Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2018 Mar. 17: North)

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Updated on March 17, 2018
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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/2016 R2 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 11.5 mag (Mar. 12, Carlos Labordena). It stays bright as 11 mag for a long time. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable soon. In the Northern Hemispehre, it stays observable for a long time until the comet fades out. But it will be getting lower gradually after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   4 13.53   34  2.4   2.798   2.664    72   10.8  19:32 (102, 54)  
Mar. 24   4 20.27   35 36.8   2.874   2.649    67   10.9  19:39 (106, 49)  

* C/2016 M1 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is bright as 11.0 mag (Feb. 21, Juan Jose Gonzalez). It is expected to brighten up to 9 mag in summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time until the comet will fade out. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is observable only until June.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  19 25.85   -0 39.7   3.032   2.762    64   11.8   4:44 (299, 34)  
Mar. 24  19 30.49   -1 33.4   2.887   2.716    70   11.6   4:34 (303, 36)  

* C/2017 T1 ( Heinze )

It brightened up to 9-10 mag from December to February. Now it is fading very rapidly. It has already faded down to 16.4 mag (Mar. 15, Jean-Francois Soulier). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays extremely low after this. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher in the morning sky after this, then it stays observable in good condition.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  21 41.76   -0 54.9   1.433   0.773    30   11.8   4:44 (276,  8)  
Mar. 24  21 46.96   -5 37.7   1.441   0.875    36   12.3   4:34 (282,  7)  

* C/2016 N6 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 12.7 mag (Mar. 12, Seiichi Yoshida). It stays 12 mag for a long time until spring in 2019. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition while the comet will be brightening gradually. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable until September.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  10 50.04   80  9.9   2.605   2.962   101   12.2  23:03 (180, 45)  
Mar. 24   9 29.52   78  3.9   2.624   2.932    97   12.1  21:19 (180, 47)  

* 185P/Petriew

Now it is 12.5 mag (Mar. 11, Chris Wyatt). It will fade out after this. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time in the evening sky. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   3 19.35    8  2.4   1.425   1.166    54   12.6  19:32 ( 77, 31)  
Mar. 24   3 50.76    9 16.1   1.480   1.224    55   13.2  19:39 ( 79, 31)  

* C/2015 O1 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is very bright as 12.8 mag (Mar. 12, Seiichi Yoshida). It will be observable at 12-13 mag for a long time from 2017 to 2018. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be hardly observable after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  16  5.37   45 27.1   3.301   3.737   108   12.9   4:28 (180, 80)  
Mar. 24  15 52.52   48  7.5   3.261   3.741   111   12.9   3:48 (180, 77)  

* 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1

It is not observable now. It will appear in the morning sky in late March in the Southern Hemisphere, or in late April in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  22 31.51   -6  2.2   6.722   5.790    19   13.9   4:44 (273, -6)  
Mar. 24  22 36.60   -5 26.4   6.682   5.790    24   13.8   4:34 (275, -3)  

* 62P/Tsuchinshan 1

It brightened up to 9.2 mag from November to December (Nov. 16, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading rapidly. It has already faded down to 16.1 mag (Mar. 11, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays observable in good condition until summer when it fades out.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  14 28.17    3 57.0   1.025   1.894   139   13.9   2:52 (  0, 59)  
Mar. 24  14 23.20    4 30.6   1.030   1.941   146   14.2   2:19 (  0, 59)  

* C/2015 V2 ( Johnson )

It brightened up to 7.1 mag from May to June in 2017 (June 21, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 12.9 mag (Jan. 17, Chris Wyatt). In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time after this. However, it will be extremely low from January to March. 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. 17  23 49.17  -45 51.0   4.379   3.732    44   14.4  19:32 ( 56,-38)  
Mar. 24   0  1.18  -45 12.6   4.416   3.798    46   14.4   4:34 (304,-38)  

* C/2017 T3 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 15.6 mag (Feb. 18, Yuji Ohshima). It will brighten up to 9 mag in summer. However, it is hardly observable when it is bright. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is observable only until March when it brightens up to 14 mag. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is observable from July to September, but it locates in extremely low.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   1  2.81   37 49.0   2.822   2.205    43   14.7  19:32 (123, 19)  
Mar. 24   1 16.71   36 31.3   2.802   2.114    38   14.5  19:39 (124, 15)  

* C/2017 K6 ( Jacques )

Now it is 13.8 mag (Feb. 10, Chris Wyatt). It will be getting lower gradually after this in the evening sky. It will be unobservable in May.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   3 25.82    2 32.3   2.597   2.187    55   14.5  19:32 ( 72, 29)  
Mar. 24   3 36.41    5 34.0   2.703   2.221    51   14.7  19:39 ( 78, 26)  

* 37P/Forbes

Now it is 16.0 mag (Mar. 14, Jean-Francois Soulier). It will be observable at 14 mag in good condition from spring to summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  19 31.51  -28 53.2   1.811   1.678    66   14.8   4:44 (319, 12)  
Mar. 24  19 53.33  -27 53.6   1.748   1.661    68   14.6   4:34 (317, 12)  

* C/2017 M4 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 16.3 mag (Feb. 18, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is expected to brighten up to 13-14 mag from 2018 to 2019. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time. In the Southern Hemisphere, it locates extremely low until summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  19 39.13   40 10.3   4.567   4.326    69   15.7   4:44 (247, 51)  
Mar. 24  19 39.68   40 46.4   4.476   4.285    72   15.6   4:34 (247, 54)  

* C/2017 B3 ( LINEAR )

Now it is 16.4 mag (Feb. 21, B. Lutkenhoner, K. Dankov). It stays 15 mag from 2018 to 2019, and it will be observable for a long time in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will never be observable again.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  14  0.40  -62 55.2   4.347   4.791   110   15.7   2:24 (  0, -8)  
Mar. 24  13 53.52  -64 10.9   4.260   4.758   114   15.6   1:50 (  0, -9)  

* C/2016 A1 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 16.2 mag (Mar. 11, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays 16 mag for a long time from 2017 to 2018. It is observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It locates very low in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   7 18.15   43 36.6   5.009   5.395   107   15.7  19:39 (180, 81)  
Mar. 24   7 13.64   43 54.1   5.135   5.403   100   15.7  19:39 (148, 79)  

* C/2017 O1 ( ASASSN )

It brightened up to 8.1 mag in autumn (Oct. 3, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading rapidly. It has already faded down to 17.9 mag (Mar. 11, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will never be observable again after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   7 13.93   70  1.4   2.168   2.521    98   15.8  19:37 (180, 55)  
Mar. 24   7 30.84   67 48.2   2.283   2.589    96   16.1  19:39 (178, 57)  

* 66P/du Toit

Now it is 17.6 mag (Feb. 18, Martin Masek). It will brighten rapidly after this, and will brighten up to 12 mag from April to June. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in excellent condition. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable from April to June when the comet becomes brightest.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  17 52.47  -34  0.7   1.209   1.535    87   16.2   4:44 (340, 18)  
Mar. 24  18 22.90  -36  0.4   1.134   1.488    88   15.9   4:34 (338, 15)  

* 48P/Johnson

Now it is 17.3 mag (Feb. 23, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will brighten rapidly after this, and it will brighten up to 11 mag from summer to autumn. It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  19 40.25  -17 50.6   2.594   2.306    62   16.2   4:44 (310, 19)  
Mar. 24  19 53.85  -17 34.0   2.497   2.282    66   15.9   4:34 (310, 20)  

* 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh

Now it is 15.6 mag (Feb. 26, Alexander Baransky). It will be fading slowly until summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  11 39.65   12 13.3   2.558   3.541   169   15.9   0:04 (  0, 67)  
Mar. 24  11 35.27   12 36.7   2.575   3.542   163   15.9  23:27 (  0, 68)  

* 65P/Gunn

Appearing in the morning sky in the Southern Hemisphere. It is observable at 15 mag in good condition in 2018. It is not observable until May in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  21 37.11  -21 20.4   3.740   3.006    37   15.9   4:44 (294, -4)  
Mar. 24  21 47.88  -20 39.3   3.691   3.015    41   15.9   4:34 (294, -2)  

* C/2015 VL62 ( Lemmon-Yeung-PanSTARRS )

Appearing in the morning sky. It is fading now. But it stays 16 mag until summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  19 20.96  -22 30.8   3.660   3.405    67   16.0   4:44 (316, 18)  
Mar. 24  19 17.94  -22 57.4   3.564   3.447    75   16.0   4:34 (321, 21)  

* (3552) Don Quixote

It will brighten up to 16 mag in spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable until August, but it will be unobservable after that. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays unobservable until June, but it will be observable in good condition after that.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  20 55.90  -44  1.0   1.679   1.405    56   16.3   4:44 (317,-11)  
Mar. 24  21 29.18  -41 34.6   1.638   1.366    56   16.3   4:34 (313,-11)  

* 24P/Schaumasse

It brightened up to 9.7 mag in November (Nov. 16, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading rapidly. It has already faded down to 15.9 mag (Mar. 13, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato).

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  16 49.08  -12 27.7   1.403   1.900   103   16.3   4:44 (351, 42)  
Mar. 24  16 51.25  -12 40.8   1.382   1.959   109   16.7   4:34 (356, 42)  

* C/2014 B1 ( Schwartz )

Now it is 16.2 mag (Mar. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading slowly after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  10 21.36    7 14.5   8.682   9.613   158   16.5  22:41 (  0, 62)  
Mar. 24  10 20.11    7 33.7   8.734   9.618   150   16.5  22:13 (  0, 62)  

* C/2016 N4 ( MASTER )

Now it is 16.4 mag (Mar. 14, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading after this. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in the northern sky for a long time. It is not observable at all after this in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  21 59.51   77 16.0   3.669   3.634    80   16.6   4:44 (196, 35)  
Mar. 24  22 19.60   79 26.0   3.714   3.665    79   16.7   4:34 (193, 35)  

* 365P/2017 U6 ( PanSTARRS )

It brightened up to 15.7 mag in February (Feb. 11, Catalina Sky Survey). Now it is fading rapidly. It has already faded down to 16.5 mag (Mar. 11, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fainter than 18 mag in late April.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  13 25.73   24 29.7   0.470   1.411   146   16.9   1:49 (  0, 79)  
Mar. 24  13 25.07   23 47.8   0.484   1.434   149   17.0   1:21 (  0, 79)  

* 2011 KE

It has passed the perihelion on Feb. 10, and it approached to the Sun down to 0.1 a.u. But it has not been observed in this apparition yet. It has been lost since the discovery in 2011. It is expected to be observable at 17 mag in good condition in March.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  16 49.29  -45 43.2   0.107   1.017    98   17.5   4:44 (353,  9)  
Mar. 24  12 16.84  -18 43.2   0.160   1.150   162   16.9   0:19 (  0, 35)  

* C/2010 U3 ( Boattini )

Now it is 16.5 mag (Mar. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It has not been brightening well since the discovery in 2010. It is observable in good conditioin in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not observable for a long time in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   5 44.41   74 16.6   8.608   8.690    91   16.9  19:32 (171, 49)  
Mar. 24   5 48.99   73 53.2   8.670   8.680    87   16.9  19:39 (168, 49)  

* C/2014 OE4 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 16.1 mag (Feb. 18, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading gradually after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time. 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. 17  21 42.43   63 13.7   7.289   6.990    68   16.9   4:44 (213, 35)  
Mar. 24  21 53.19   63 53.6   7.331   7.011    67   16.9   4:34 (212, 36)  

* C/2017 D3 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 17.3 mag (Mar. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in July.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  12 13.28   18 30.2   4.602   5.556   161   16.9   0:37 (  0, 73)  
Mar. 24  12  6.67   19 54.3   4.638   5.579   158   16.9   0:03 (  0, 75)  

* C/2018 A3 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 16.8 mag (Mar. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will brighten up to 15 mag in January, 2019. It stays observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemispehre. It is observable only until June in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  12  5.87   24 22.2   3.368   4.300   156   17.0   0:30 (  0, 79)  
Mar. 24  11 54.92   26 16.4   3.353   4.260   152   16.9  23:46 (  0, 81)  

* C/2018 E1 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 16.8 mag (Mar. 15, iTelescope Observatory, Siding Spring). In the Southern Hemisphere, it is observable at 17 mag in good condition. It will be too low to observe in June. In the Northern Hemisphere, it locates extremely low only in spring.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   4 47.75  -41 12.7   2.749   2.724    78   17.0  19:32 ( 26,  7)  
Mar. 24   5  0.23  -38 13.7   2.763   2.717    76   17.0  19:39 ( 32,  8)  

* 143P/Kowal-Mrkos

Now it is 17.0 mag (Mar. 13, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). 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. 17  13  7.81  -13 40.8   1.622   2.557   154   17.3   1:32 (  0, 41)  
Mar. 24  13  4.69  -13 20.1   1.584   2.551   162   17.1   1:01 (  0, 42)  

* 30P/Reinmuth 1

Now it is 18.7 mag (Mar. 14, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays observable at 17-18 mag in good condition for a while.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  15 22.57   -6 54.2   1.858   2.564   125   17.2   3:46 (  0, 48)  
Mar. 24  15 21.55   -6 27.4   1.822   2.599   132   17.2   3:17 (  0, 48)  

* 21P/Giacobini-Zinner

Now it is 18.6 mag (Mar. 13, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will brighten rapidly, and brighten up to 7 mag from August to September. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be observable in excellent condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable from July to August. But it will be observable in good condition before and after tha.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  18 32.96    4 26.2   2.360   2.369    78   17.5   4:44 (308, 47)  
Mar. 24  18 43.76    6  5.6   2.230   2.309    81   17.2   4:34 (308, 49)  

* C/2017 E3 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 16.4 mag (Mar. 13, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fainter than 18 mag in summer.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  15  3.78  -16 32.9   5.597   6.258   127   17.2   3:27 (  0, 38)  
Mar. 24  15  2.11  -15 44.7   5.524   6.274   135   17.2   2:58 (  0, 39)  

* C/2014 R3 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 17.1 mag (Mar. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading gradually after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  11  9.01   39 57.4   7.366   8.160   140   17.3  23:29 (180, 85)  
Mar. 24  11  3.66   39 43.6   7.431   8.180   136   17.3  22:56 (180, 85)  

* C/2015 XY1 ( Lemmon )

Now it is 17.8 mag (Mar. 11, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays observable at 18 mag for a long time until 2019.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   5 29.67   16 15.2   7.929   7.933    86   17.5  19:32 ( 57, 60)  
Mar. 24   5 28.52   16  7.9   8.054   7.931    79   17.5  19:39 ( 67, 54)  

* C/2016 T3 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 18.5 mag (Mar. 13, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will be fading after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17   9 25.24  -14 59.5   2.457   3.295   141   17.7  21:45 (  0, 40)  
Mar. 24   9 24.12  -14 31.9   2.540   3.336   136   17.8  21:17 (  0, 40)  

* 186P/Garradd

Now it is 18.0 mag (Feb. 12, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays 18 mag from 2018 to 2020. It is observable in good condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It locates extremely low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  12 57.41  -37 54.5   3.760   4.541   137   17.9   1:21 (  0, 17)  
Mar. 24  12 52.62  -38 10.7   3.710   4.536   141   17.9   0:49 (  0, 17)  

* 187P/LINEAR

Now it is 18.7 mag (Jan. 20, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It stays observable at 17.5 mag in good condition from spring to summer. However, Toshihiko Ikemura and Hirohisa Sato reported the comet was not detected, fainter than 19 mag, in February and March.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Mar. 17  16 35.53   -9 13.2   3.479   3.888   107   18.0   4:44 (355, 46)  
Mar. 24  16 37.12   -9  3.6   3.382   3.887   113   17.9   4:33 (  0, 46)  

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