Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2003 Apr. 12: North)

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Updated on April 14, 2003
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Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. 35 deg in the Northern Hemisphere.

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* C/2002 Y1 ( Juels-Holvorcem )


Brightening pace became slow and kept around 6.5 mag since early March. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will not be observable soon. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable until May.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   0 24.45   26  6.7   1.536   0.714    22    6.5     48.9 149.4   4:05 (240,  4)  
Apr. 19   0 36.92   21 13.0   1.588   0.723    19    6.6     48.3 149.7   3:54 (245,  1)  

* C/2002 V1 ( NEAT )


Only observable in the Southern Hemisphere. No observations have been reported since Mar. 8 when it was 5.3 mag. Fading very slowly. It was still 7.7 mag in early April.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   2 56.73  -20  8.2   2.120   1.453    37    8.5     36.1  71.7  19:57 ( 76,-15)  
Apr. 19   3 12.66  -18 54.9   2.274   1.587    36    8.9     31.8  72.5  20:04 ( 80,-19)  

* C/2001 RX14 ( LINEAR )


It turns to fade after this, and will be fainter than 13 mag in June.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  11  1.11   24 42.8   1.483   2.284   132   11.3     23.8 190.3  21:39 (  0, 79)  
Apr. 19  10 59.70   22  0.6   1.567   2.320   127   11.4     22.9 183.3  21:11 (  0, 77)  

* C/2001 HT50 ( LINEAR-NEAT )


It will be observable in good condition at 11-12 mag in 2003 autumn again.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   5 39.57   10  2.7   3.232   2.934    63   12.1      9.7 314.4  19:57 ( 77, 35)  
Apr. 19   5 36.80   10 48.2   3.342   2.913    56   12.1      7.8 322.2  20:04 ( 84, 27)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  18 41.37  -24 44.3   2.036   2.453   102   13.0     14.5 103.5   4:05 (340, 28)  
Apr. 19  18 48.13  -25  9.1   1.952   2.450   107   12.9     12.7 107.2   3:54 (343, 28)  

* 154P/2002 Q4 ( Brewington )


It passed the perihelion on Feb. 19 and expected to be fading now. But it may be brighter after this.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   2 43.32   28 15.4   2.510   1.690    27   13.4     44.1  70.6  19:57 (118, 10)  
Apr. 19   3  5.53   29 50.7   2.557   1.718    26   13.8     43.4  72.8  20:04 (121,  8)  

* 116P/Wild 4


It was observed visually at around 13 mag these days.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  15 42.42  -21 57.8   1.359   2.244   143   13.5      4.2 245.1   2:24 (  0, 33)  
Apr. 19  15 39.80  -22  7.7   1.327   2.257   150   13.4      6.6 260.7   1:54 (  0, 33)  

* 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1


Appearing very low sky in the morning. It will be higher than 20 deg in May.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  22 25.26   -7 27.2   6.410   5.764    46   13.7     10.3  63.9   4:05 (285,  7)  
Apr. 19  22 29.50   -6 55.8   6.326   5.763    52   13.7      9.8  63.2   3:54 (286, 10)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  23 59.03   -2 40.6   2.852   1.969    23   13.8     34.0  68.6   4:05 (267, -9)  
Apr. 19   0 13.60   -1 15.3   2.861   2.007    25   13.9     32.9  68.7   3:54 (266, -7)  

* 30P/Reinmuth 1


It became brighter than expected after the perihelion passage, and it was observed visually around 13 mag in March.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  11 13.57   18  4.6   1.240   2.103   139   13.8      2.8 156.7  21:52 (  0, 73)  
Apr. 19  11 14.72   17 40.9   1.314   2.130   132   14.0      5.5 139.4  21:26 (  0, 73)  

* C/2002 O7 ( LINEAR )


Getting brighter more slowly than expected, and it is still 15 mag. It may become only 10 mag in autumn at best. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will observable only until July, when it may be still 12 mag.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  14 42.64   42 16.6   1.963   2.677   125   14.2     34.4 285.5   1:25 (180, 83)  
Apr. 19  14 20.06   43  5.3   1.877   2.592   125   14.0     38.0 277.3   0:36 (180, 82)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  19  4.60   41 22.0   5.316   5.363    87   14.2     14.8  13.4   4:05 (245, 69)  
Apr. 19  19  6.39   43  2.3   5.288   5.376    89   14.2     14.4   8.9   3:54 (238, 72)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12   2 22.16  -32 36.6   5.860   5.181    43   14.5      9.6  75.8  19:57 ( 68,-28)  
Apr. 19   2 27.46  -32 22.1   5.782   5.114    44   14.4     10.0  79.9  20:04 ( 72,-34)  

* 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 four months after that. It is only observable until late May. 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)  
Apr. 12   5  3.10   21  6.9   2.645   2.229    55   14.9     24.3  81.6  19:57 ( 94, 33)  
Apr. 19   5 15.50   21 29.9   2.674   2.189    51   14.8     25.6  83.1  20:04 ( 97, 29)  

* C/2002 X5 ( Kudo-Fujikawa )


Although it had been fading slowly until early March, it got diffused and faded rapidly after that. It is already very hard to catch even with CCD.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   5 42.34   -5  2.2   1.885   1.751    66   14.9     38.2  56.0  19:57 ( 63, 26)  
Apr. 19   5 56.29   -2 48.2   2.084   1.871    63   15.7     33.0  58.8  20:04 ( 69, 23)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  18 38.17  -37  8.6   3.599   3.954   103   15.3     12.5 151.3   4:05 (345, 16)  
Apr. 19  18 41.30  -38 27.8   3.480   3.930   109   15.2     12.5 158.6   3:54 (348, 15)  

* C/2002 X1 ( LINEAR )


It will keep 14-15 mag until the end of 2003. Recently it was reported 1 mag fainter than this ephemeris.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   5 41.52   24 17.8   2.959   2.678    64   15.3      9.6 237.1  19:57 ( 92, 42)  
Apr. 19   5 38.07   23 42.8   3.070   2.652    56   15.4      7.4 229.3  20:04 ( 97, 34)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  16 14.69  -11 52.3   1.999   2.815   136   15.5      3.1   7.7   2:56 (  0, 43)  
Apr. 19  16 14.35  -11 29.9   1.915   2.788   143   15.4      3.8 331.0   2:28 (  0, 43)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  14  3.90   44 16.2   4.035   4.699   126   15.4     15.4 256.8   0:46 (180, 81)  
Apr. 19  13 54.24   43 45.3   4.087   4.738   125   15.5     15.6 250.5   0:09 (180, 81)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12   4 28.05   27  5.5   5.816   5.201    48   15.5      3.8  82.7  19:57 (104, 29)  
Apr. 19   4 30.23   27  9.5   5.835   5.131    41   15.4      4.6  81.6  20:04 (108, 22)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  12 56.36   37 38.9   5.624   6.357   133   16.1      8.2 249.5  23:34 (180, 87)  
Apr. 19  12 51.94   37 15.4   5.695   6.389   130   16.1      8.2 242.5  23:02 (180, 88)  

* 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)  
Apr. 12  19  4.05   28 11.1   5.763   5.841    89   17.0     13.2 338.1   4:05 (281, 68)  
Apr. 19  19  1.05   29 37.0   5.672   5.832    94   16.9     13.8 332.7   3:54 (282, 72)  

* C/2002 Q5 ( LINEAR )


It has been observed as bright as 12.5 mag from January to mid February. However, it started fading rapidly in March.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   9 58.46  -19 36.2   1.628   2.399   130   17.0     43.5 305.2  20:36 (  0, 36)  
Apr. 19   9 43.51  -16 53.9   1.803   2.475   121   17.6     33.3 309.4  20:04 (  3, 38)  

* 155P/2002 R2 ( Shoemaker 3 )


Brightness change became a bit slower after the perihelion passage. It will be fainter than 18 mag soon.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   9 57.94   21 46.8   1.504   2.205   121   17.0     12.8 121.1  20:37 (  0, 77)  
Apr. 19  10  3.83   20 57.9   1.606   2.246   116   17.3     14.5 120.3  20:15 (  0, 76)  

* 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko


It will be fainter than 18 mag in May. Very diffused.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  10 56.74   16  2.8   1.908   2.727   136   17.2      5.8 247.9  21:35 (  0, 71)  
Apr. 19  10 54.78   15 44.2   2.022   2.776   129   17.5      4.2 221.1  21:06 (  0, 71)  

* C/2003 F1 ( LINEAR )


New comet. It will keep 17.5 mag until summer.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12  17 16.87   52 44.0   3.742   4.054   100   17.4      6.5 299.6   3:58 (180, 72)  
Apr. 19  17 11.85   53  2.7   3.708   4.046   102   17.4      7.6 286.2   3:26 (180, 72)  

* C/2002 A3 ( LINEAR )


It will be fainter than 18 mag in May.
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
Apr. 12   9  9.35   23 22.8   5.360   5.795   111   17.6      3.4  20.4  19:57 ( 10, 78)  
Apr. 19   9 10.23   23 43.2   5.489   5.819   104   17.6      3.5  40.6  20:04 ( 42, 75)  

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