition now and still keeps 15 mag in this month. It is near Hyades and locates overhead at midnight.

65P/Gunn [Finding Chart] has already passed the perihelion on July 24, 1996. Because the eccentricity is small and the orbit is like a circle, it still keeps 16 mag. Though no observations had been reported since September 1996 for a while, it was observed as 13-17 mag from July to November this year. Visual observers reported the comet is much brighter than expected. It is in the tail of Cetus, near beta Cet, in the evening sky. This comet is as bright as 18 mag even at the aphelion and observable every time.

132P/Helin-Roman-Alu 2 [Finding Chart] was recovered on July 13 as 19.5 mag. Though it was about 2 mag fainter than expected, the comet brightened rapidly after that: 17.5 mag in early September, 16.5 mag in late September, and 15.5-16 mag in October and November. However it passed the perihelion on Nov. 10 and will turn to fade out after this. It locates at the joint of Pisces and locates high in the evening sky. The magnitude is 16 -> 16.5.

95P/Chiron [Finding Chart], whose period is about 50 years and which is also registered as an asteroid (2060), appears again at dawn. Though the altitude is still low in early December, the comet will be observed in late December. It has passed the perihelion in 1996 February. But the perihelion distance is so large and the magnitude will never change so much for more several years. The image is stellar and not so interesting. It was observed as a bit fainter than expected in the former half of this year. It locates in Libra and still keeps 16 mag this month.

C/1996 J1 ( Evans-Drinkwater ) [Finding Chart] has passed the perihelion about one year before, on Dec. 30. In early May J. Kobayashi found that the comet was split into two nuclei, 10 mag (nucleus A) and 13 mag (B). Then the nucleus A faded out rapidly and reached to 16 mag in early July, then 17.5-18 mag in August. After that the fading became gentle. It was observed as 18.7 mag on Nov. 23. The light curve of the nucleus A was expressed as: m1 = -0.2 + 5 log d + 27.6 log r On the other hand, the nucleus B has been fading gradually, 14.7 mag in early July and keeps 15 mag still in November. The light curve of the nucleus B is: m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 6.6 log r Here the ephemeris depends on the nucleus B. It locates in Triangulum and overhead at dusk in this month. The brightness is still 16 mag.

48P/Johnson [Finding Chart] has been at conjunction with the Sun and impossible to observe after when it was observed as 21 mag in spring 1996. However, after it appeared at dawn in last spring, it has brightened rapidly as 18.5 -> 17 mag in May, 15.5 mag in late June and reached to 13.5 mag visually and 15 mag with CCD in summer, much brighter than expected. Though the comet is just after the perihelion passage on Oct. 31, the peak of the brightness was summer and it is now fading out. It was observed as 16 mag in autumn. It moves eastwards in Capricornus this month. It closes up to 1 deg to a globular cluster M30 from Dec. 17 to 19. The brightness is 16.5 mag. However it is very low at dusk now and cannot be observable after next month. After conjunction with the Sun, we can observe it again in next autumn as 19 mag.

A new comet C/1997 O1 ( Tilbrook ) [Finding Chart] was discovered by Tilbrook in Australia on July 22 when he was observing a variable star TV Crv. For instance of a comet discovery during a variable star observation, S. Kaho has discovered C/1936 O1 ( Kaho-Kozik-Lis ) when he was observing R LMi in Japan. Though the comet Tilbrook was bright as 10 mag at the discovery, only a few observations were reported in the Northern Hemisphere because it was very low at dusk. After observation on Sept. 21 as 14.2 mag, it became at the conjunction with the Sun. The comet appears again at dawn now. It moves northwards in Corona Borealis. The altitude at the beginning of morning glow becomes higher, 22 -> 48 deg in Japan. However it is already so faint as 16.5 -> 17.5 mag.

62P/Tsuchinshan 1 [Finding Chart] will pass the perihelion on Apr. 19, 1998. It was observed on Nov. 3 at Saji observatory for the first time in this return. Although it was expected as 18 mag at that time, the comet was actually much fainter. It was stellar and only 20.3 mag. The ephemeris says the brightness is 17 -> 16.5 mag in this month, but it is probably much fainter. It locates at the joint of Pisces and overhead in the evening sky.

A new comet P/1997 V1 ( Larsen ) [Finding Chart] discovered by Jeff Larsen with the Spacewatch telescope at Kitt Peak on Nov. 3 as 16.6 mag, is a new periodic comet with 10.8-year period. It has already passed the perihelion on Aug. 16 and will never be brighter after this. It locates in Pisces and high in the evening sky this month, but the brightness fades out as 16.5 -> 17 mag. Because the perihelion distance is large as 3.3AU and the eccentricity is small as 0.33, it can be observed for a while.

129P/Shoemaker-Levy 3 [Finding Chart], which passes the perihelion on Mar. 4, 1998, has been already recovered in October 1996. Though it was faint as 19 mag at that time, it brightened as 17 mag in this autumn. It comes to be at the peak in this winter but the brightness reaches only to 17 mag at most. However, the eccentricity is 0.25, almost a circle, and it will keep 18.5 mag even at the opposition in 1999 spring. So the comet will be observed for a long time. It locates between Gemini and Cancer now and is seen high after midnight.

88P/Howell [Finding Chart] will pass the perihelion on Sept. 27, 1998. It has not been detected in this return yet. It was not detected even in the beginning of 1997 when the comet was 20 mag at opposition. After conjunction, it appears again at dawn since last month. It is expected to brighten as 18 -& 17 mag and the altitude becomes higher as 38 -> 48 deg in this month. So the comet will be detected soon. After this the comet will get brighter rapidly as the altitude at dawn gets higher. It is expected to be 11 mag in next summer and autumn.

22P/Kopff [Finding Chart] has brightened up to 8 mag in spring and summer in 1996. It had been too close to the Sun after observed as 16 mag in last February. Although it has appeared again at dawn since summer, the magnitude was supposed to be fainter than 20 mag. However, T. Oribe and A. Sugie observed it on Nov. 2 and 3, and found that this comet was much brighter than expected as 17 mag, about 3 mag brighter. But the image was so diffused and very hard to observe. That implies it has passed some time after the comet bursted out. Anyway no observation before that is reported and everything is uncertain. The comet locates in the body of Taurus. The positional condition is good just after opposition. But it is so diffused and the observation will be so difficult. The brightness is uncertain.

69P/Taylor [Finding Chart], which passes the perihelion on Dec. 12, was finally observed in October. The position differed about 1 arcmin from the prediction. It has been observed as 18 mag, a bit brighter than expected. However, this comet reaches only to 17 mag at most in this return. It moves northwards in Cancer and locates overhead after midnight this month. It closes to an open cluster M44 in mid and late December. The peak of this comet is from this month to next month.

C/1997 A1 ( NEAT ) [Finding Chart], discovered on Jan. 10 as 18.6 mag, locates high in the evening as 18 mag. It moves from Cassiopeia to Andromeda this month. It closes up to 1.7 deg to M103 on Dec. 9. It closes up to 30 arcmin to Nova Cas 1995 from Dec. 22 to 24. The nova is 11-12 mag still now. It passes in front of the Andromeda Galaxy M31 in early February. However the comet has already passed the perihelion on June 19 and will fade out rapidly after this.

A new comet C/1997 BA6 ( Spacewatch ) [Finding Chart], discovered on Jan. 31 as 19.4 mag, was originally reported as an asteroid. But the current images is cometary with a faint coma. It was observed as 18 mag in November. It will pass the perihelion in November 1999 and is expected to be bright as 14 mag. However it locates near the South Pole around the perihelion and cannot be observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Now it is so far as less than 7 AU from the Sun and keeps faint for a while. It locates in the western part of Sextans in the south at dawn. Northern observers can trace this comet until next May when it reaches 17 mag. But it has gone into the southern sky after that and we in the Northern Hemisphere cannot observe it until 2000 autumn.

A new asteroid 1997 CU26 [Finding Chart], discovered as 18 mag on Feb. 15, is moving on an orbit with 13AU perihelion distance, farther than Saturn, and 60-year period. It means this object is a new member of Centaur asteroids like 95P/Chiron, etc. The perihelion date is 2004 and we will be able to observe it for more than 20 years. Maybe someone detects the coma of this object and it turns to be a comet. It locates in the southeastern part of Cancer now, high in the south after midnight.

49P/Arend-Rigaux [Finding Chart] will pass the perihelion on July 12, 1998. It has been already observed as 19.5 mag in August. The condition of this return is worst and we cannot see it around the perihelion date at all. In this month it locates north of Piscis Austrinus. It closes to the Helix Nebula NGC 7293 up to less than 2 deg for about one week around Dec. 27. It locates in the southwest at dusk. But the altitude at the end of evening glow becomes low, 28 -> 23 deg in Japan. It cannot be observable after next month. After perihelion it begins to appear again in 1999, when it already fades as 17 mag.

An asteroid (5145) Pholus [Finding Chart], which was discovered on Jan. 9, 1992 as 17 mag, was quite a rare object. The orbital elements show that it moves on an orbit with 8.7AU perihelion distance and 90 year period. Because that is very similar to that of 95P/Chiron, which had been regarded as an asteroid for a long time and the true character is a comet, maybe this object is also a comet. But no coma was detected by the following observations. Although 6 years have already passed since the perihelion date, the brightness will not change so much and it will be observable for more several years after this because of the large distance from the Sun. It locates in southwest of Arcturus and in the morning eastern sky.

A new asteroid 1997 MD10 [Finding Chart], discovered as 18.8 mag on June 29, is moving on an orbit like a comet with 1.5 AU perihelion distance and 128-year period. However the image of this object is completely stellar. It passed the perihelion on Nov. 10 and closes to the Sun up to 1.5AU at that time, but no coma was observed. It moves northeastwards in Cygnus this month and locates in the northwestern sky at dusk. The altitude at the end of evening glow is about 40 deg in Japan. Though it is very interesting, it is so faint as 18 mag and hard to observe.

85P/Boethin [Finding Chart] should have passed the perihelion on Apr. 17. The condition of this return is worst and we cannot see it at all because the comet has been too close to the Sun, although it should have reached 9.5 mag at the perihelion passage. Before the perihelion, it was not observed in summer 1996 when it has been 18-19 mag at opposition. The comet has just appeared again at dawn since last month. But the brightness is so faint as 18 or 19 mag. It locates high in the southeast at dawn this month. It will get fainter after this. If no observations succeed until next month, it will be missed in this return.

74P/Smirnova-Chernykh [Finding Chart] is now around the aphelion and in its faintest period as 18 mag. It will brighten slowly for the next perihelion in 2001. It is between Pisces and Cetus now and locates high in the evening sky.

A new periodic comet P/1996 R2 ( Lagerkvist ) [Finding Chart] discovered in 1996 September has passed the perihelion on Jan. 19, 1997. After the observation on Dec. 30, 1996, it has been too close to the Sun and no observations has been reported. The comet should have appeared again at dawn since summer but not yet observed. Maybe it has got fainter than the prediction. It is in the western part of Gemini, about 2 deg north of an open cluster M35. It is at opposition this month and locates overhead at midnight. The ephemeris says it is still 18 mag.

A new periodic comet P/1983 J3 ( Kowal-Vavrova ) [Finding Chart] discovered in 1983 May is in its first return. It locates between Leo and Sextans, high in the south at dawn this month. It should be 18 mag already and it is a good chance to recover now. After this it will brighten rapidly as 18 mag in early January and 17.5 mag in late February. However, it has not yet been recovered yet although the comet locates in the morning since October. That implies the comet is actually much fainter. Though the perihelion passage is in 1998 November, it is at conjunction with the Sun and impossible to observe around the perihelion passage.

131P/Mueller 2 [Finding Chart] was recovered in late June and early July by A. Sugie and A. Nakamura as 18.9 and 19.9 mag. Although the brightness was about 2.5 mag fainter than expected, it was observed a bit brighter after that. It passed the perihelion on Nov. 22 and now going far away from both the Sun and the Earth, so it will fade out soon. It is in Pisces and high in the evening sky.

C/1996 P2 ( Russell-Watson ) [Finding Chart], discovered on Aug. 10, 1996 as 13 mag, has been too close to the Sun for a while since February when observed as 16.7 mag. It appeared again at dawn in August and was observed as 18.6 mag. It was 17 mag in November, brighter than expected. The comet has already passed the perihelion on Mar. 1, 1996, but the perihelion distance is large and it is going faint slowly. It locates still in the northern part of Eridanus this month, high in the evening sky as 18 mag.

A new periodic comet P/1997 T3 [Finding Chart] was discovered on Oct. 5 as 18.9 mag in the course of the Uppsala-DLR Trojan Survey program. This comet has not be named yet. It has a 18-year period orbit and passes the perihelion on Mar. 18, 1998. This object is asteroidal, even a large telescope can detect only the very faint tail and cannot detect the coma. The situation is very similar to that of 133P/Elst-Pizarro, which is also registered as an asteroid (7968). It locates high in the evening sky.

A new periodic comet discovered in 1992 April, P/1992 G2 ( Shoemaker-Levy 8 ) [Finding Chart] is in its first return. Though the perihelion passage is in 1999 December, about two years ahead, the eccentricity is 0.29 and the orbit is rather circular, so it will be recovered soon. It is still extremely faint as 21 mag now but the positional condition is very good in this winter. It locates between Gemini and Cancer, overhead after midnight this month.

Ephemeris Table

Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. +35 deg in the Northern Hemisphere.

C/1995 O1 ( Hale-Bopp ) m1 = -1.0 + 5 log d + 7.9 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 7 34.66 -59 19.3 3.568 3.433 89 6.0 3:02 ( 0, -4) 1997-12- 8 7 14.60 -61 40.8 3.678 3.521 91 6.2 2:03 ( 0, -7) 1997-12-18 6 50.83 -63 17.9 3.787 3.618 92 6.4 1:00 ( 0, -8) 1997-12-28 6 25.27 -64 7.3 3.896 3.726 92 6.5 23:56 ( 0, -9) 1998- 1- 7 6 0.47 -64 11.0 4.003 3.841 92 6.7 22:52 ( 0, -9)

103P/Hartley 2 m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 20 59.23 -9 27.2 1.086 0.932 68 9.6 18:18 ( 35, 39) 1997-12- 8 21 38.17 -9 24.8 1.051 0.893 67 9.2 18:18 ( 35, 39) 1997-12-18 22 21.73 -8 56.4 1.033 0.858 67 9.0 18:21 ( 35, 39) 1997-12-28 23 9.40 -7 58.3 1.035 0.832 68 8.9 18:26 ( 35, 40) 1998- 1- 7 0 0.19 -6 28.6 1.056 0.820 71 9.0 18:33 ( 35, 42)

C/1997 T1 ( Utsunomiya ) m1 = 8.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 18 47.12 15 41.8 1.371 1.729 52 10.6 18:18 ( 86, 33) 1997-12- 8 18 46.60 11 18.3 1.360 1.903 43 10.7 18:18 ( 88, 23) 1997-12-18 18 47.05 7 53.2 1.365 2.049 34 10.9 18:21 ( 91, 12) 1997-12-28 18 47.97 5 8.3 1.385 2.162 28 11.1 18:26 ( 95, 2) 1998- 1- 7 18 48.96 2 51.7 1.420 2.239 25 11.3 5:38 (267, 1)

55P/Tempel-Tuttle m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 12 29.03 14 25.8 1.723 1.868 66 15.1 5:17 (289, 48) 1997-12- 8 12 33.67 16 22.5 1.610 1.539 75 14.1 5:25 (297, 57) 1997-12-18 12 37.10 19 56.2 1.498 1.197 86 12.9 5:31 (305, 67) 1997-12-28 12 37.93 27 1.6 1.390 0.852 98 11.5 5:36 (313, 79) 1998- 1- 7 12 29.56 43 53.7 1.287 0.534 112 9.8 5:19 ( 0, 81)

C/1997 D1 ( Mueller ) m1 = 6.8 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 6 0.69 -0 45.8 2.312 1.426 146 11.2 1:28 ( 0, 54) 1997-12- 8 5 13.39 -5 30.9 2.342 1.428 151 11.3 0:02 ( 0, 49) 1997-12-18 4 28.15 -9 15.6 2.376 1.518 142 11.5 22:39 ( 0, 46) 1997-12-28 3 50.33 -11 39.3 2.415 1.681 128 11.8 21:22 ( 0, 43) 1998- 1- 7 3 21.77 -12 54.2 2.458 1.894 113 12.1 20:14 ( 0, 42)

C/1997 J2 ( Meunier-Dupouy ) m1 = 3.7 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 17 55.70 48 32.6 3.211 3.352 73 11.4 18:18 (128, 36) 1997-12- 8 18 22.94 46 9.6 3.182 3.356 71 11.4 18:18 (126, 33) 1997-12-18 18 48.69 43 51.4 3.156 3.374 68 11.3 18:21 (125, 30) 1997-12-28 19 12.93 41 41.7 3.132 3.404 65 11.3 18:26 (124, 26) 1998- 1- 7 19 35.67 39 43.4 3.111 3.443 62 11.3 18:33 (125, 21)

43P/Wolf-Harrington m1 = 7.5 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 9 53.90 -4 13.7 1.691 1.313 93 12.7 5:17 (356, 51) 1997-12- 8 10 4.34 -8 4.1 1.727 1.268 99 12.8 4:52 ( 0, 47) 1997-12-18 10 11.50 -11 41.1 1.768 1.228 105 12.9 4:20 ( 0, 43) 1997-12-28 10 15.06 -14 58.2 1.813 1.192 112 13.0 3:44 ( 0, 40) 1998- 1- 7 10 14.84 -17 47.0 1.860 1.164 119 13.2 3:04 ( 0, 37)

78P/Gehrels 2 m1 = 1.3 + 5 log d + 31.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 6 56.99 14 6.6 2.201 1.345 141 12.7 2:24 ( 0, 69) 1997-12- 8 6 51.97 13 34.8 2.235 1.318 151 12.9 1:40 ( 0, 69) 1997-12-18 6 44.68 13 15.1 2.270 1.313 162 13.1 0:54 ( 0, 68) 1997-12-28 6 36.28 13 8.0 2.307 1.333 169 13.4 0:06 ( 0, 68) 1998- 1- 7 6 28.12 13 12.6 2.346 1.380 166 13.7 23:20 ( 0, 68)

104P/Kowal 2 m1 = 9.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 22 32.35 7 28.7 1.725 1.307 96 13.6 18:18 ( 8, 62) 1997-12- 8 22 48.57 6 52.0 1.667 1.341 90 13.5 18:18 ( 20, 60) 1997-12-18 23 7.71 6 38.3 1.613 1.375 84 13.3 18:21 ( 30, 58) 1997-12-28 23 29.43 6 45.6 1.563 1.407 79 13.2 18:26 ( 40, 56) 1998- 1- 7 23 53.51 7 11.6 1.518 1.439 75 13.0 18:33 ( 48, 53)

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 m1 = 4.0 + 5 log d + 7.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 13 16.37 -16 20.5 6.263 6.953 42 14.2 5:17 (306, 18) 1997-12- 8 13 22.08 -17 5.1 6.262 6.834 51 14.1 5:25 (315, 24) 1997-12-18 13 27.24 -17 47.5 6.261 6.699 59 14.1 5:31 (324, 29) 1997-12-28 13 31.74 -18 27.3 6.260 6.552 68 14.1 5:36 (335, 32) 1998- 1- 7 13 35.47 -19 3.8 6.258 6.396 77 14.0 5:38 (345, 35)

C/1997 J1 ( Mueller ) m1 = 7.5 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 8 29.62 36 17.0 3.240 2.591 123 14.7 3:57 ( 0, 88) 1997-12- 8 8 6.41 36 4.5 3.313 2.520 137 14.7 2:54 ( 0, 88) 1997-12-18 7 40.22 35 29.6 3.388 2.488 151 14.8 1:49 ( 0, 89) 1997-12-28 7 12.89 34 26.4 3.463 2.504 165 14.9 0:42 ( 0, 89) 1998- 1- 7 6 46.67 32 56.3 3.539 2.571 168 15.0 23:38 ( 0, 88)

128P/Shoemaker-Holt 1 m1 = -0.8 + 5 log d + 30.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 4 21.22 18 3.0 3.047 2.062 176 15.3 23:51 ( 0, 73) 1997-12- 8 4 14.42 17 35.3 3.049 2.077 168 15.3 23:04 ( 0, 73) 1997-12-18 4 8.44 17 12.2 3.051 2.121 156 15.4 22:19 ( 0, 72) 1997-12-28 4 3.97 16 55.8 3.054 2.191 145 15.5 21:35 ( 0, 72) 1998- 1- 7 4 1.50 16 47.5 3.059 2.283 135 15.6 20:54 ( 0, 72)

65P/Gunn m1 = 7.7 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 0 9.83 -9 45.4 3.583 3.092 112 15.7 19:40 ( 0, 45) 1997-12- 8 0 11.42 -8 55.5 3.611 3.262 102 15.8 19:02 ( 0, 46) 1997-12-18 0 14.61 -7 57.8 3.640 3.437 93 16.0 18:26 ( 0, 47) 1997-12-28 0 19.21 -6 54.0 3.668 3.614 85 16.1 18:26 ( 13, 47) 1998- 1- 7 0 25.03 -5 45.3 3.696 3.790 77 16.3 18:33 ( 27, 46)

132P/Helin-Roman-Alu 2 m1 = 11.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 2 2.83 3 49.8 1.917 1.033 143 15.8 21:33 ( 0, 59) 1997-12- 8 2 5.98 4 6.8 1.927 1.106 134 16.0 20:56 ( 0, 59) 1997-12-18 2 11.94 4 47.0 1.941 1.193 125 16.2 20:23 ( 0, 60) 1997-12-28 2 20.49 5 45.8 1.959 1.292 118 16.4 19:52 ( 0, 61) 1998- 1- 7 2 31.36 6 58.0 1.980 1.402 111 16.7 19:24 ( 0, 62)

95P/Chiron m1 = 4.0 + 5 log d + 7.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 14 37.59 -14 17.5 8.778 9.668 24 16.0 5:17 (291, 5) 1997-12- 8 14 42.76 -14 38.0 8.788 9.596 33 16.0 5:25 (298, 13) 1997-12-18 14 47.64 -14 56.4 8.798 9.503 42 16.0 5:31 (306, 20) 1997-12-28 14 52.16 -15 12.5 8.808 9.391 51 15.9 5:36 (314, 26) 1998- 1- 7 14 56.22 -15 26.0 8.818 9.262 60 15.9 5:38 (322, 31)

C/1996 J1 ( Evans-Drinkwater ) m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 6.6 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 2 13.91 36 51.5 4.351 3.473 149 15.9 21:44 ( 0, 88) 1997-12- 8 2 9.21 35 37.0 4.448 3.638 141 16.1 21:00 ( 0, 89) 1997-12-18 2 6.44 34 26.8 4.545 3.829 131 16.3 20:18 ( 0, 89) 1997-12-28 2 5.54 33 24.0 4.641 4.039 122 16.4 19:37 ( 0, 88) 1998- 1- 7 2 6.35 32 30.6 4.737 4.266 112 16.6 18:59 ( 0, 88)

48P/Johnson m1 = 7.0 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 21 0.83 -24 41.4 2.316 2.554 64 16.3 18:18 ( 27, 25) 1997-12- 8 21 19.94 -23 35.7 2.322 2.663 59 16.4 18:18 ( 32, 24) 1997-12-18 21 39.36 -22 19.5 2.331 2.768 54 16.6 18:21 ( 38, 23) 1997-12-28 21 58.93 -20 54.1 2.341 2.869 48 16.7 18:26 ( 44, 20) 1998- 1- 7 22 18.55 -19 20.6 2.353 2.965 43 16.8 18:33 ( 50, 18)

C/1997 O1 ( Tilbrook ) m1 = 6.7 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 15 5.02 21 16.0 2.347 2.924 45 16.4 5:17 (257, 20) 1997-12- 8 15 16.00 24 12.2 2.450 2.910 53 16.8 5:25 (259, 29) 1997-12-18 15 26.65 27 31.2 2.553 2.887 60 17.1 5:31 (260, 37) 1997-12-28 15 36.84 31 15.0 2.657 2.861 68 17.5 5:36 (259, 45) 1998- 1- 7 15 46.33 35 24.3 2.760 2.837 75 17.8 5:38 (256, 53)

62P/Tsuchinshan 1 m1 = 12.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 1 57.55 -3 12.3 2.069 1.226 138 17.2 21:27 ( 0, 52) 1997-12- 8 1 51.94 -2 19.0 2.007 1.244 128 17.0 20:42 ( 0, 53) 1997-12-18 1 49.80 -0 58.1 1.946 1.276 118 16.9 20:01 ( 0, 54) 1997-12-28 1 51.37 0 46.4 1.887 1.315 109 16.7 19:23 ( 0, 56) 1998- 1- 7 1 56.64 2 50.4 1.830 1.360 101 16.6 18:49 ( 0, 58)

P/1997 V1 ( Larsen ) m1 = 9.3 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 0 14.67 10 25.5 3.334 2.712 121 16.7 19:45 ( 0, 65) 1997-12- 8 0 18.02 9 57.6 3.343 2.848 111 16.8 19:09 ( 0, 65) 1997-12-18 0 23.06 9 43.3 3.354 2.993 102 16.9 18:34 ( 0, 65) 1997-12-28 0 29.59 9 41.8 3.365 3.145 94 17.1 18:26 ( 14, 64) 1998- 1- 7 0 37.46 9 51.9 3.377 3.300 85 17.2 18:33 ( 34, 61)

129P/Shoemaker-Levy 3 m1 = 11.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 8 6.01 22 42.8 2.860 2.156 126 17.2 3:33 ( 0, 78) 1997-12- 8 8 5.04 22 36.9 2.852 2.049 137 17.1 2:53 ( 0, 78) 1997-12-18 8 1.52 22 36.0 2.844 1.960 148 17.0 2:10 ( 0, 78) 1997-12-28 7 55.71 22 38.5 2.838 1.895 159 16.9 1:25 ( 0, 78) 1998- 1- 7 7 48.21 22 42.1 2.832 1.856 171 16.9 0:38 ( 0, 78)

88P/Howell m1 = 8.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 12 39.28 -0 27.0 2.997 3.424 56 17.8 5:17 (301, 36) 1997-12- 8 12 51.02 -1 37.0 2.941 3.242 63 17.6 5:25 (311, 41) 1997-12-18 13 2.40 -2 42.8 2.884 3.054 70 17.3 5:31 (321, 45) 1997-12-28 13 13.30 -3 43.6 2.825 2.861 78 17.0 5:36 (333, 48) 1998- 1- 7 13 23.55 -4 38.3 2.766 2.664 85 16.8 5:38 (345, 49)

22P/Kopff m1 = 2.5 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 3 52.98 14 42.9 4.052 3.073 171 17.1 23:22 ( 0, 70) 1997-12- 8 3 45.30 14 26.1 4.092 3.150 160 17.2 22:35 ( 0, 69) 1997-12-18 3 38.70 14 14.4 4.132 3.256 149 17.4 21:50 ( 0, 69) 1997-12-28 3 33.57 14 8.9 4.171 3.388 137 17.6 21:05 ( 0, 69) 1998- 1- 7 3 30.13 14 10.0 4.209 3.543 127 17.7 20:22 ( 0, 69)

69P/Taylor m1 = 8.5 + 5 log d + 30.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 8 20.33 13 24.6 1.952 1.246 121 17.7 3:48 ( 0, 68) 1997-12- 8 8 26.96 15 12.5 1.948 1.159 130 17.5 3:15 ( 0, 70) 1997-12-18 8 30.47 17 34.6 1.948 1.086 140 17.4 2:39 ( 0, 73) 1997-12-28 8 30.68 20 29.3 1.952 1.032 151 17.3 2:00 ( 0, 75) 1998- 1- 7 8 27.77 23 47.6 1.960 1.000 162 17.3 1:18 ( 0, 79)

C/1997 A1 ( NEAT ) m1 = 10.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 2 25.03 63 10.0 3.515 2.756 134 17.7 21:55 ( 0, 62) 1997-12- 8 1 45.02 59 43.8 3.557 2.844 129 17.8 20:35 ( 0, 65) 1997-12-18 1 18.15 55 51.2 3.601 2.977 122 17.9 19:29 ( 0, 69) 1997-12-28 1 1.22 52 4.4 3.647 3.146 113 18.1 18:33 ( 0, 73) 1998- 1- 7 0 51.23 48 41.1 3.695 3.341 103 18.3 18:33 (150, 74)

C/1997 BA6 ( Spacewatch ) m1 = 7.5 + 5 log d + 7.5 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 9 49.73 -1 39.7 7.067 6.905 95 18.1 5:17 ( 0, 53) 1997-12- 8 9 48.42 -2 28.1 7.001 6.678 105 18.0 4:36 ( 0, 53) 1997-12-18 9 46.07 -3 13.4 6.936 6.460 115 17.9 3:54 ( 0, 52) 1997-12-28 9 42.67 -3 54.6 6.870 6.256 125 17.8 3:12 ( 0, 51) 1998- 1- 7 9 38.25 -4 31.0 6.804 6.072 135 17.7 2:28 ( 0, 50)

1997 CU26 m1 = 6.5 + 5 log d + 5.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 9 10.18 10 37.1 13.737 13.384 108 17.8 4:37 ( 0, 66) 1997-12- 8 9 9.54 10 30.8 13.731 13.224 119 17.8 3:57 ( 0, 65) 1997-12-18 9 8.45 10 26.7 13.725 13.078 129 17.8 3:17 ( 0, 65) 1997-12-28 9 6.95 10 24.9 13.719 12.953 139 17.7 2:36 ( 0, 65) 1998- 1- 7 9 5.09 10 25.1 13.714 12.851 150 17.7 1:55 ( 0, 65)

49P/Arend-Rigaux m1 = 11.3 + 5 log d + 11.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 22 0.89 -25 42.2 2.637 2.663 77 18.1 18:18 ( 12, 28) 1997-12- 8 22 10.50 -24 40.8 2.568 2.727 70 18.0 18:18 ( 20, 28) 1997-12-18 22 21.86 -23 29.7 2.499 2.783 63 17.9 18:21 ( 28, 26) 1997-12-28 22 34.76 -22 9.5 2.429 2.828 56 17.8 18:26 ( 35, 24) 1998- 1- 7 22 49.04 -20 40.3 2.359 2.862 50 17.7 18:33 ( 43, 21)

(5145) Pholus m1 = 7.0 + 5 log d + 5.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 13 44.86 13 46.7 12.695 13.293 50 18.1 5:17 (276, 32) 1997-12- 8 13 47.81 13 45.0 12.722 13.196 59 18.1 5:25 (283, 41) 1997-12-18 13 50.44 13 47.3 12.748 13.085 67 18.1 5:31 (292, 50) 1997-12-28 13 52.68 13 53.7 12.775 12.964 76 18.1 5:36 (303, 57) 1998- 1- 7 13 54.48 14 3.9 12.801 12.836 85 18.1 5:38 (318, 64)

1997 MD10 m1 = 16.0 + 5 log d + 5.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 19 5.80 29 19.1 1.552 1.684 65 18.1 18:18 ( 99, 43) 1997-12- 8 19 33.77 32 40.7 1.578 1.686 66 18.1 18:18 (105, 42) 1997-12-18 20 6.07 36 8.0 1.615 1.692 68 18.2 18:21 (110, 41) 1997-12-28 20 43.06 39 31.3 1.661 1.709 70 18.3 18:26 (115, 41) 1998- 1- 7 21 24.78 42 37.6 1.715 1.743 71 18.4 18:33 (119, 41)

85P/Boethin m1 = 6.5 + 5 log d + 20.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 11 22.22 7 48.4 2.889 2.936 77 18.1 5:17 (315, 55) 1997-12- 8 11 27.73 7 18.4 2.975 2.872 86 18.3 5:25 (332, 59) 1997-12-18 11 31.28 7 1.1 3.060 2.805 95 18.5 5:31 (353, 62) 1997-12-28 11 32.74 6 57.2 3.143 2.737 105 18.6 5:01 ( 0, 62) 1998- 1- 7 11 31.97 7 7.0 3.226 2.675 115 18.8 4:21 ( 0, 62)

74P/Smirnova-Chernykh m1 = 8.5 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 0 46.31 -2 2.9 4.621 3.999 123 18.2 20:16 ( 0, 53) 1997-12- 8 0 45.32 -1 50.7 4.613 4.130 113 18.2 19:36 ( 0, 53) 1997-12-18 0 45.74 -1 29.7 4.606 4.272 103 18.3 18:57 ( 0, 54) 1997-12-28 0 47.51 -1 0.6 4.598 4.420 94 18.4 18:26 ( 3, 54) 1998- 1- 7 0 50.55 -0 24.3 4.590 4.570 84 18.4 18:33 ( 21, 53)

P/1996 R2 ( Lagerkvist ) m1 = 9.0 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 6 31.01 25 55.4 3.139 2.254 148 18.2 1:59 ( 0, 81) 1997-12- 8 6 23.98 26 8.4 3.167 2.222 160 18.2 1:12 ( 0, 81) 1997-12-18 6 15.69 26 18.6 3.195 2.218 172 18.3 0:25 ( 0, 81) 1997-12-28 6 7.01 26 24.7 3.223 2.243 174 18.4 23:38 ( 0, 81) 1998- 1- 7 5 58.90 26 26.5 3.252 2.299 162 18.5 22:51 ( 0, 81)

P/1983 J3 ( Kowal-Vavrova ) m1 = 10.5 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 10 25.59 5 35.8 3.731 3.602 89 19.0 5:17 (340, 59) 1997-12- 8 10 30.89 4 57.2 3.681 3.406 98 18.8 5:18 ( 0, 60) 1997-12-18 10 34.86 4 25.7 3.633 3.215 107 18.6 4:43 ( 0, 59) 1997-12-28 10 37.33 4 2.9 3.584 3.031 116 18.5 4:06 ( 0, 59) 1998- 1- 7 10 38.15 3 50.4 3.536 2.859 126 18.3 3:28 ( 0, 59)

131P/Mueller 2 m1 = 13.5 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 1 7.01 6 50.2 2.412 1.636 132 18.4 20:37 ( 0, 62) 1997-12- 8 1 9.88 6 33.6 2.414 1.736 122 18.5 20:00 ( 0, 62) 1997-12-18 1 15.17 6 36.0 2.418 1.848 113 18.7 19:26 ( 0, 62) 1997-12-28 1 22.64 6 55.3 2.423 1.970 105 18.8 18:55 ( 0, 62) 1998- 1- 7 1 32.05 7 28.9 2.430 2.097 97 19.0 18:33 ( 5, 62)

C/1996 P2 ( Russell-Watson ) m1 = 7.0 + 5 log d + 9.2 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 3 18.96 -10 40.2 6.705 5.872 145 18.4 22:48 ( 0, 44) 1997-12- 8 3 14.59 -10 26.4 6.784 6.018 138 18.5 22:05 ( 0, 45) 1997-12-18 3 10.92 -10 4.2 6.862 6.188 129 18.7 21:22 ( 0, 45) 1997-12-28 3 8.08 -9 34.7 6.940 6.379 121 18.8 20:40 ( 0, 45) 1998- 1- 7 3 6.18 -8 59.1 7.018 6.587 112 18.9 19:58 ( 0, 46)

P/1997 T3 m1 = 10.0 + 5 log d + 10.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 0 56.20 2 8.3 3.771 3.084 127 18.2 20:26 ( 0, 57) 1997-12- 8 0 56.69 2 27.0 3.774 3.210 117 18.3 19:47 ( 0, 57) 1997-12-18 0 58.79 2 55.4 3.778 3.349 108 18.4 19:10 ( 0, 58) 1997-12-28 1 2.42 3 32.6 3.784 3.496 99 18.5 18:34 ( 0, 59) 1998- 1- 7 1 7.48 4 17.7 3.790 3.648 90 18.6 18:33 ( 16, 58)

P/1992 G2 ( Shoemaker-Levy 8 ) m1 = 8.5 + 5 log d + 15.0 log r Date R.A. Decl. r d Elong m1 Best time (A, h) 1997-11-28 7 58.57 13 35.1 4.261 3.599 126 20.7 3:26 ( 0, 69) 1997-12- 8 7 55.74 13 27.0 4.240 3.465 137 20.6 2:44 ( 0, 68) 1997-12-18 7 51.34 13 24.8 4.219 3.351 148 20.5 2:00 ( 0, 68) 1997-12-28 7 45.61 13 28.7 4.197 3.264 159 20.4 1:15 ( 0, 68) 1998- 1- 7 7 38.93 13 38.0 4.175 3.205 169 20.3 0:29 ( 0, 69)