Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2012 Oct. 13: North)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on October 14, 2012
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Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. 35 deg in the Northern Hemisphere. Azimuth indicates 0 for south, 90 for west, 180 for north, 270 for east.

168P/Hergenrother It brightened very rapidly. Another outburst occured around Sept. 22, and it became strongly condensed. Now it is very bright visually as 9.1 mag (Oct. 9, Marco Goiato). It approaches to the earth down to 0.4 A.U., and it is observable in good condition in September and October. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 23 53.94 27 42.4 0.458 1.420 152 9.3 22:23 ( 0, 83) Oct. 20 23 46.12 31 26.2 0.490 1.429 146 9.6 21:48 ( 0, 87) C/2011 F1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is so bright as 9.3 mag (Oct. 5, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It will be unobservable soon. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will appear in the morning sky at 9 mag in 2013 February, then it keeps observable in good condition while fading slowly. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is hardly observable after 2013. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 15 32.87 0 37.7 2.851 2.123 35 9.9 18:51 ( 80, 15) Oct. 20 15 44.11 -2 13.3 2.857 2.080 31 9.8 18:43 ( 79, 12) C/2011 L4 ( PanSTARRS ) It is expected to be a great comet of -1 mag in 2013 spring. Now it is 11.5 mag (Oct. 10, Chris Wyatt). Brightening faster than originally expected. It will be unobservable soon in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps unobservable for a long time until 2013 March, when the comet will appear as a 0-mag great comet. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 15 19.92 -28 1.1 3.555 2.811 36 11.2 18:51 ( 59, -5) Oct. 20 15 25.74 -28 40.0 3.520 2.714 30 11.1 18:43 ( 60, -8) C/2011 R1 ( McNaught ) Now it is so bright as 11.6 mag (Oct. 10, Chris Wyatt). It is expected to be observable at 11-13 mag for a long time from 2012 summer to 2013 summer. It is not observable until 2013 January in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be extremely low from October to December. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 14 21.04 -51 11.4 2.653 2.081 45 11.8 18:51 ( 44,-26) Oct. 20 14 34.84 -49 2.9 2.735 2.080 40 11.9 18:43 ( 47,-26) C/2012 K5 ( LINEAR ) Now it is bright and visible visually at 12.6 mag (Sept. 16, Artyom Novichonok). It is expected to approach to the earth and to be observable at 8 mag in good condition in winter. The condition is good in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable now. But it will become observable in good condition after 2013 January. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 14 35.67 40 51.2 1.720 1.360 52 12.4 18:51 (124, 24) Oct. 20 14 32.95 40 39.6 1.645 1.305 52 12.1 18:43 (126, 21) C/2009 P1 ( Garradd ) It kept as bright as 6-7 mag for a long time from 2011 summer to 2012 spring. Now it is appearing in the morning sky. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 10 6.18 0 31.7 4.510 3.904 47 12.7 4:40 (288, 25) Oct. 20 10 7.30 -0 33.5 4.479 3.971 53 12.7 4:45 (295, 30) 260P/2012 K2 ( McNaught ) First return of a new periodic comet which brightened up to 14 mag in 2005. It brightened very rapidly and became much brighter than originally expected. Now it is very bright as 12.2 mag (Oct. 9, Uwe Pilz). It keeps observable in excellent condition at 11-13 mag from summer to autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 1 53.48 37 53.8 0.591 1.533 148 13.0 0:28 (180, 87) Oct. 20 1 47.33 39 58.6 0.605 1.551 150 13.2 23:49 (180, 85) C/2011 UF305 ( LINEAR ) It brightened much faster than expected. Now it is so bright as 11.5 mag (Sept. 15, Seiichi Yoshida). In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable at 11-13 mag in good condition until early 2013. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable until late 2012. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 10 8.90 33 6.1 2.682 2.347 59 13.3 4:40 (254, 41) Oct. 20 10 8.46 31 37.5 2.612 2.381 65 13.4 4:45 (259, 47) C/2006 S3 ( LONEOS ) Now it is so bright as 11.2 mag (Sept. 14, Carlos Labordena). It will be unobservable soon. But it will be observable at 12-13 mag in good condition again in 2013. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 15 18.66 -14 17.7 6.135 5.309 31 13.3 18:51 ( 70, 3) Oct. 20 15 19.89 -14 34.2 6.210 5.323 24 13.3 18:43 ( 72, 0) C/2012 CH17 ( MOSS ) Now it is 15.4 mag (Aug. 11, Hidetaka Sato). However, it is extremely diffuse. The nuclear magnitude is fainter than 19 mag. Maybe the comet has been disintegrated, and will disappear soon. It keeps observable for a long time until December, but it keeps locating low in the evening after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 16 24.33 -12 5.7 1.772 1.315 47 13.4 18:51 ( 61, 17) Oct. 20 16 51.03 -15 3.2 1.804 1.337 46 13.5 18:43 ( 57, 16) C/2010 S1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 13.3 mag (Sept. 13, Jakub Cerny). It keeps bright at 13-14 mag for a long time until 2014. It keeps observable for a long time in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not observable in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 20 50.17 47 8.8 5.655 6.100 112 13.5 19:20 (180, 78) Oct. 20 20 45.90 45 30.2 5.691 6.088 108 13.5 18:49 (180, 80) C/2009 F4 ( McNaught ) Now it is bright as 13.1 mag (Sept. 22, Jakub Cerny). It keeps bright as 13-14 mag for a long time after this until 2013. It is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 4 34.99 -57 28.7 5.537 5.844 103 13.8 3:08 ( 0, -2) Oct. 20 4 27.04 -57 40.6 5.543 5.862 103 13.8 2:33 ( 0, -3) C/2012 J1 ( Catalina ) Now it is bright and visible visually at 12.8 mag (Oct. 5, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It keeps observable in good condition at 13-14 mag for a long time until winter. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 23 40.11 35 16.0 2.333 3.204 145 13.9 22:10 (180, 90) Oct. 20 23 39.61 33 48.7 2.334 3.193 143 13.9 21:42 ( 0, 89) 246P/2010 V2 ( NEAT ) It brightened rapidly, and reached up to 12 mag in 2012. It is not observable now. But it will be observable at 12-14 mag in good condition again in 2013. However, it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere in 2013. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 14 51.76 -10 28.0 3.817 2.937 24 14.1 18:51 ( 77, 0) Oct. 20 15 2.36 -11 36.0 3.843 2.930 20 14.1 18:43 ( 77, -2) (596) Scheila Big asteroid discovered in 1906. It suddenly showed the cometary activity on Dec. 11, 2010, probably due to an impact of a small object. Now it is 11.9 mag (May 29, Marco Goiato). It has already turned to be stellar. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 17 34.42 -31 2.2 2.786 2.529 64 14.2 18:51 ( 36, 13) Oct. 20 17 46.98 -31 14.9 2.871 2.537 60 14.2 18:43 ( 37, 12) 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Not observable now. It will appear in the morning sky in late November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 13 9.04 -15 32.5 7.233 6.246 7 14.3 4:40 (274,-21) Oct. 20 13 14.12 -16 4.3 7.228 6.245 8 14.3 4:45 (279,-16) 185P/Petriew It brightened rapidly, and reached up to 10 mag from July to August. Now it is fading. But it is bright as 12.8 mag still now (Sept. 22, Jakub Cerny). It keeps observable in the morning sky after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 9 37.09 2 43.9 1.543 1.268 54 14.4 4:40 (291, 32) Oct. 20 9 52.33 0 39.3 1.568 1.332 57 15.1 4:45 (297, 34) 262P/2012 K7 ( McNaught-Russell ) First return of a new periodic comet discovered in 1994. Now it is 17.0 mag (Yasukazu Ikari). It is expected to brighten rapidly, to reach up to 13.5 mag, and to be observable in good condition from autumn to winter. But actually, it is much fainter than this ephemeris. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 19 46.64 18 8.0 0.908 1.464 100 14.8 18:51 ( 26, 71) Oct. 20 20 1.14 15 27.8 0.887 1.421 97 14.5 18:43 ( 26, 69) C/2012 L2 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 16.1 mag (Oct. 9, A. Diepvens). It is expected to brighten up to 10 mag from winter to spring in 2013. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in good condition until 2013 April. It is not observable now in the Southern Hemisphere. It will become observable after 2013 April, but it keeps locating low. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 17 10.62 86 21.3 2.798 3.066 95 15.6 18:51 (177, 37) Oct. 20 17 39.87 85 29.7 2.690 2.997 98 15.4 18:43 (176, 38) C/2011 O1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 14.9 mag (Sept. 14, Jakub Cerny). In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be observable at 15-16 mag in good condition for a long time until 2013 summer. It is not observable at all in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 17 12.81 -80 40.7 4.011 3.921 77 15.4 18:51 ( 8,-28) Oct. 20 17 34.74 -80 42.5 4.067 3.928 74 15.5 18:43 ( 8,-28) 78P/Gehrels 2 It kept as bright as 11-12 mag for a long time from 2011 autumn to 2012 spring. Now it is 16.4 mag (Sept. 25, Hiroshi Abe). It keeps observable in good condition until next spring while the comet will be fading gradually. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 9 50.34 7 30.3 3.375 2.885 52 15.5 4:40 (285, 32) Oct. 20 9 58.39 6 39.8 3.327 2.917 57 15.6 4:45 (290, 36) C/2012 L1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 16.0 mag (Oct. 7, V. Gerke, S. Plaksai). It will brighten up to 15 mag from autum to winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable for a long time until the comet fades out. It is not observable in the Southern Hemisphere, except for 2013 spring, but the comet locates extremely low only. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 13 37.73 67 31.0 2.461 2.411 75 15.8 18:51 (155, 28) Oct. 20 13 40.98 67 49.5 2.381 2.385 78 15.7 18:43 (156, 27) C/2012 A2 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 15.7 mag (Sept. 25, Hiroshi Abe)。It keeps 15-16 mag from autumn to winter. It keeps observable in good condition for a long time until the comet fades out in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not observable until 2013 summer in the Southern Hemisphere. By the way, Juan Jose Gonzalez reported it extremely bright as 10.7 mag visually on Sept. 6. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 10 10.03 72 25.5 3.481 3.544 85 15.8 4:40 (201, 42) Oct. 20 10 13.62 74 48.2 3.385 3.541 90 15.7 4:45 (197, 43) C/2011 J2 ( LINEAR ) It is expected to keep 13 mag and observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere for a long time from 2013 to 2014. Although it had been unobservable for a while, it is appearing in the morning sky now. It keeps unobservable until late November in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 11 13.45 16 20.8 5.943 5.196 38 16.0 4:40 (264, 20) Oct. 20 11 16.90 16 40.9 5.816 5.153 44 15.9 4:45 (268, 26) 37P/Forbes Jean-Francois Soulier reported that it had faded down to 19.8 mag on Sept. 16, however, it suddenly brightened up to 16.6 mag on Sept. 20. It brightened by about 3 mag in outburst. It became brighter furthermore, up to 15.9 mag, on Sept. 22 (Jakub Cerny). But it is fading now. It has already faded down to 17.3 mag (Oct. 4, Toshiyuki Takahashi). It keeps observable in excellent condition after this in the Northern Hemisphere. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 2 29.41 28 11.9 2.120 3.042 152 16.6 1:03 ( 0, 83) Oct. 20 2 22.52 27 50.4 2.127 3.080 159 16.8 0:29 ( 0, 83) C/2011 A3 ( Gibbs ) Jakub Cerny reported the comet brightened up to 14.5 mag in late July. However, it has already faded down to 16.7 mag (Oct. 5, F. G. Pinilla). It will be observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere while fading gradually after this. It will locate somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 22 45.29 -29 54.8 3.267 3.962 128 17.0 21:16 ( 0, 25) Oct. 20 22 44.78 -29 47.1 3.401 4.017 121 17.2 20:48 ( 0, 25) C/2012 S1 ( ISON ) It is expected to be a great comet in 2013 autumn when the comet approaches to the sun down to only 0.01 A.U. It keeps visible with naked eyes from November to January, and can be extremely bright as Venus or more at the highlight. Now it is 17.2 mag (Oct. 12, A. Knoefel). The condition is excellent in the Northern Hemisphere. It keeps observable almost all through the period of brightening, at the highlight, and of fading. The condition is not good in the Southern Hemisphere. It is not observable at all the latter part of the highlight, and it keeps low all through the period. The orbit is similar to that of Comet Kirch in 1680. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 8 19.48 27 50.5 6.184 6.079 79 17.3 4:40 (275, 61) Oct. 20 8 20.71 27 54.7 5.998 6.009 85 17.2 4:45 (281, 67) 270P/2012 S5 ( Gehrels ) First return of a new periodic comet discovered in 1997 at 17 mag. Now it is 19.2 mag (Sept. 25, Mt. Lemmon Survey). It was expected to keep 17 mag for a long time from 2012 to 2014. But actually, it is fainter than predicted by 2 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 2 14.93 14 26.4 2.992 3.959 163 17.3 0:49 ( 0, 70) Oct. 20 2 11.46 14 4.9 2.955 3.942 171 17.3 0:18 ( 0, 69) C/2008 S3 ( Boattini ) Now it is 17.4 mag (Oct. 4, Catalina Sky Survey). It keeps 17 mag for a long time from 2009 to 2013. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 22 28.81 9 37.7 7.771 8.552 139 17.3 20:59 ( 0, 65) Oct. 20 22 25.08 9 5.1 7.868 8.567 132 17.3 20:28 ( 0, 64) 58P/Jackson-Neujmin This comet brightened up to 10 mag in outburst in 1995, however, it became lost after that. The condition of this apparition is bad. It was not observable around the perihelion passage. But it is appearing in the morning sky now. However, it is not detected, fainter than 19.0 mag (Sept. 16, Martin Masek). Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 8 2.67 7 56.8 2.408 2.425 79 17.3 4:40 (309, 52) Oct. 20 8 8.24 7 21.1 2.369 2.478 84 17.6 4:45 (319, 56) P/2012 NJ ( La Sagra ) Looks almost asteroidal. But it has a very faint tail. It passed near by the earth, and brightened up to 13.9 mag (July 22, Artyom Novichonok). Now it is fading, but still bright as 16.7 mag (Oct. 6, J. F. Hernandez). It keeps observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It locates extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 17 56.10 36 42.6 1.988 2.056 79 17.3 18:51 (104, 61) Oct. 20 17 59.90 36 21.3 2.113 2.121 76 17.5 18:43 (104, 58) 261P/2012 K4 ( Larson ) First return of a new periodic comet discovered in 2005. Now it is 16.9 mag (Oct. 6, J. F. Hernandez). It will be observable in excellent condition at 17-18 mag until November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 23 1.57 4 17.1 1.284 2.189 147 17.4 21:32 ( 0, 59) Oct. 20 23 1.07 4 4.2 1.332 2.192 140 17.5 21:04 ( 0, 59) C/2012 C1 ( McNaught ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Sept. 29, K. Hills). In the Southern Hemisphere, it keeps observable at 17 mag in good condition for a long time from 2012 to 2013. It is not observable at all in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 7 9.57 -61 57.8 4.930 4.920 83 17.4 4:40 (353, -8) Oct. 20 7 5.75 -64 12.2 4.907 4.910 84 17.4 4:45 (357, -9) 71P/Clark The condition of this apparition is bad, and it was not observable around the perihelion passage. Now it is 16.5 mag (Oct. 6, Catalina Sky Survey). It will be fainter than 18 mag in late October. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 1 36.94 0 32.7 1.924 2.913 170 17.4 0:11 ( 0, 56) Oct. 20 1 30.13 0 12.6 1.965 2.949 169 17.6 23:32 ( 0, 55) 160P/LINEAR Although it was extremely faint as 20.0 mag on May 27 (Hidetaka Sato), it brightened rapidly. Now it is 16.8 mag (Sept. 25, K. Hills). It keeps observable in good condition at 17 mag from summer to autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 23 0.35 9 14.7 1.167 2.076 147 17.5 21:30 ( 0, 64) Oct. 20 22 58.35 9 48.6 1.217 2.083 140 17.6 21:01 ( 0, 65) (3200) Phaethon In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be observable at 17.5 mag in excellent condition in October and November. It locates low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 3 6.76 45 8.8 1.351 2.177 135 17.6 1:41 (180, 80) Oct. 20 2 46.33 44 27.7 1.331 2.208 142 17.5 0:54 (180, 80) 65P/Gunn It brightened up to 12 mag in 2010. Now the comet is around the aphelion. But it will be observable at 17.5 mag in good condition from autumn to winter. Now it is 19.4 mag (Oct. 9, Mt. Lemmon Survey), fainter than this ephemeris. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 4 42.28 20 56.7 3.903 4.585 127 17.7 3:16 ( 0, 76) Oct. 20 4 39.86 20 58.2 3.831 4.594 135 17.7 2:46 ( 0, 76) C/2012 S4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 17.4 mag (Sept. 29, A. Diepvens). It keeps 17-18 mag for a long time until the end of 2013. The condition is good in the Northern Hemisphere. It is hardly observable in 2012 in the Northern Hemisphere. But it will be observable in good condition in 2013. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 0 24.17 57 34.8 4.087 4.782 129 17.9 22:53 (180, 67) Oct. 20 0 11.33 55 49.7 4.042 4.759 131 17.8 22:13 (180, 69) C/2010 G2 ( Hill ) It brightened up to 10 mag from autumn to winter in 2011. It has already faded down to 18.3 mag (Sept. 22, Jakub Cerny). In the Southern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in good condition while fading graudlaly after this. It will be hardly observable in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 4 50.82 -43 3.9 4.363 4.786 109 17.9 3:24 ( 0, 12) Oct. 20 4 44.57 -44 45.9 4.399 4.844 110 18.0 2:50 ( 0, 10) P/2011 N1 ( ASH ) It was observed at 17 mag in 2011 autumn. It was expected to be observable at 17 mag in good condition again from autumn to winter in 2012. But actually, the comet is 19.4 mag (Sept. 29, G. Hug), much fainter than this ephemeris. Hidetaka Sato reported that it was not detected, fainter than 21.0 mag (Sept. 21). The comet must have faded out very rapidly. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 13 6 43.45 25 38.4 2.691 3.030 100 20.2 4:40 (317, 78) Oct. 20 6 46.72 26 44.7 2.613 3.047 106 20.3 4:45 (350, 82)