Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2010 July 10: North)

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Updated on July 11, 2010
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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.

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* C/2009 R1 ( McNaught )

Brightened rapidly, and it reached to 5 mag in early June (June 5, Yoshimi Nagai). It will approach to the sun down to 0.4 A.U. in July, and it was expected to reach up to 2-3 mag. However, its brightening has stopped after that. It was 4.9 mag in late June (June 24, Carlos Labordena). It was faint as about 6 mag on July 2 (Todd Augustyniak). Now it is not observable. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will appear in the morning sky at 9 mag in late Augut. Then it keeps observable while fading rapidly. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is will never be observable again.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   7 59.91   24 31.1   1.411   0.450    10    5.4  21:00 (129,-10)  
July 17   8 24.65   14 37.2   1.508   0.552    11    5.6  20:55 (121,-17)  

* 10P/Tempel 2

Brightened rapidly. Now it is so bright as 8.6 mag (July 9, Marco Goiato). It keeps observable bright as 9-10 mag for a long time until autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   0 11.25   -7  8.7   0.735   1.424   107    9.3   3:09 (323, 40)  
July 17   0 29.31   -7 38.1   0.712   1.428   110    9.3   3:15 (327, 42)  

* 2P/Encke

It passes the perihelion in August. But the condition of this apparition is bad. It is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it appears in the evening sky at 9 mag in late August, then it will keep observable while fading rapidly.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   5 50.21   28 49.4   1.607   0.743    20   10.4   3:09 (234,  0)  
July 17   6 39.35   27 50.0   1.522   0.615    16    9.7   3:15 (233, -3)  

* C/2009 K5 ( McNaught )

It brightened up to 7.9 mag in April and May (May 5, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. But it is still bright as 9.4 mag (June 29, M. Lehky). It keeps observable for a long time until when it fades out in the Northern Hemisphere. It will be visible visually until autumn, although it will be low in July.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   7 41.26   60 44.1   2.415   1.741    38   10.5  21:00 (156, 15)  
July 17   7 48.61   58 55.2   2.492   1.798    37   10.8  20:55 (157, 12)  

* 43P/Wolf-Harrington

It brightened up to 15.5 mag in January (Jan. 31, C. Rinner, F. Kugel). It is not observable now. The condition of this apparition is bad. It will reach up to 11-12 mag from spring to autumn, but it is not observable.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   6 25.09   20 29.1   2.339   1.361    11   11.6   3:09 (235,-11)  
July 17   6 49.72   19 16.2   2.340   1.369    12   11.7   3:15 (237,-11)  

* C/2006 W3 ( Christensen )

It reached up to 7.7 mag in last summer (Aug. 13, Chris Wyatt). It is fading now. It has already faded down to 11.9 mag (July 7, Marco Goiato). In the Southern Hemisphere, it keeps observable for a long time after this. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is only observable in the extremely low sky. It will be getting lower gradually, then it will never be observable again.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  18 34.71  -46 32.3   3.709   4.647   154   12.0  23:20 (  0,  8)  
July 17  18 21.18  -47  8.9   3.791   4.692   149   12.1  22:39 (  0,  8)  

* 65P/Gunn

Now it is 11.5 mag (July 6, Alexandre Amorim). It will keep 12-13 mag until autumn. But it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  21 10.48  -30 16.7   1.618   2.567   153   12.8   2:01 (  0, 25)  
July 17  21  6.37  -31  5.3   1.605   2.580   159   12.8   1:29 (  0, 24)  

* 81P/Wild 2

It reached up to 9.2 mag in March (Mar. 20, Marco Goiato). Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 12.0 mag (July 9, Marco Goiato). It keeps observable in a good condition for a long time. It keeps observable until autumn when it fades down to 16 mag.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  14 35.88  -10 43.5   1.449   2.063   112   12.9  21:00 ( 31, 39)  
July 17  14 44.07  -11 40.2   1.553   2.102   107   13.2  20:55 ( 35, 36)  

* 103P/Hartley 2

Brightening rapidly. Now it is 16.2 mag (July 4, Catalina Sky Survey). This apparition is best condition. It will approach to the earth down to 0.12 A.U. in October, and brighten up to 5 mag. It will be visible with naked eyes. In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable all through this apparition until 2011 June when it fades down to 17 mag.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  22 11.87   15 24.3   0.992   1.763   122   14.4   3:01 (  0, 70)  
July 17  22 17.40   17 54.5   0.893   1.701   125   13.9   2:39 (  0, 73)  

* 141P/Machholz 2

Chris Wyatt reported it was visible visually at 11.3 mag on Apr. 25. But no other observations have been reported. The condition of this apparition is very bad. It will never be observable after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   7  0.04   19  0.0   2.026   1.017     4   14.0   3:09 (230,-18)  
July 17   7 27.94   17 22.5   2.098   1.091     5   14.7   3:15 (232,-18)  

* 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1

It was bright as 11.8 mag still on June 3 (Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere. It will be unobservable soon also in the Southern Hemisphere. It will appear in the morning sky again in October.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   9 47.17   10 30.5   6.989   6.220    38   14.2  21:00 (102,  1)  
July 17   9 51.61   10  5.0   7.054   6.221    32   14.2  20:55 (105, -3)  

* C/2007 Q3 ( Siding Spring )

It brightened up to 9.5 mag in January (Jan. 13, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading rapidly. But it is still bright as 12.3 mag (June 4, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It will be observable in good condition for a long time after this in the Northern Hemisphere. It keeps visible visually until summer. In mid March, the nuclear fragmentation was observed.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  14 39.57   55 30.9   3.730   3.741    82   14.3  21:00 (149, 64)  
July 17  14 43.43   54  4.0   3.819   3.797    81   14.5  20:55 (143, 63)  

* C/2009 P1 ( Garradd )

Now it is 15.2 mag (June 14, Hidetaka Sato). It is expected to keep so bright as 6-8 mag for a long time from 2011 to 2012, and to be observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2010, it is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere while brightening slowly. It locates low in the Northern Hemisphere, but it keeps observable until the end of 2010.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  23 53.34  -33 57.3   5.496   6.052   118   15.0   3:09 (340, 18)  
July 17  23 50.22  -34 30.1   5.352   5.992   124   14.9   3:15 (348, 19)  

* C/2008 FK75 ( Lemmon-Siding Spring )

Now it is very bright as 14.2 mag (July 8, Toni Scarmato). Maybe it is 13 mag visually. It keeps observable at 14-15 mag for a long time in 2010.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  17 34.22   42 16.3   4.090   4.559   111   15.1  22:20 (180, 83)  
July 17  17 31.02   42 17.7   4.112   4.551   109   15.2  21:50 (180, 83)  

* C/2009 F4 ( McNaught )

Now it is 15.0 mag (June 2, Hidetaka Sato). It keeps bright as 14-15 mag for a long time after this until 2013. It is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  14 28.03  -47 58.9   6.167   6.708   118   15.2  21:00 ( 17,  4)  
July 17  14 25.11  -47 50.9   6.228   6.680   112   15.2  20:55 ( 21,  2)  

* C/2006 S3 ( LONEOS )

Now it is 15.6 mag (June 20, Catalina Sky Survey). It will be observable at 13-14 mag for a long time from 2011 to 2012. In 2010, it is observable at 15-16 mag in good condition from spring to autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  21 32.89    1 46.2   6.206   7.004   138   15.3   2:23 (  0, 57)  
July 17  21 27.33    1 30.9   6.104   6.970   146   15.3   1:50 (  0, 57)  

* P/2010 A5 ( LINEAR )

Now it is visible visually at 14.3 mag (May 21, Alan Hale). It keeps observable for a long time until September when it becomes fainter than 18 mag.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  16 22.68  -23 32.0   1.021   1.916   140   15.9  21:10 (  0, 31)  
July 17  16 28.36  -23  5.0   1.095   1.949   134   16.1  20:55 (  2, 32)  

* 126P/IRAS

It had been unobservable for a while, but it is getting observable in the morning sky now. Now it is 16.1 mag (June 13, C. Rinner, F. Kugel). It keeps observable after this while fading gradually.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   4  9.23   51 41.9   2.823   2.244    46   16.0   3:09 (225, 28)  
July 17   4 29.19   53 42.8   2.823   2.289    49   16.1   3:15 (223, 31)  

* 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh

Now it is 16.0 mag (June 12, Toshiyuki Takahashi). It was observed as 15-16 mag in early 2009. In 2010, it was also observed at 16 mag in good condition from winter to spring. But it will be getting lower in the evening sky after this. It will be too low to observe in August.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  13 24.87   -4  0.9   3.541   3.745    93   16.2  21:00 ( 54, 34)  
July 17  13 28.28   -4 35.3   3.649   3.752    87   16.3  20:55 ( 58, 31)  

* P/2010 H2 ( Vales )

Bright new comet discovered as a bright stellar object of 12.5 mag on Apr. 16. It was not detected, fainter than 20 mag, on the previous day (Apr. 15, Catalina Sky Survey). It was discovered just after the sudden outburst. It is bright as 12.0 mag still now (June 6, Jose Guilherme S. Aguiar), but it looks diffuse. It has faded down to 14.7 mag by CCD observations (June 17, Toni Scarmato).

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  13 24.19   -1 41.0   2.940   3.153    92   16.5  21:00 ( 56, 36)  
July 17  13 28.43   -2 40.0   3.039   3.159    87   16.9  20:55 ( 59, 32)  

* C/2010 J2 ( McNaught )

Now it is 16.7 mag (June 13, Hidetaka Sato). It will be observable at 17 mag in good condition in summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  20 39.69   -3 43.0   2.470   3.404   152   16.8   1:30 (  0, 51)  
July 17  20 22.65   -2 47.7   2.441   3.411   159   16.8   0:46 (  0, 52)  

* 116P/Wild 4

It brightened up to 11 mag in spring and summer in 2009. Appearing in the morninig sky again. Now it is 16.3 mag (June 2, Ken-ichi Kadota). It keeps observable after this until autumn when it becomes fainter than 18 mag while fading gradually. But it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  19 47.16  -26 34.6   2.127   3.137   171   16.8   0:38 (  0, 28)  
July 17  19 40.94  -26 48.6   2.149   3.162   174   16.9   0:04 (  0, 28)  

* 219P/2009 H1 ( LINEAR )

It was observed at 17 mag in summer and autumn in 2009. It will be observable again at 17 mag in good condition in summer and autumn also in 2010.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   2 21.74   20 22.6   2.705   2.505    67   17.1   3:09 (269, 35)  
July 17   2 31.68   21  1.5   2.641   2.520    72   17.1   3:15 (271, 41)  

* 236P/2010 K1 ( LINEAR )

Now it is 18.8 mag (May 18, Hidetaka Sato). It returned as bright as expected. It will reach up to 16 mag from August to November, and will be observable in good condition.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  23 59.23   23  3.2   1.491   1.912    97   17.5   3:09 (292, 65)  
July 17   0  9.55   25  5.3   1.422   1.895   100   17.3   3:15 (296, 71)  

* C/2008 S3 ( Boattini )

It keeps 17 mag for a long time from 2009 to 2012. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   2 31.99   20 48.8   8.638   8.266    65   17.4   3:09 (267, 33)  
July 17   2 31.42   20 57.9   8.512   8.256    72   17.3   3:15 (271, 40)  

* C/2009 UG89 ( Lemmon )

Now it is 17.0 mag (June 9, Yasukazu Ikari). It keeps observable at 17-18 mag for a long time until 2011 summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  19 49.19   11 34.2   3.292   4.167   145   17.4   0:40 (  0, 67)  
July 17  19 36.05   12  9.9   3.262   4.147   146   17.3  23:54 (  0, 67)  

* C/2007 VO53 ( Spacewatch )

Now it is 17.2 mag (June 2, Ken-ichi Kadota). It keeps observable at 17.5 mag in good condition for a long time in 2010.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  16  8.30   82 45.1   5.081   4.877    72   17.4  21:00 (180, 42)  
July 17  15 44.61   80 50.7   5.075   4.884    73   17.4  20:55 (177, 44)  

* 223P/2009 L18 ( Skiff )

It has not been observe since 2009 August. It will be observable at 17 mag in good condition from autum to winter.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10   1 54.62   23 53.5   2.532   2.433    72   17.9   3:09 (268, 42)  
July 17   2  3.40   25 58.3   2.450   2.429    76   17.8   3:15 (269, 48)  

* C/2006 Q1 ( McNaught )

Now it is 17.7 mag (June 4, P. Bacci). It will be fainter than 18 mag soon.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
July 10  18 32.06   43 22.5   6.742   7.209   113   17.9  23:18 (180, 82)  
July 17  18 28.58   43  9.0   6.797   7.259   113   17.9  22:47 (180, 82)  

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