Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2012 Mar. 31: North)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on April 2, 2012
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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/2009 P1 ( Garradd ) Now it is 7.0 mag (Mar. 30, Salvador Aguirre). It keeps bright as 7 mag and observable in excellent condition until April. Then it will be fading and will be unobservable in June. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable now. It will be observable in the evening low sky from April to June. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 9 38.70 58 51.1 1.500 2.038 107 7.3 21:00 (180, 67) Apr. 7 9 15.06 53 10.1 1.631 2.098 103 7.6 20:10 (180, 72) C/2012 E2 ( SWAN ) New Kreutz sungrazer comet discovered from the spacecraft images. Terry Lovejoy succeeded to catch the comet on the ground on Mar. 10 at 9.2 mag. The ephemeris says it is appearing in the evening sky. But actually, the comet must have evaporated at the perihelion passage on Mar. 15. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 3 12.41 -4 26.5 1.047 0.691 39 11.5 19:46 ( 79, 8) Apr. 7 4 0.52 -3 36.8 1.227 0.882 45 12.9 19:53 ( 77, 11) 21P/Giacobini-Zinner It brightened up to 9 mag in January and February in the evening low sky. In the Southern Hemisphere, it may be observable in the evening extremely low sky in April and May. It will never be observable again in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 2 27.46 0 42.6 2.028 1.230 27 11.9 19:46 ( 90, 2) Apr. 7 2 53.69 1 15.5 2.080 1.283 27 12.3 19:53 ( 91, 0) C/2012 C2 ( Bruenjes ) New comet discovered on Feb. 11. It was very bright as 10.6 mag (Feb. 12, A. Novichonok, V. Gerke). However, the comet got diffuse and faded rapidly after Feb. 20. It was still visible visually at 12.5 mag on Feb. 21 (Alan Hale). But it became completely invisible on Feb. 27 (Hidetaka Sato). The nuclear magnitude is fainter than 19 mag. It must have been disintegrated before the perihelion. It is not observable now. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 0 44.40 13 29.0 1.844 0.874 9 12.9 19:46 (116,-11) Apr. 7 0 39.06 12 51.0 1.911 0.933 8 13.5 4:11 (247, -9) C/2011 Q2 ( McNaught ) Now it is very bright at 12.5 mag (Apr. 1, Michael Jager). In the Northern Hemisphere, it locates extremely low in the morning until June. It will be observable at high location after summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will never be observable again. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 0 9.60 26 40.0 2.567 1.699 23 13.0 4:22 (238, 2) Apr. 7 0 30.33 29 9.2 2.629 1.759 23 13.3 4:11 (236, 3) (596) Scheila Big asteroid discovered in 1906. It suddenly showed the cometary activity on Dec. 11, 2010, probably due to an impact of a small object. It was very bright as 11.5 mag visually (Dec. 17, 2010, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is 14.1 mag (Jan. 3, Hidetaka Sato). It has already turned to be stellar. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 16 57.99 -16 46.1 1.856 2.455 115 13.2 4:22 ( 0, 38) Apr. 7 17 0.39 -17 13.3 1.775 2.452 121 13.1 3:59 ( 0, 38) 78P/Gehrels 2 Now it is 12.2 mag (Mar. 25, Jakub Koukal). It is already low in the evening. It will be unobservable at the end of April. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 3 35.14 15 45.5 2.695 2.108 44 13.2 19:46 ( 93, 24) Apr. 7 3 50.89 16 31.8 2.763 2.125 41 13.3 19:53 ( 96, 21) C/2011 F1 ( LINEAR ) It is expected to be bright as 9 mag from 2012 to 2013. It is already so bright as 11.7 mag and visible visually (Mar. 22, Carlos Labordena). In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in good condition for a long time until 2012 autumn when the comet brightens up to 10 mag. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is hardly observble before the perihelion passage. But it becomes observable in good condition since 2013 after the perihelion passage. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 15 37.06 54 58.2 3.299 3.765 110 13.4 3:03 (180, 70) Apr. 7 15 31.76 55 43.9 3.232 3.702 110 13.2 2:30 (180, 69) C/2009 F4 ( McNaught ) Now it is bright as 12.8 mag and visible visually (Mar. 14, John Drummond). It keeps bright as 13-14 mag for a long time after this until 2013. It is not observable in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 2 57.77 -63 37.8 5.710 5.495 72 13.5 19:46 ( 30,-27) Apr. 7 3 6.76 -62 11.6 5.711 5.501 72 13.5 19:53 ( 32,-29) 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Now it is visible visually at 13.6 mag (Mar. 22, Carlos Labordena). Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 12 21.19 -12 33.6 5.271 6.259 170 13.6 23:44 ( 0, 42) Apr. 7 12 18.15 -12 16.2 5.278 6.259 167 13.6 23:13 ( 0, 43) C/2006 S3 ( LONEOS ) Now it is bright as 13.4 mag (Mar. 27, Jakub Cerny). It keeps 13-14 mag and observable in good condition until September. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 18 2.23 -13 39.8 4.867 5.133 99 13.8 4:22 (339, 39) Apr. 7 17 57.32 -13 33.6 4.736 5.132 107 13.7 4:11 (346, 40) C/2011 UF305 ( LINEAR ) It brightened much faster than expected. It is so bright as 13.1 mag and visible visually (Mar. 26, Jakub Cerny). In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable at 13-14 mag in good condition until early 2013. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable until late 2012. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 20 37.17 50 8.9 2.703 2.509 68 14.2 4:22 (232, 48) Apr. 7 20 47.66 54 28.3 2.632 2.468 69 14.0 4:11 (225, 49) 71P/Clark It brightened up to 17.1 mag in late June in 2011 (June 24, J. F. Hernandez). The condition of this apparition is bad, and it is not observable around the perihelion passage. It is appearing in the morning sky in the Southern Hemisphere, but it locates extremely low. It will not be observable until June in the Northern Hemisphere, when the comet will be 15.5 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 23 2.42 -13 18.2 2.659 1.857 29 14.1 4:22 (280, -9) Apr. 7 23 18.11 -11 49.0 2.660 1.891 32 14.2 4:11 (279, -8) C/2011 R1 ( McNaught ) Now it is 14.3 mag (Mar 13, Jakub Cerny). It is already unobservable in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it locates extremely low now. But it will be getting higher gradually after May. It is expected to be observable at 11-13 mag for a long time from 2012 summer to 2013 summer. It will be observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. But it is not observable until 2013 January in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 1 34.07 -32 3.6 3.832 3.114 38 14.4 19:46 ( 68,-27) Apr. 7 1 40.21 -32 17.4 3.756 3.059 40 14.2 19:53 ( 71,-32) C/2011 A3 ( Gibbs ) Although it has been unobservable for a while, now it is appearing in the morning sky. Now it is 14.3 mag (Mar. 27, Jakub Cerny). After this, it will be observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere while fading gradually. It will locate somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2011, some visual observers reported it was very bright as 10-12 mag. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 21 33.26 -14 13.3 3.160 2.623 49 14.3 4:22 (294, 8) Apr. 7 21 45.04 -14 4.7 3.127 2.658 53 14.3 4:11 (294, 9) C/2010 M1 ( Gibbs ) It was expected to keep 14-15 mag for a long time from 2011 summer to 2012 summer. However, it is lost. It was observed only during two days in 2010 June. So the orbital elements are extremely uncertain. The condition is good in the Southern Hemisphere. But in the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable until August. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 3 4.29 -38 31.8 2.812 2.373 54 14.5 19:46 ( 53,-14) Apr. 7 3 19.10 -35 11.9 2.865 2.394 52 14.6 19:53 ( 58,-15) C/2010 S1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is visible visually at 13.9 mag (Mar. 26, Jakub Cerny). It is expected to be 13 mag and will be observable in good condition in 2013. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually in the morning sky, and keeps observable for a long time. It is not observable in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 23 20.97 48 52.4 7.212 6.581 47 14.6 4:22 (225, 22) Apr. 7 23 23.17 49 9.8 7.196 6.559 47 14.5 4:11 (226, 24) 246P/2010 V2 ( NEAT ) Now it is so bright as 12.3 mag and visible visually (Mar. 22, Carlos Labordena). Although it was extremely faint as 20.5 mag at the recovery in 2010 autumn, it brightened rapidly. It will keep 12-14 mag and observable in good condition for a long time from 2012 to 2013. But it locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere in 2013. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 13 21.88 14 1.1 2.330 3.282 158 14.8 0:48 ( 0, 69) Apr. 7 13 16.95 14 22.2 2.313 3.266 158 14.8 0:16 ( 0, 69) C/2010 G2 ( Hill ) It reached up to 9.7 mag with a large bright coma in last autumn (Oct. 29, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 14.6 mag (Mar. 21, Jakub Cerny). It will be unobservable in late March in the Northern Hemisphere, or late April in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 3 21.97 -7 57.0 3.795 3.131 42 14.8 19:46 ( 75, 8) Apr. 7 3 27.49 -8 17.7 3.907 3.189 38 15.0 19:53 ( 79, 2) C/2011 L4 ( PanSTARRS ) It is expected to be a great comet of 0 mag in 2013 spring. It is already bright and visible visually at 14.3 mag (Mar. 30, Alan Hale). Brightening as expected. In 2012, it keeps observable until summer while brightening gradually. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 16 58.65 -24 37.3 4.625 5.120 114 15.4 4:22 (359, 30) Apr. 7 16 56.29 -24 50.9 4.446 5.046 121 15.3 3:55 ( 0, 30) C/2011 O1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 16.0 mag (Mar. 26, Jakub Cerny). In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be observable at 15-16 mag in good condition for a long time until 2013 summer. It is not observable at all in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 20 1.34 -47 30.5 4.141 4.077 79 15.7 4:22 (331, -2) Apr. 7 20 8.46 -49 6.4 4.025 4.059 84 15.6 4:11 (333, -3) 49P/Arend-Rigaux It reached up to 11-12 mag in 2011 autumn. Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 16.6 mag (Mar. 26, Jakub Cerny). It keeps observable in good condition until May when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 11 56.01 31 12.4 1.323 2.205 143 16.7 23:18 ( 0, 86) Apr. 7 11 51.59 31 3.7 1.405 2.253 138 16.9 22:46 ( 0, 86) C/2011 J2 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 16.7 mag (Mar. 21, Yasukazu Ikari). It is expected to keep 13 mag and observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere for a long time from 2013 to 2014. It keeps observable at 17-18 mag in good condition until June. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 10 44.45 7 4.4 5.574 6.454 149 16.8 22:07 ( 0, 62) Apr. 7 10 40.09 7 58.5 5.598 6.408 141 16.8 21:35 ( 0, 63) C/2012 CH17 ( MOSS ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Mar. 15, Yasukazu Ikari). It will brighten up to 13.5 mag from summer to autumn. It keeps observable for a long time until December. In the Northern Hemisphere, it locates high until spring. But after that, it keeps locating low in the evening. In the Southern Henmisphere, it keeps locating low all through the time. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 11 5.34 35 3.2 2.005 2.803 135 17.0 22:28 (180, 90) Apr. 7 10 59.63 35 47.0 1.992 2.728 128 16.9 21:55 (180, 89) 60P/Tsuchinshan 2 Now it is 17.6 mag (Mar. 13, Toshiyuki Takahashi). It brightened rapidly as expected. It will reach up to 16.5 mag from spring to summer. However, it locates extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it locates high now. But it will be getting lower gradually in the evening sky, and will be unobservable in June. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 4 27.07 21 7.5 1.976 1.674 57 17.0 19:46 ( 91, 37) Apr. 7 4 46.12 21 34.4 2.006 1.658 55 16.9 19:53 ( 94, 34) C/2012 A2 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 16.7 mag (Mar. 19, Hiroshi Abe). In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable at 16-17 mag in good condition for a long time from 2012 to 2013. It is not observable in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 10 40.02 65 34.1 3.646 4.052 107 16.9 22:01 (180, 59) Apr. 7 10 19.29 66 0.4 3.705 4.022 101 16.9 21:14 (180, 59) C/2010 R1 ( LINEAR ) Now it is 17.0 mag (Mar. 14, Yasukazu Ikari). It keeps observable at 17 mag for a long time from 2011 to 2013. In 2012, it keeps observable in good condition until early September. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 16 15.93 3 44.3 4.998 5.633 125 17.0 3:42 ( 0, 59) Apr. 7 16 9.29 4 26.4 4.905 5.630 132 17.0 3:08 ( 0, 59) C/2005 L3 ( McNaught ) It brightened up to 13-14 mag and became visible visually from 2007 to 2009. Now it is fading. But it is still bright as 16.1 mag (Feb. 13, Gerke, S. Plaksa, A. Novichonok, D. Chestnov). In the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in excellent condition until early summer in 2012. In the Southern Hemisphere, it locates extremely low only. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 10 1.17 40 27.7 11.060 11.630 122 17.3 21:24 (180, 85) Apr. 7 9 58.16 40 20.3 11.187 11.666 116 17.4 20:54 (180, 85) 105P/Singer Brewster It has not been observed since 2011 March. But it must be already bright as 17.5 mag. It will brighten up to 17 mag and will be observable in good condition from spring to summer. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 18 46.33 -13 58.8 1.825 2.067 89 17.5 4:22 (327, 35) Apr. 7 18 56.89 -13 7.8 1.760 2.075 93 17.4 4:11 (328, 36) 117P/Helin-Roman-Alu 1 Now it is 16.6 mag (Mar. 20, M. Jaeger, E. Prosperi, S. Prosperi, W. Vollmann). It will brighten up to 13 mag in 2014. In 2012, it is observable at 17 mag in good condition in spring. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 11 3.40 17 22.2 3.407 4.288 148 17.5 22:26 ( 0, 72) Apr. 7 10 59.96 17 29.4 3.450 4.273 140 17.5 21:55 ( 0, 72) 152P/Helin-Lawrence Now it is 17.1 mag (Mar. 20, V. Gerke, S. Plaksa, A. Novichonok). It tends to brighten after the perihelion passage. It keeps observable at 17 mag from 2012 to 2013. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 16 45.89 -15 3.7 2.565 3.163 118 17.6 4:12 ( 0, 40) Apr. 7 16 47.10 -15 6.2 2.476 3.157 124 17.5 3:45 ( 0, 40) C/2011 S2 ( Kowalski ) It is bright as 17.5 mag still now (Mar. 15, Jakub Cerny). It keeps the brightness after the small outburst in early December. It will keep 17-18 mag some more time. It is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemipshere. It keeps locating very low in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 15 8.33 -42 44.1 1.713 2.468 129 17.6 2:35 ( 0, 12) Apr. 7 15 0.69 -42 35.7 1.727 2.544 135 17.8 2:00 ( 0, 12) 240P/2010 P1 ( NEAT ) It had been fading after the perihelion passage in 2010 October, but it brightened again in outburst on Apr. 5, 2011. It reached up to 14.7 mag in May (May 28, Hidetaka Sato). It is bright as 17.2 mag still now, much brighter than expected (Mar. 19, V. Gerke, S. Plaksa, A. Novichonok). It locates low in the Southern Hemisphere. But in the Northern Hemisphere, it keeps observable in good condition after this. It will keep 18 mag for a while. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 13 26.65 21 15.9 3.142 4.051 151 17.7 0:53 ( 0, 76) Apr. 7 13 21.33 21 33.2 3.171 4.077 151 17.8 0:20 ( 0, 76) 2008 YB3 Peculiar asteroid moving along a cometary orbit. Now it is 17.4 mag (Jan. 4, Catalina Sky Survey). It keeps observable at 18 mag for a long time from 2008 to 2014. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 7 1.84 20 53.3 6.580 6.723 93 17.8 19:46 ( 57, 67) Apr. 7 7 1.49 21 23.0 6.711 6.731 86 17.9 19:53 ( 69, 61) C/2011 W3 ( Lovejoy ) New Kreutz sungrazer comet discovered on the ground after 41-year blank since Comet C/1970 K1 (White-Ortiz-Bolelli). It approached nearly to the surface of the Sun on Dec. 16, and reached -4 mag or brighter at best. Then it appeared in the morning sky in the Southern Hemisphere, and it became a great comet with a bright long tail of 30-40 degrees. However, the nucleus of the comet was not visible at all, fainter than 19 mag (Jan. 2, Robert McNaught). Probably the comet itself has already disappeared and only the remnant is visible. The tail became extremely faint, but detectable by photos still now with an excellent sky condition (Mar. 12, Lester Barnes). Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 5 30.27 -7 45.7 2.535 2.450 73 18.9 19:46 ( 52, 31) Apr. 7 5 36.84 -6 38.6 2.733 2.557 69 19.3 19:53 ( 59, 27) C/2011 Q4 ( SWAN ) It was observed so bright as 9.4 mag in September (Sept. 22, Chris Wyatt). It has got diffuse and faded rapidly. It has already faded down to 18 mag (Feb. 14, V. Gerke, S. Plaksa, A. Novichonok, D. Chestnov). It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not observable in the Southern Hemisphere. Sandor Szabo reported it was visible visually at 15.4 mag on Feb. 22. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 9 5.71 55 33.2 2.468 2.909 106 20.2 20:28 (180, 70) Apr. 7 8 51.36 54 2.0 2.650 2.985 99 20.6 19:53 (177, 71) 255P/2011 Y1 ( Levy ) First return of a new comet which brightened up to 9.5 mag in a major outburst in 2006. The condition is excellent. It keeps very close from the earth. It brightened up to 13.5 mag in late December (Dec. 26, Michael Jager). But it looks extremely diffuse. It was bright as 16.3 mag still on Feb. 12 (Mitsunori Tsumura). It will keep close to the earth and observable in good condition in the evening sky for a while after this. However, it can have already faded rapidly. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 8 27.51 -22 43.8 0.663 1.426 116 22.3 19:52 ( 0, 32) Apr. 7 8 46.81 -21 44.6 0.741 1.486 116 23.2 19:53 ( 2, 33) 257P/2012 A3 ( SOHO ) A comet discovered from the SOHO spacecraft images in 2003 was rediscovered from the STEREO spacecraft images. It was bright as 15.3 mag still in mid February (Feb. 19, Mitsunori Tsumura). However, the comet has already faded rapidly. It is not detected at all, fainter than 18.5 mag now (Mar. 5, Hidetaka Sato). Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Mar. 31 5 51.05 14 40.0 1.017 1.262 77 23.1 19:46 ( 68, 51) Apr. 7 6 24.71 15 37.4 1.123 1.350 78 24.0 19:53 ( 70, 51)