Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2019 Mar. 9: North)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on March 8, 2019
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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.

C/2018 Y1 ( Iwamoto ) It approached to Earth down to 0.3 a.u. in mid February, and brightened up to 5.5 mag (Feb. 13, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. But it is still bright as 8.6 mag (Mar. 3, Chris Wyatt). In the Northern Hemisphere, it is observable in excellent condition. It locates low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 4 52.98 34 22.0 0.968 1.363 88 8.9 19:25 ( 95, 70) Mar. 16 4 38.56 33 52.4 1.210 1.401 78 9.6 19:31 ( 99, 60) 46P/Wirtanen It approached to Earth down to 0.08 a.u. in mid December, and it brightened up to 3.4 mag (Dec. 14, Seiichi Yoshida). it looked so large as 3 times of Moon. Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 10.3 mag (Mar. 2, Carlos Labordena). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in excellent condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays low for a while. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 9 42.51 43 4.7 0.643 1.525 136 11.2 22:36 (180, 82) Mar. 16 9 46.85 40 44.1 0.726 1.584 133 11.9 22:13 (180, 85) C/2016 M1 ( PanSTARRS ) It brightened up to 7.7 mag in June (June 19, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. But it is still bright as 11.2 mag (Mar. 4, Chris Wyatt). In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time until the comet will fade out. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable for a long time until autumn when the comet fades out down to 16 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 3 55.54 -58 28.9 3.323 3.222 75 11.9 19:25 ( 20, -9) Mar. 16 4 6.47 -55 25.6 3.387 3.276 75 12.0 19:31 ( 24, -8) 78P/Gehrels 2 Now it is 13.5 mag (Jan. 27, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be unobservable temporarily soon. But it will appear in the morning sky again at 13-14 mag in August. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 1 8.48 7 4.1 2.814 2.024 30 12.4 19:25 ( 91, 12) Mar. 16 1 24.14 8 24.2 2.846 2.019 27 12.4 19:31 ( 94, 9) C/2018 N2 ( ASASSN ) Now it is 12.7 mag (Feb. 2, Kunihiro Shima). It will brighten up to 10-11 mag in autumn. It will be unobservable temporarily in March. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 1 20.06 -16 33.6 4.710 3.912 32 13.3 19:25 ( 70, 0) Mar. 16 1 24.18 -14 51.8 4.719 3.874 28 13.3 19:31 ( 75, -5) C/2018 L2 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 12.5 mag (Feb. 27, S. Szabo). It will be fading gradually after this. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time until it fades out. But it stays extremely low. It will never be observable again in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 22 39.30 39 25.5 2.695 2.113 44 13.3 4:56 (232, 15) Mar. 16 23 2.39 40 48.7 2.771 2.164 43 13.6 4:46 (230, 15) 123P/West-Hartley Now it is 12.3 mag (Mar. 5, Marco Goiato). It is observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It locates low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 11 19.84 31 48.4 1.209 2.142 152 13.3 0:17 ( 0, 87) Mar. 16 11 14.04 31 21.1 1.229 2.149 150 13.4 23:38 ( 0, 86) 64P/Swift-Gehrels It brightened up to 9.0 mag from autumn to winter (Nov. 16, Maik Meyer). Now it is fading. But it is bright as 12.4 mag still now (Feb. 23, Seiichi Yoshida). It is observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It stays low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 5 27.21 24 41.6 1.653 1.996 94 13.4 19:25 ( 57, 73) Mar. 16 5 41.51 24 18.6 1.775 2.049 90 13.9 19:31 ( 65, 69) 38P/Stephan-Oterma It brightened up to 9.5 mag from autumn to winter (Dec. 14, Marco Goiato). Now it is fading. But it is bright as 12.6 mag still now (Feb. 23, Seiichi Yoshida). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time until it fades out. It locates low in the Southern Hemispehre. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 8 34.01 45 12.4 1.401 2.145 126 13.5 21:28 (180, 80) Mar. 16 8 39.05 44 11.2 1.507 2.200 121 14.0 21:05 (180, 81) C/2017 M4 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 13.3 mag (Feb. 9, Chris Wyatt). It stays 13-14 mag until summer. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 17 31.94 -22 40.6 3.232 3.286 84 13.7 4:56 (336, 28) Mar. 16 17 29.93 -24 17.2 3.114 3.297 91 13.6 4:46 (341, 28) 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 It is not observable now. It will appear in the morning sky in May. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 23 43.60 4 41.3 6.735 5.767 11 13.8 19:25 (101, -7) Mar. 16 23 48.88 5 17.9 6.751 5.767 7 13.9 19:31 (106,-12) C/2016 N6 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 13.0 mag (Feb. 4, Chris Wyatt). It will be fading after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 5 38.18 -21 14.1 3.381 3.582 93 13.9 19:25 ( 15, 32) Mar. 16 5 35.56 -20 53.4 3.524 3.628 87 14.1 19:31 ( 25, 30) C/2018 A6 ( Gibbs ) Now it is bright as 13.5 mag (Mar. 3, Taras Prystavski). It stays 14 mag for a long time in 2019. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is observable in excellent condition. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observasble until summer in 2020. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 9 14.91 -60 13.4 2.730 3.220 110 14.3 22:05 ( 0, -5) Mar. 16 8 52.59 -60 18.0 2.724 3.199 109 14.2 21:16 ( 0, -5) C/2016 R2 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 15.2 mag (Feb. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato).It will be fading slowly after this. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays extremely low for a while. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 16 4.51 45 55.3 3.649 4.033 105 14.6 4:56 (184, 79) Mar. 16 16 2.54 46 36.5 3.662 4.083 108 14.7 4:30 (180, 78) 60P/Tsuchinshan 2 Now it is 13.5 mag (Mar. 4, Chris Wyatt). It will be fading after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in May. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 11 35.05 -5 45.6 0.849 1.832 168 14.7 0:32 ( 0, 49) Mar. 16 11 30.46 -5 12.2 0.873 1.864 172 15.0 23:55 ( 0, 50) C/2015 O1 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 14.9 mag (Mar. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading slowly after this. It is observable in excellent condition until spring in the Northern Hemispehre. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be hardly observable after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 9 38.89 43 53.0 4.232 4.989 135 14.8 22:31 (180, 81) Mar. 16 9 27.64 43 22.5 4.340 5.028 129 14.9 21:52 (180, 82) C/2017 B3 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 14.5 mag (Aug. 16, P. Camilleri, H. Williams). It stays 15 mag from 2018 to 2019, and it will be observable for a long time in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will never be observable again. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 22 37.14 -54 15.7 4.495 3.933 50 14.9 4:56 (317,-33) Mar. 16 22 49.64 -53 6.7 4.469 3.938 52 14.9 4:46 (316,-32) (944) Hidalgo Now it is 14.2 mag (Feb. 4, ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa). It will be fading gradually after this. It is observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable until summer. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 9 34.35 73 26.8 1.814 2.343 109 15.1 22:27 (180, 52) Mar. 16 9 27.43 70 42.5 1.876 2.380 108 15.2 21:53 (180, 55) C/2017 T2 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 13.6 mag (Feb. 27, S. Szabo). It is expected to brighten up to 7-8 mag in 2020. It will be unobservable temporarily in April. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 3 4.48 2 45.9 5.531 5.071 57 15.3 19:25 ( 68, 32) Mar. 16 3 7.19 3 36.4 5.562 5.009 51 15.2 19:31 ( 75, 27) C/2018 A3 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 15.5 mag (Feb. 4, Kunihiro Shima). It will be fading after this. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not observable at all in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 3 44.55 61 27.4 3.277 3.318 83 15.8 19:25 (148, 53) Mar. 16 3 41.81 59 22.8 3.406 3.329 77 15.9 19:31 (143, 49) C/2018 W2 ( Africano ) It is expected to brighten up to 10 mag in autumn. Now it is 16.7 mag (Feb. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time while the comet is brightening. In the Southern Hemisphere, it it not observable until mid September. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 17 40.79 88 19.1 2.533 2.794 94 16.0 4:56 (181, 37) Mar. 16 1 13.92 87 26.5 2.541 2.724 89 15.9 19:31 (177, 35) P/2014 C1 ( TOTAS ) First return of a new periodic comet discovered in 2014. The condition of this apparition is excelllent. It was expected to brighten rapidly, and to be observable at 15.5 mag in excellent condition in March. But it has not been recovered yet. Now it is not detected, fainter than 20.0 mag (Dec. 10, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 10 11.10 10 22.7 0.797 1.770 163 16.0 23:03 ( 0, 65) Mar. 16 10 8.15 11 2.5 0.799 1.753 155 16.0 22:33 ( 0, 66) 240P/NEAT Although it was faint as 16-17 mag in November, it brightened up to 14.7 mag in December (Dec. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is bright as 15.1 mag still now (Jan. 31, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in excellent condition after this. It stays extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 10 49.50 43 19.1 2.190 3.027 141 16.2 23:42 (180, 82) Mar. 16 10 43.47 43 14.3 2.255 3.058 136 16.4 23:08 (180, 82) C/2018 F4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 17.4 mag (Jan. 3, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays 16 mag for a long time from 2019 to 2020. It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It is hardly observable in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 13 59.46 -51 5.1 3.726 4.228 114 16.6 2:56 ( 0, 4) Mar. 16 13 50.56 -52 43.8 3.621 4.193 118 16.5 2:20 ( 0, 2) C/2010 U3 ( Boattini ) Now it is 16.8 mag (Jan. 31, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays 16-17 mag for a long time until 2020. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not observable at all in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 11 21.25 74 15.7 8.046 8.446 110 16.7 0:18 (180, 51) Mar. 16 11 14.22 74 4.7 8.088 8.446 107 16.7 23:39 (180, 51) 21P/Giacobini-Zinner It brightened up to 6.8 mag in September (Sept. 17, Seiichi Yoshida). Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 15.3 mag (Jan. 30, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 6 20.61 -15 34.4 1.942 2.389 104 16.7 19:25 ( 3, 39) Mar. 16 6 26.77 -13 41.9 2.062 2.449 100 17.0 19:31 ( 12, 41) 239P/LINEAR Now it is 16.6 mag (Feb. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It continues brightening even after the perihelion passage. It stays observable at 16-17 mag in good condition for some more time. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 8 15.25 -1 56.2 0.914 1.759 134 16.8 21:09 ( 0, 53) Mar. 16 8 21.51 -1 34.9 0.975 1.785 129 16.9 20:47 ( 0, 53) C/2017 T3 ( ATLAS ) It brightened up to 8.7 mag in July (July 18, Marco Goiato). Now it is 19.9 mag (Feb. 28, Jean-Francois Soulier). It stays observable in good condition after this while the comet will be fading. But actually, it is fainter than this ephemeris. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 16 26.01 -11 38.3 3.193 3.521 101 17.0 4:56 (351, 43) Mar. 16 16 23.31 -10 21.8 3.156 3.600 108 17.1 4:46 (358, 45) 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh Now it is 16.8 mag (Feb. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is observable at 17 mag in good condition in 2019. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 15 56.00 -16 24.8 3.376 3.794 107 17.1 4:52 ( 0, 39) Mar. 16 15 57.28 -16 28.4 3.285 3.802 114 17.0 4:25 ( 0, 38) C/2014 B1 ( Schwartz ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Feb. 2, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). Fading slowly. It stays observable at 17 mag in good condition until summer. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 11 36.63 8 40.1 9.035 10.022 173 17.2 0:33 ( 0, 64) Mar. 16 11 35.12 8 59.9 9.046 10.034 172 17.2 0:04 ( 0, 64) C/2017 K2 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 16.9 mag (Feb. 2, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is expected to be observable at 5-6 mag for a long time from 2022 to 2023. It will be observable in good condition for a long time in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable at the highlight from 2022 summer to 2023 summer. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 18 12.51 54 5.7 12.148 12.113 85 17.3 4:56 (220, 60) Mar. 16 18 13.43 54 32.9 12.079 12.067 86 17.2 4:46 (217, 62) C/2016 A1 ( PanSTARRS ) It brightened up to 14.7 mag in early 2018 (Jan. 25, Catalina Sky Survey). Now it is fading slowly. Now it is 16.7 mag (Feb. 2, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time until the comet fades out. It is never observable again in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 4 9.76 68 51.5 6.295 6.350 88 17.2 19:25 (161, 51) Mar. 16 4 7.66 68 17.6 6.413 6.377 83 17.3 19:31 (157, 49) C/2018 X2 ( Fitzsimmons ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Feb. 1, Kunihiro Shima). It stays 17 mag from spring to summer. But it is hardly observable. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is observable only until May. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays locating extremely low. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 4 26.49 43 56.5 2.439 2.546 84 17.5 19:25 (120, 65) Mar. 16 4 38.81 43 11.1 2.474 2.504 80 17.5 19:31 (117, 61) (6478) Gault Main-belt asteroid. But it shows a straight tail like a comet. Now it is 17.3 mag (Feb. 4, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays observable in excellent condition until early summer. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 10 14.87 -5 15.1 1.384 2.348 161 17.5 23:07 ( 0, 50) Mar. 16 10 9.40 -3 19.2 1.387 2.333 156 17.6 22:34 ( 0, 52) 159P/LONEOS Now it is 17.0 mag (Feb. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in May. It locates very low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 5 50.60 42 49.5 3.667 3.957 99 17.5 19:25 (138, 79) Mar. 16 5 54.68 42 35.0 3.779 3.972 93 17.6 19:31 (124, 74) C/2018 KJ3 ( Lemmon ) Now it is 18.2 mag (Oct. 8, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will brighten up to 16.5 mag in June. It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It locates low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 18 55.78 -24 34.3 4.299 3.986 65 17.7 4:56 (319, 17) Mar. 16 18 55.78 -25 23.8 4.149 3.961 72 17.6 4:46 (323, 19) 59P/Kearns-Kwee Now it is 17.1 mag (Feb. 1, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in March. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 7 51.39 20 59.8 1.968 2.695 127 17.6 20:45 ( 0, 76) Mar. 16 7 52.88 20 32.8 2.065 2.719 121 17.8 20:19 ( 0, 75) 164P/Christensen Now it is 17.0 mag (Jan. 29, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in March. It locates low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 10 41.71 32 15.5 2.022 2.933 151 17.7 23:34 ( 0, 87) Mar. 16 10 35.94 32 27.0 2.095 2.972 145 17.9 23:01 ( 0, 87) P/2018 X1 ( LONEOS ) First return of a new periodic comet which brightened up to 16.5 mag in 2005. It will brighten up to 17.5 mag in spring. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 13 21.31 -10 3.1 2.323 3.190 145 17.9 2:17 ( 0, 45) Mar. 16 13 19.15 -9 53.9 2.250 3.168 152 17.8 1:48 ( 0, 45) 49P/Arend-Rigaux Now it is 17.7 mag (Feb. 4, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is observable at 18 mag in good condition from March to April. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 14 32.39 12 47.8 1.941 2.696 130 18.0 3:28 ( 0, 68) Mar. 16 14 29.17 13 55.7 1.931 2.742 136 17.9 2:58 ( 0, 69) C/2017 E3 ( PanSTARRS ) It was observed at 16 mag from 2017 to 2018. Now it is fading. It is observable at 18 mag in good condition in this spring. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 16 8.40 6 38.2 7.055 7.408 107 17.9 4:56 (356, 62) Mar. 16 16 8.29 7 29.5 6.987 7.436 113 17.9 4:36 ( 0, 62) (394130) 2006 HY51 It has not been observed yet in this apparition. It passed only 0.08 a.u. from Sun on Jan. 31. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is observable at 18 mag in excellent condition in March. It locates extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 9 17 55.20 42 26.9 0.470 1.068 85 18.0 4:56 (244, 66) Mar. 16 16 30.82 50 56.5 0.493 1.203 102 17.9 4:46 (189, 74)