Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2003 May 17: North)

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 Updated on May 17, 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 )
Appearing at dawn in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will never be observable again. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   1 26.48    1 56.4   1.602   0.976    35    7.4     50.4 146.4   3:16 (263, -6)  
May  24   1 39.70   -3  1.7   1.578   1.068    41    7.7     52.0 146.5   3:10 (269, -7)

* C/2002 V1 ( NEAT )
Very low even in the Southern Hemisphere. Few observations have been reported recently. It was reported as bright as 9.9 mag still in early May, however, it seems to be very diffused. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   4  2.02  -15 54.3   2.811   2.076    35   10.1     21.6  80.5  20:36 ( 96,-36)  
May  24   4 11.99  -15 33.5   2.923   2.190    36   10.4     20.0  83.3  20:44 (100,-41)

* C/2001 HT50 ( LINEAR-NEAT )
It will be observable in good condition at 11-12 mag in autumn again. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   5 33.55   13 13.2   3.682   2.845    29   12.2      4.3   8.3  20:36 (107, -1)  
May  24   5 34.03   13 42.1   3.734   2.832    23   12.2      4.2  19.0  20:44 (112, -7)

* C/2001 RX14 ( LINEAR )
It will be low in the evening sky and fainter than 13 mag in June. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  11  6.95   12 12.2   1.990   2.486   107   12.3     20.7 157.0  20:36 ( 38, 62)  
May  24  11 11.19   10  2.0   2.112   2.532   102   12.5     20.6 151.8  20:44 ( 48, 56)

* 65P/Gunn
It is observable at 12.5 mag for long time until August. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  19  3.34  -27 21.5   1.657   2.446   131   12.6      6.2 159.9   3:16 (357, 28)  
May  24  19  3.73  -28  4.1   1.599   2.447   138   12.5      6.4 185.7   3:00 (  0, 27)

* C/2002 O7 ( LINEAR )
Getting brighter slowly. It will be 10 mag in autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will observable only until July. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  12 36.88   39 27.5   1.711   2.245   108   13.3     43.8 242.8  20:56 (180, 86)  
May  24  12 14.95   36 49.4   1.711   2.157   101   13.2     42.7 234.9  20:44 (105, 82)

* 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1
Appearing at dawn, but not yet observed in this season. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  22 43.36   -5  3.0   5.931   5.758    75   13.6      6.9  58.8   3:16 (294, 23)  
May  24  22 45.91   -4 39.1   5.823   5.757    81   13.5      6.0  56.8   3:10 (297, 26)

* 116P/Wild 4
It was observed visually at around 12 mag these days. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  15 19.95  -22  0.6   1.308   2.317   175   13.5     11.0 276.6  23:40 (  0, 33)  
May  24  15 14.65  -21 50.9   1.332   2.334   169   13.6     10.1 278.4  23:07 (  0, 33)

* C/2001 Q4 ( NEAT )
It will reach to 1 mag in 2004 spring. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable until that time. No observations have been reported since Jan. 24. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   2 50.96  -32 13.2   5.390   4.840    52   14.0     11.4  96.5   3:16 (285,-40)  
May  24   2 57.29  -32 25.3   5.275   4.770    55   13.9     11.8 100.8   3:10 (287,-38)

* 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)  
May  17  19  5.87   49 18.4   5.220   5.436    96   14.3     12.4 348.7   3:16 (188, 76)  
May  24  19  3.71   50 40.6   5.215   5.452    98   14.3     11.8 342.9   3:00 (180, 74)

* 81P/Wild 2
It will set down under horizon soon. It will appear at dawn again in 2004 January at 14 mag, then fade out gradually. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   6 12.15   22 21.8   2.742   2.031    37   14.4     30.6  89.2  20:36 (109, 12)  
May  24   6 27.89   22 21.5   2.749   1.993    34   14.3     31.7  90.8  20:44 (111,  8)

* 22P/Kopff
Appearing at dawn in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will appear at dawn in June at 15.5 mag, then it will be fading. No observations have been reported since 2002 September. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   1  7.18    3 49.5   2.859   2.166    38   14.6     28.4  70.0   3:16 (265, -1)  
May  24   1 19.43    4 55.1   2.848   2.207    42   14.8     27.2  70.6   3:10 (265,  2)

* 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)  
May  17  18 44.44  -44 28.5   3.081   3.843   133   14.8     14.0 188.0   3:08 (  0, 11)  
May  24  18 35.80  -45 14.3   3.010   3.841   139   14.7     17.8 176.1   2:32 (  0, 10)

* 53P/Van Biesbroeck
It will be 14 mag from spring to summer. It was reported brighter than 14 mag visually these days. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  16  3.51   -9 59.1   1.688   2.686   168   14.9      9.0 287.5   0:28 (  0, 45)  
May  24  15 59.29   -9 41.9   1.662   2.663   169   14.9      9.4 283.2  23:51 (  0, 45)

* C/2002 T7 ( LINEAR )
It is expected to be 1 mag in the southern sky in 2004 spring. It will appear at dawn again in July. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   4 42.51   27 36.9   5.797   4.845    17   15.2      7.0  79.7  20:36 (125, -1)  
May  24   4 46.25   27 46.0   5.756   4.772    12   15.1      7.4  79.4  20:44 (130, -6)

* 118P/Sheomaker-Levy 4
It will appear at dawn in September at 15 mag, then fade out gradually. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17   4 16.50   15 32.2   3.051   2.067    10   15.3     34.5  78.9  20:36 (120,-14)  
May  24   4 33.06   16 15.7   3.050   2.055     8   15.2     34.8  80.3  20:44 (124,-16)

* C/2003 H1 ( LINEAR )
New comet. It will be as bright as 11.5 mag in 2004 spring. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  17 43.00   23  0.2   3.084   3.783   127   15.5     26.2 284.7   2:07 (  0, 78)  
May  24  17 29.40   23 40.8   2.986   3.727   130   15.4     28.6 280.0   1:26 (  0, 79)

* C/2002 X1 ( LINEAR )
It will appear at dawn again in late July, then 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)  
May  17   5 33.71   21 45.4   3.408   2.563    28   15.4      3.8 174.0  20:36 (114,  4)  
May  24   5 34.11   21 19.4   3.459   2.545    21   15.5      3.9 162.3  20:44 (118, -2)

* C/2003 G1 ( LINEAR )
New comet. It will be observable in good condition at 16 mag until autumn. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  17 30.56    3 59.6   4.134   4.979   143   15.6     13.8 324.7   1:54 (  0, 59)  
May  24  17 26.63    5 16.6   4.111   4.988   146   15.5     13.8 320.7   1:23 (  0, 60)

* C/2000 SV74 ( LINEAR )
Although it has been bright and observable for a long time, it will be fainter than 17 mag and getting lower in the evening sky in August. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  13 21.80   39 56.7   4.408   4.898   113   15.8     14.8 224.7  21:42 (180, 85)  
May  24  13 15.98   38 40.0   4.513   4.939   109   15.9     14.4 218.2  21:09 (180, 86)

* C/2003 H3 ( NEAT )
New comet. It keeps 16 mag until August. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  19 47.09   -9 53.3   2.292   2.910   118   15.9     17.9   0.3   3:16 (342, 43)  
May  24  19 46.56   -7 46.6   2.225   2.916   124   15.9     18.4 352.6   3:10 (348, 46)

* 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)  
May  17  12 38.33   34 45.4   6.075   6.521   111   16.3      7.9 212.2  20:59 (  0, 90)  
May  24  12 36.23   33 56.9   6.190   6.554   106   16.3      7.9 204.4  20:44 ( 70, 87)

* 30P/Reinmuth 1
It became brighter than expected after the perihelion passage, and reached to 13 mag in March. Then it faded rapidly and already reached to 16 mag now. It will be fainter than 18 mag in July. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  11 30.32   14 35.7   1.672   2.247   111   16.3     14.7 125.5  20:36 ( 29, 67)  
May  24  11 36.44   13 33.9   1.773   2.278   106   16.5     16.3 124.1  20:44 ( 42, 63)

* 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)  
May  17  18 40.29   35  8.1   5.374   5.797   109   16.8     16.3 311.5   3:04 (180, 90)  
May  24  18 32.89   36 20.6   5.323   5.789   112   16.8     16.7 306.3   2:29 (180, 89)

* 66P/du Toit
It will not be observable around the perihelion passage. Before the perihelion passage, it is observable until July when it reaches to 15 mag. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  11 54.75   -2 21.2   1.071   1.839   124   17.1     14.8 225.7  20:36 (  9, 52)  
May  24  11 50.80   -3 39.0   1.076   1.780   116   16.9     13.4 207.8  20:44 ( 23, 49)

* 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)  
May  17  16 41.04   52 31.9   3.611   4.021   106   17.3     12.7 247.4   1:05 (180, 72)  
May  24  16 31.97   51 49.8   3.599   4.017   107   17.3     14.0 239.6   0:29 (180, 73)

* 152P/2001 Y1 ( Helin-Lawrence )
Appearing at dawn. It keeps 17.5 mag until August. However, it locates low, around 27-30 deg high, in the Northern Hemisphere. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  20 17.76  -22 24.5   2.658   3.207   114   17.4      5.1 114.4   3:16 (337, 29)  
May  24  20 19.58  -22 41.3   2.582   3.216   120   17.4      3.7 135.9   3:10 (342, 30)

* 95P/(2060) Chiron
It will be observable around 17.5 mag until autumn. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  19 13.49  -15 14.8  11.472  12.114   127   17.4      1.7 280.5   3:16 (354, 40)  
May  24  19 12.55  -15 13.0  11.398  12.127   134   17.4      2.2 275.6   3:09 (  0, 40)

* C/2003 H2 ( LINEAR )
New comet. It will reach to 17.5 mag in June at best. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  17 55.40   16 50.1   1.403   2.193   129   17.6     36.6 230.4   2:20 (  0, 72)  
May  24  17 40.56   13 47.1   1.333   2.191   137   17.5     44.0 228.8   1:37 (  0, 69)

* P/2003 H4
New comet. It keeps around 18 mag until June. 
Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1    Mot.(') p.a.  Best Time(A, h)  
May  17  16  5.83  -11 40.8   0.691   1.695   169   17.7     26.0 353.6   0:30 (  0, 43)  
May  24  16  4.27   -8 44.5   0.693   1.697   168   17.7     24.6 351.9   0:01 (  0, 46)

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