Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2003 Feb. 22: South)

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 Updated on February 24, 2003
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Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. 35 deg in the Southern Hemisphere.

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* C/2002 V1 ( NEAT )
It approached to the sun down to 0.1 AU on Feb. 18, and reached to -2 mag in the SOHO images. It is not observable after this in the Northern Hemisphere, but it will appear in the evening low sky soon in the Southern Hemisphere. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  22 16.01  -21 53.7   1.039   0.209    11    1.3    197.5 123.1   4:10 (305,-10)  
Mar.  1  23 33.59  -27 52.8   1.152   0.455    22    4.4    131.1  97.9  20:05 ( 58,  4)

* C/2002 X5 ( Kudo-Fujikawa )
It started to be observed since early February in the Southern Hemisphere. Now it is fading slowly, like it brightened slowly before the perihelion passage. It will appear in the evening sky soon also in the Northern Hemisphere. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   1  8.19  -42  5.6   0.863   0.770    48    7.3    156.1  78.4  20:15 ( 58, 31)  
Mar.  1   2 32.76  -36 12.5   0.905   0.932    58    8.0    139.0  63.7  20:05 ( 70, 41)

* C/2002 Y1 ( Juels-Holvorcem )
It brightened rapidly in January and already reached to 8 mag. It is a widely diffused object. It will reach to 6.5 mag in March and April. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is observable until late April. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will not be observable until May. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  19 35.80   60 56.1   0.909   1.200    78    7.6    116.9  90.3   4:10 (212,-25)  
Mar.  1  21 15.01   58 10.3   0.967   1.102    68    7.4    101.5 111.2   4:18 (218,-32)

* C/2001 RX14 ( LINEAR )
It will be observable in the good condition for a long time until spring. Strongly condensed and easy to see. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  11 50.37   41  9.7   1.220   2.098   143   10.5     18.9 229.4   1:46 (180, 14)  
Mar.  1  11 41.15   39 33.4   1.221   2.116   145   10.5     21.8 225.8   1:09 (180, 15)

* 154P/2002 Q4 ( Brewington )
It kept brightening rapidly since November and reached to 12 mag. Now it is passing the perihelion, but it may be brighter after this. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   0 19.40   12 33.7   2.255   1.591    37   11.8     45.2  60.5  20:15 (100, -8)  
Mar.  1   0 38.49   15  7.9   2.283   1.594    36   11.9     45.6  61.3  20:05 (103, -9)

* C/2001 HT50 ( LINEAR-NEAT )
It will be observable in good condition at 11-12 mag in early 2003 and 2003 autumn. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   6 41.35    2 17.3   2.444   3.121   125   12.2     35.7 289.8  20:32 (180, 53)  
Mar.  1   6 26.71    3 40.3   2.533   3.091   115   12.2     31.2 291.7  20:05 (174, 51)

* 22P/Kopff
Not observable. It will appear at dawn in June at 15.5 mag, then it will be fading. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  22  2.12  -13 21.4   2.720   1.737     5   12.5     41.2  72.0   4:10 (297,-13)  
Mar.  1  22 20.58  -11 50.5   2.743   1.766     7   12.7     40.3  71.0   4:18 (293,-11)

* C/2002 Q5 ( LINEAR )
It was observed as bright as 12.5 mag in early January. It seems to keep 12.5 mag still in early February. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  14 18.21  -32 26.9   1.304   1.873   108   12.6     65.4 257.6   4:10 (198, 87)  
Mar.  1  13 38.98  -33 37.9   1.234   1.946   121   12.6     76.7 265.2   3:08 (180, 89)

* 65P/Gunn
It is observable at 12.5 mag for long time from April to August. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  17 32.53  -22 10.0   2.666   2.494    69   13.7     23.5  99.1   4:10 (267, 45)  
Mar.  1  17 44.03  -22 34.7   2.576   2.486    73   13.6     22.6  98.7   4:18 (263, 51)

* 116P/Wild 4
Although it was expected to be 11 mag, the brightening pace is very slow in this return. It is still 14.5 mag. It will be 13 mag at best in spring. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  15 18.98  -18 41.3   1.770   2.181   100   13.9     17.3 110.9   4:10 (225, 68)  
Mar.  1  15 26.41  -19 22.2   1.698   2.187   105   13.8     14.9 111.8   4:18 (209, 73)

* 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1
Not observable. It will be obervable again in April or May. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  21 49.96  -11 20.8   6.752   5.773     7   13.9     12.5  67.6   4:10 (293,-12)  
Mar.  1  21 55.41  -10 47.3   6.733   5.771    12   13.9     12.4  67.1   4:18 (288, -7)

* 30P/Reinmuth 1
It reached to 14 mag by CCD, a bit brighter than expected. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  11 30.19   14 39.1   0.985   1.950   162   14.0     10.8 331.0   1:25 (180, 40)  
Mar.  1  11 27.26   15 42.8   0.989   1.967   167   14.1     11.0 322.2   0:55 (180, 39)

* C/2001 K5 ( LINEAR )
It is observable in good condition at 14-15 mag until autumn. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  18 36.02   30 12.9   5.583   5.281    67   14.1     16.0  40.6   4:10 (232,  1)  
Mar.  1  18 41.47   31 39.8   5.541   5.291    70   14.1     15.9  37.0   4:18 (226,  4)

* C/2002 O7 ( LINEAR )
It will reach to 7 mag in autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will observable only until July, when it reaches to 10 mag. After that, only southern people can observe it until December, when it fades to 9 mag. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  15 51.46   32  1.4   2.911   3.254   101   14.4     10.8 345.0   4:10 (201, 19)  
Mar.  1  15 49.12   33 18.9   2.752   3.174   106   14.2     13.1 333.9   4:18 (193, 20)

* C/2002 X1 ( LINEAR )
It will keep 14-15 mag until the end of 2003. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   7  3.60   29  3.7   2.168   2.911   130   14.3     40.8 265.0  20:54 (180, 26)  
Mar.  1   6 43.46   28 31.5   2.254   2.874   119   14.3     35.3 261.4  20:07 (180, 27)

* C/2001 Q4 ( NEAT )
It will reach to 1 mag in 2004 spring. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable until that time. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   1 54.36  -35 52.5   6.159   5.646    54   15.0      6.7  40.0  20:15 ( 68, 36)  
Mar.  1   1 57.10  -35 17.2   6.143   5.581    51   14.9      7.2  46.6  20:05 ( 68, 33)

* 81P/Wild 2
It had brightened very rapidly since September and reached to 15 mag in late November. On the contrary, it has been at 15.5 mag for two months after that. It is only observable until spring. It is not observable around the perihelion passage. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   4  1.04   17 51.0   2.335   2.518    88   15.3     11.3  71.0  20:15 (142, 27)  
Mar.  1   4  6.87   18 17.7   2.389   2.477    83   15.2     13.6  73.1  20:05 (139, 25)

* C/2000 SV74 ( LINEAR )
It became a bit fainter after the perihelion passage. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  15  0.60   43  3.1   3.976   4.434   111   15.4      8.8 301.9   4:10 (188, 11)  
Mar.  1  14 55.25   43 34.5   3.957   4.471   115   15.5     10.2 294.9   4:18 (181, 11)

* 53P/Van Biesbroeck
It will be 14 mag from spring to summer. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  15 49.38  -13  7.3   2.772   3.020    94   15.7     13.4  91.5   4:10 (230, 60)  
Mar.  1  15 55.49  -13  7.7   2.648   2.989   100   15.5     12.1  88.9   4:18 (217, 64)

* C/2002 U2 ( LINEAR )
The brightening pace is slow and it has been around 15.5 mag since late October. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  16 55.57   16 49.6   1.159   1.450    84   15.6     22.1 206.3   4:10 (223, 26)  
Mar.  1  16 49.63   14 28.5   1.121   1.510    91   15.6     25.4 215.8   4:18 (215, 33)

* 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
It keeps good condition until May when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  11 40.47   14 12.5   1.422   2.375   159   15.7     17.0 291.6   1:36 (180, 41)  
Mar.  1  11 32.63   14 53.8   1.452   2.427   166   15.9     17.4 288.4   1:00 (180, 40)

* C/2002 T7 ( LINEAR )
It is expected to be 1 mag in the southern sky in 2004 spring. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   4 27.85   27 19.7   5.484   5.683    96   15.7      4.4 256.1  20:15 (152, 22)  
Mar.  1   4 25.95   27 12.9   5.542   5.616    89   15.7      3.1 253.6  20:05 (148, 20)

* 155P/2002 R2 ( Shoemaker 3 )
It keeps observable in good condition until April when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   9 45.29   23 46.3   0.990   1.961   164   15.8      4.5 311.1  23:36 (180, 31)  
Mar.  1   9 43.90   24  1.2   1.037   1.990   158   16.0      2.3 303.1  23:08 (180, 31)

* C/2002 J4 ( NEAT )
It will be observable at 14.5 mag for a long time from spring to autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it locates very low in the morning until spring. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  17 59.71  -29 53.0   4.494   4.142    63   15.9     14.8 119.7   4:10 (280, 43)  
Mar.  1  18  6.48  -30 45.3   4.368   4.113    68   15.8     14.4 122.2   4:18 (278, 49)

* C/1999 U4 ( Catalina-Skiff )
It keeps 16 mag until June. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  13 26.31   37 32.1   5.451   6.136   130   15.9      5.7 296.2   3:21 (180, 17)  
Mar.  1  13 23.02   37 48.2   5.442   6.167   133   15.9      6.4 288.8   2:50 (180, 17)

* C/2002 A3 ( LINEAR )
It keeps 17 mag until April. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   9 17.99   19  5.5   4.686   5.638   162   17.2      9.0 322.7  23:09 (180, 36)  
Mar.  1   9 15.44   19 53.9   4.746   5.660   154   17.2      8.3 324.1  22:39 (180, 35)

* C/2002 J5 ( LINEAR )
As it is a very far object, it keeps 17 mag until 2004 summer. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22  19  6.40   19 22.5   6.415   5.920    56   17.3      9.3  18.0   4:10 (244,  2)  
Mar.  1  19  7.63   20 26.5   6.330   5.908    60   17.2      9.7  12.3   4:18 (238,  8)

* C/2001 B2 ( NEAT )
It is getting fainter gradually. It keeps brighter than 18 mag until March. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   8 41.97   28 49.7   7.463   8.340   150   17.7      9.8 289.6  22:33 (180, 26)  
Mar.  1   8 37.21   29 11.1   7.563   8.375   142   17.7      9.0 288.4  22:01 (180, 26)

* 90P/Gehrels 1
It did not begin to fade even after the perihelion passage, it kept 16 mag for a while. Now it is fading. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Feb. 22   5  1.08   33 30.1   3.033   3.416   104   17.9      7.8 103.5  20:15 (162, 19)  
Mar.  1   5  5.78   33 17.9   3.151   3.439    98   18.1      9.3 100.2  20:05 (159, 18)

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