Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2009 Oct. 31: South)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on November 7, 2009
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Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. 35 deg in the Southern Hemisphere. Azimuth indicates 0 for south, 90 for west, 180 for north, 270 for east.

88P/Howell Now it is so bright as 8.8 mag (Oct. 29, Marco Goiato). It keeps observable for a long time until February. It will keep 9 mag until the end of 2009. But in the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps very low after this. It locates a bit higher in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 18 5.78 -26 45.4 1.708 1.379 53 8.7 20:01 ( 78, 32) Nov. 7 18 33.31 -26 36.6 1.743 1.392 52 8.8 20:10 ( 77, 30) C/2007 Q3 ( Siding Spring ) Appearing in the morning sky. It is 9.5 mag, as bright as expected (Oct. 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It keeps as bright as 9-10 mag for a long time until 2010 spring. It will be observable in good condition for a long time after this in the Northern Hemisphere. It keeps visible visually for one year until 2010 autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 11 46.80 10 44.8 2.850 2.268 45 9.4 3:26 (259, -3) Nov. 7 12 0.48 11 49.2 2.784 2.279 50 9.3 3:17 (257, -2) C/2006 W3 ( Christensen ) It reached up to 7.7 mag in summer (Aug. 13, Chris Wyatt). It is fading now, but still bright as 9.6 mag (Oct. 29, Marco Goiato). It will be getting lower gradually after this, and will be too low to observe in December. It keeps observable for a long time after 2010 in the Northern Hemisphere. But in the Northern Hemisphere, it is only observable in the low sky in 2010 spring, then it will be unobservable after that. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 19 10.55 -8 36.5 3.511 3.323 70 9.4 20:01 (106, 35) Nov. 7 19 11.76 -10 9.3 3.657 3.346 64 9.5 20:10 ( 98, 29) 217P/2009 F3 ( LINEAR ) An outburst occured on Oct. 13, and it reached up to 8.5 mag on Oct. 15 (Toru Yusa). The central nucleus shined like a bright star, and the dust coma looked like 17P/Holmes in outburst. However, the comet returned to the normal state within a few days. Now it is 10.3 mag (Oct. 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It will keep 10-11 mag until December. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in good condition for a long time until 2010 spring when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 6 24.07 -4 14.0 0.623 1.391 116 10.1 3:26 (190, 59) Nov. 7 6 25.13 -3 40.5 0.629 1.433 122 10.2 3:17 (182, 59) 81P/Wild 2 Already bright as 11.2 mag and visible visually (Oct. 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It will be getting higher after this. It will be observable bright as 9-10 mag in a good condition for a long time from winter to spring. It keeps observable until 2010 autumn when it fades down to 16 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 9 52.94 11 47.8 2.020 1.943 71 12.6 3:26 (240, 18) Nov. 7 10 8.36 10 32.3 1.921 1.907 74 12.4 3:17 (241, 20) 118P/Shoemaker-Levy 4 Now it is 13.6 mag, already visible visually (Oct. 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It will brighten rapidly after this. It will reach to 12 mag and become visible visually in winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in good condition for a long time after this until 2010 spring when it fades out. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 6 4.42 10 5.9 1.306 2.047 125 13.2 3:26 (180, 45) Nov. 7 6 7.70 9 33.2 1.240 2.034 131 13.0 3:03 (180, 45) C/2008 T2 ( Cardinal ) It brightened up to 8.5 mag in May and June (May 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading, but still bright as 11.6 mag (Oct. 10, Marco Goiato). It will never be observable again in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be low temporarily in winter, but it keeps observable until when it fades out. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 16 11.51 -55 10.2 2.924 2.352 46 13.2 20:01 ( 39, 25) Nov. 7 16 37.61 -54 43.5 3.045 2.430 43 13.4 20:10 ( 38, 23) C/2008 Q3 ( Garradd ) It brightened up to 6.7 mag in June (June 9, Marco Goiato). It faded down to 9.5 mag on Aug. 21 (Juan Jose Gonzalez), then it became unobservable. Now it is appearing in the morning sky again at 13 mag. It may be visible visually again. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 13 24.00 10 57.9 3.242 2.419 28 13.2 3:26 (272,-23) Nov. 7 13 27.78 12 3.2 3.226 2.475 34 13.5 3:17 (269,-20) 169P/NEAT It will brighten rapidly after this, and will reach up to 10 mag in December. In the Southern Hemisphere, it keeps observable all through this apparition, although it becomes low in November and December. Especially, it will be observable in the excellent condition after January. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in the evening low sky until late November when it becomes 11 mag. It will appear in the morning sky at 14 mag in late January, then it keeps observable while fading gradually. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 17 38.72 -19 2.4 1.056 0.828 47 14.3 20:01 ( 82, 23) Nov. 7 17 57.90 -20 47.4 0.967 0.750 44 13.2 20:10 ( 78, 20) 22P/Kopff It brightened up to 8.8 mag in May and June (May 19, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is still bright as 11.7 mag (Oct. 24, Marco Goiato). However, it will be too faint to see visually in November. It keeps observable in the evening sky for a long time until next spring when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 22 47.55 -14 6.3 1.504 2.180 120 13.3 20:08 (180, 69) Nov. 7 22 52.83 -13 22.5 1.616 2.221 114 13.6 20:10 (164, 68) 116P/Wild 4 It brightened up to 11 mag in spring and summer. Now it is not observable. It will appear in the morning sky at 15 mag in early 2010. But it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 14 55.64 -18 2.8 3.269 2.295 9 13.8 20:01 ( 60, -9) Nov. 7 15 10.51 -19 9.1 3.294 2.311 6 13.9 20:10 ( 56,-12) 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 An outburst occured in September. It is bright as 11.3 mag still now (Oct. 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 9 46.38 12 55.3 6.386 6.171 73 14.0 3:26 (238, 19) Nov. 7 9 48.84 12 37.6 6.277 6.173 79 13.9 3:17 (236, 22) 65P/Gunn Now it is not observable. It will appear in the morning sky again in 2010 February. It will brighten up to 12-13 mag in 2010 summer. But it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 14 59.30 -14 30.9 3.528 2.553 9 14.4 20:01 ( 63,-11) Nov. 7 15 12.20 -15 39.5 3.525 2.541 5 14.4 20:10 ( 58,-15) P/2009 Q4 ( Boattini ) Brightening very rapidly, faster than expected. Now it is 13.8 mag and visible visually (Oct. 26, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It will be observable visually at 13-14 mag in winter. It keeps observable in good condition all through this apparition until next spring when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 7 56.12 4 49.0 0.785 1.340 97 14.9 3:26 (219, 42) Nov. 7 8 18.30 4 12.7 0.752 1.329 98 14.7 3:17 (221, 42) C/2007 N3 ( Lulin ) It passed near by the earth in late February, and it reached up to 4.9 mag (Feb. 23, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading, but still bright as 14.4 mag (Sept. 23, Yuji Ohshima). It is observable at 15 mag in good condition until winter. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 6 49.13 21 11.2 3.456 3.994 116 14.8 3:26 (193, 33) Nov. 7 6 40.27 21 17.1 3.412 4.065 125 14.9 3:17 (185, 34) C/2009 G1 ( STEREO ) It has been observed bright as 8-9 mag from April to June. Now it is fading. It was still bright as 11.0 mag in July (July 12, Marco Goiato). However, no observations have been reported since August. So it may have faded out rapidly. In the Southern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in a good condition for a long time. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will never be observable again. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 10 55.64 -55 46.5 3.420 3.001 57 14.9 3:26 (317, 37) Nov. 7 10 55.98 -56 50.0 3.465 3.078 59 15.1 3:17 (318, 40) C/2007 G1 ( LINEAR ) It brightened up to 11.5 mag in last summer (Aug. 4, Marco Goiato). Now it is 15.2 mag (Sept. 20, Yasukazu Ikari). It keeps observable in good condition for a long time in the Southern Hemisphere. Now it became observable again also in the Northern Hemisphere. It will keep 15-16 mag until next spring. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 6 18.28 -42 35.3 4.072 4.380 101 15.0 3:26 (340, 82) Nov. 7 6 10.92 -42 50.7 4.072 4.431 104 15.0 3:07 ( 0, 82) C/2006 OF2 ( Broughton ) It brightned up to 10 mag from late 2008 to early 2009. Now it is fading. But it is still bright as 14.6 mag (Sept. 27, Hidetaka Sato). It will be observable in good condition again in winter at 15 mag. Then it may be still visible visually. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 10 18.56 7 57.2 5.176 4.824 63 15.0 3:26 (248, 16) Nov. 7 10 21.48 7 17.3 5.126 4.878 70 15.1 3:17 (246, 20) C/2008 P1 ( Garradd ) Now it is 15.4 mag (Sept. 25, Hidetaka Sato). It keeps observable in good condition at 15 mag until late autumn. It has a very long tail in spite of the distance. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 23 9.53 31 9.1 3.248 3.992 133 15.1 20:30 (180, 24) Nov. 7 23 4.27 31 11.4 3.329 4.006 127 15.1 20:10 (177, 24) 126P/IRAS Now it is 15.7 mag (Sept. 19, Hidetaka Sato). It will be 14 mag from winter to spring in 2010. But the condition is bad. Now it is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It keeps observable until mid January in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will appear in the morning sky at 15 mag in late May in 2010, then it keeps observable while fading gradually after that. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 18 38.76 -57 23.7 2.331 2.105 64 15.2 20:01 ( 41, 45) Nov. 7 19 1.89 -55 3.8 2.342 2.064 61 15.1 20:10 ( 45, 43) C/2009 K5 ( McNaught ) It is expected to reach up to 10 mag and to be observable in good condition in 2010 spring. Now it is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere. It will be unobservable also in the Southern Hemisphere in late November. Then it will appear in the morning sky at 13 mag in late January. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 16 26.88 -39 20.2 3.517 2.796 37 15.2 20:01 ( 55, 19) Nov. 7 16 34.59 -38 0.1 3.515 2.724 31 15.1 20:10 ( 53, 14) (3552) Don Quixote Now it is 14.6 mag (Sept. 19, Hidetaka Sato). It passes the perihelion in September, and now it is brightest. It keeps observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher while fading. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 20 36.73 -16 0.9 0.971 1.387 89 15.4 20:01 (117, 56) Nov. 7 20 57.15 -11 8.8 1.052 1.432 88 15.6 20:10 (119, 50) C/2009 O4 ( Hill ) Now it is 14.4 mag and visible visually (Sept. 14, Alan Hale). It keeps 15 mag until winter. It keeps observable in a good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. But in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually, and it is only observable until late autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 22 49.33 -38 24.6 2.169 2.649 107 15.4 20:09 ( 0, 87) Nov. 7 22 43.93 -40 7.9 2.271 2.631 100 15.5 20:10 ( 50, 82) C/2006 S3 ( LONEOS ) Now it is 16.2 mag (Aug. 13, Ken-ichi Kadota), brightening as expected. It will reach up to 12 mag in 2012, and will be observable visually at 12-13 mag for a long time from 2011 to 2013. In 2009, it is observable in good condition at 16 mag from summer to autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, the comet will be low around its brightest seasons. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 21 43.78 0 20.0 7.874 8.269 110 15.7 20:01 (156, 52) Nov. 7 21 41.71 -0 1.5 7.957 8.233 102 15.7 20:10 (142, 48) P/2009 T2 ( La Sagra ) New periodic comet. Brightening very rapidly. Now it is 16.2 mag (Oct. 16, D. Levy, W. Levy, T. Glinos). It will brighten up to 15 mag and will be observable in good condition in winter. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 1 40.10 13 52.8 0.956 1.941 170 16.0 23:00 (180, 41) Nov. 7 1 39.03 10 24.9 0.942 1.910 162 15.8 22:31 (180, 45) 157P/Tritton It brightened up to 11 mag in outburst in 2003. Now it is 16.5 mag (Oct. 10, La Sagra). It will be observable in good condition in winter. Maybe it brightens up to 14 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 23 23.57 10 39.7 0.976 1.829 136 16.2 20:44 (180, 44) Nov. 7 23 21.51 10 8.2 0.981 1.783 129 16.0 20:14 (180, 45) 64P/Swift-Gehrels Fading slowly. Now it is 15.5 mag (Oct. 19, Ken-ichi Kadota). It keeps observable in good condition until February when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 9 48.79 13 41.4 2.161 2.094 72 16.0 3:26 (238, 18) Nov. 7 9 56.69 12 37.7 2.130 2.148 77 16.1 3:17 (237, 20) C/2005 L3 ( McNaught ) It brightened up to 13 mag and observed visually from 2007 to 2009. Due to the far distance, it is bright as 16 mag still now. It will be observable in good condition again from winter to spring. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 13 21.06 29 58.8 7.914 7.264 46 16.0 3:26 (253,-32) Nov. 7 13 22.82 30 4.3 7.882 7.294 50 16.0 3:17 (252,-28) 30P/Reinmuth 1 Now it is 17.8 mag (Sept. 20, Yasukazu Ikari). It will brighten rapidly after this, and will be observable at 15 mag in good condition in winter and spring. It may be visible visually. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 5 32.33 13 19.8 1.578 2.374 133 16.4 2:56 (180, 42) Nov. 7 5 32.36 13 10.4 1.492 2.341 140 16.2 2:28 (180, 42) 107P/(4015) Wilson-Harrington Now it is 16.7 mag (Aug. 14, Katsumi Yoshimoto). The condition is good in this apparition. It will approach to the earth down to 0.38 A.U., and will be observable in good condition at 16.5 mag in November. It keeps observable until that time after this. But it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 19 46.96 -14 38.0 0.423 0.999 78 16.8 20:01 (107, 47) Nov. 7 20 28.37 -12 15.3 0.399 1.015 81 16.7 20:10 (111, 46) 127P/Holt-Olmstead It became much brighter than expected. It was originally predicted to be 19 mag, but now it is 16.4 mag (Sept. 25, Hidetaka Sato). It will be observable in good condition at 17-18 mag until November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 0 37.82 8 43.1 1.260 2.197 154 16.8 21:58 (180, 46) Nov. 7 0 33.92 9 15.5 1.303 2.199 146 16.9 21:26 (180, 46) 43P/Wolf-Harrington Now it is 17.4 mag (Sept. 16, A. Novichonok, V. Nevski, D. Chestnov). The condition of this apparition is bad. It will reach up to 11-12 mag from spring to autumn in 2010, but it is not observable. It will be getting brighter gradually in the evening sky, but it will be too low to observe in January at 15 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 20 26.87 -1 30.7 2.510 2.717 91 16.9 20:01 (130, 44) Nov. 7 20 31.75 -1 47.3 2.560 2.671 85 16.8 20:10 (122, 39) P/2009 U6 ( LINEAR ) New periodic comet discovered very near by 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 and 81P/Wild 2. It keeps observable in good condition at 17 mag for a while until winter. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 9 52.03 12 55.0 1.767 1.736 71 16.8 3:26 (239, 18) Nov. 7 10 5.89 12 38.4 1.736 1.771 75 16.9 3:17 (239, 19) (3200) Phaethon It passed the perihelion in June, but it was not observable, too close to the sun. Although it was predicted to be 13.5 mag, the STEREO spacecraft revealed that it brightened up to 10-11 mag, much brighter than expected. Now it is 16.4 mag (Aug. 23, C00). It keeps observable at 16-17 mag until late autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 1 17.90 43 34.2 1.091 2.001 147 16.8 22:36 (180, 12) Nov. 7 0 59.72 40 19.4 1.146 2.046 146 17.0 21:51 (180, 15) 47P/Ashbrook-Jackson It brightened up to 15-16 mag in 2008 summer. Now it is 17.4 mag (Sept. 15, A. Novichonok, V. Nevski, D. Chestnov). It keeps observable at 17 mag in good condition for a long time until winter. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 3 42.05 35 35.6 2.276 3.185 151 17.0 1:06 (180, 19) Nov. 7 3 36.16 35 42.8 2.263 3.203 157 17.1 0:33 (180, 19) 203P/2008 R4 ( Korlevic ) Now it is 17.0 mag (Oct. 18, Ken-ichi Kadota). This comet tends to brighten after the perihelion passage. It will reach up to 16-17 mag in 2010 and 2011. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 5 0.28 25 35.5 2.396 3.228 140 17.1 2:24 (180, 29) Nov. 7 4 57.73 25 31.8 2.335 3.222 148 17.1 1:54 (180, 29) C/2009 U3 ( Hill ) It will be observable at 15.5 mag in the evening sky from winter to spring. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 3 36.77 17 26.5 1.415 2.377 161 17.5 1:01 (180, 38) Nov. 7 3 24.04 19 35.4 1.323 2.307 170 17.2 0:21 (180, 35) C/2007 VO53 ( Spacewatch ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Sept. 4, Ken-ichi Kadota). It keeps observable at 17-18 mag for a long time until 2011. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 2 15.75 81 11.6 4.567 5.036 112 17.3 23:32 (180,-26) Nov. 7 1 24.34 81 30.2 4.535 5.022 114 17.3 22:13 (180,-27) C/2008 S3 ( Boattini ) Now it is 18.0 mag (Sept. 21, Mt. Lemmon Survey). It keeps observable at 17 mag for a long time from 2010 to 2012. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 3 10.03 19 51.4 7.785 8.755 166 17.4 0:34 (180, 35) Nov. 7 3 4.68 19 37.9 7.751 8.738 174 17.4 0:01 (180, 35) 94P/Russell 4 No observations have been reported recently, but it will be brightening rapidly after this. It will reach up to 15 mag from winter to spring, and will be observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 9 30.57 19 19.8 2.450 2.459 78 17.7 3:26 (231, 17) Nov. 7 9 40.87 18 49.9 2.348 2.440 83 17.5 3:17 (230, 18) C/2009 T3 ( LINEAR ) It will reach up to 17.5 mag and will be observable in good condition in November and December. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 4 26.32 25 7.5 1.524 2.427 148 17.8 1:51 (180, 30) Nov. 7 3 51.17 26 1.3 1.438 2.401 162 17.6 0:49 (180, 29) 222P/2009 MB9 ( LINEAR ) First return of a new bright periodic comet. It was observed as an asteroid in June, however, it unexpectely brightened up to 12.3 mag on Aug. 31 (Juan Jose Gonzalez). It was bright as 13.6 mag and visible visually still on Sept. 20 (Seiichi Yoshida). However, it is fading rapidly. It has already faded down to 17.4 mag (Oct. 10, Ken-ichi Kadota). It will be fainter than 18 mag in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Oct. 31 8 54.55 25 42.9 0.721 1.214 88 17.7 3:26 (220, 17) Nov. 7 8 56.16 26 15.4 0.735 1.289 95 18.3 3:17 (216, 19)