Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2019 Aug. 24: South)

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Updated on August 25, 2019
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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.

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* 322P/SOHO

It will pass only 0.05 a.u. from Sun on Aug. 31, then it will brighten up to 5.5 mag. It is not observable on the ground. But it will be visible in the SOHO spacecraft's images.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  11 19.77   -0 46.7   0.889   0.371    21   14.3  18:59 ( 91,  2)  
Aug. 31  10 30.85    9 22.7   0.949   0.064     1    6.9   4:57 (271,-18)  

* C/2018 W2 ( Africano )

Now it is bright as 10.1 mag (Aug. 25, Carl Hergenrother). It is expected to brighten up to 8 mag in autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time while the comet is brightening. In the Southern Hemisphere, it it not observable until mid September.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   3 47.60   57  1.8   1.183   1.466    83    9.7   5:06 (185, -2)  
Aug. 31   3 20.77   55 27.8   1.000   1.457    92    9.3   4:48 (180, -1)  

* C/2018 N2 ( ASASSN )

Now it is 12.0 mag (Aug. 9, Maik Meyer). It will brighten up to 10.5 mag and it will be observable in good condition from autumn to winter.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   2 38.86   21 14.3   2.784   3.217   106   11.3   4:32 (180, 34)  
Aug. 31   2 34.60   23 12.7   2.666   3.202   113   11.2   4:01 (180, 32)  

* 168P/Hergenrother

It has not been observed yet in this apparition. Now it is fainter than 21.5 mag (Aug. 4, Erwin Schwab). It was expected to brighten up to 12 mag from August to September. But actually, it must be much fainter than expected. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable in September.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   4 27.99   34 47.3   1.130   1.376    79   12.0   5:06 (196, 18)  
Aug. 31   4 50.52   37 53.0   1.118   1.391    81   11.9   4:57 (196, 15)  

* 260P/McNaught

Now it is 12.7 mag (Aug. 12, Piotr Guzik). It will brighten up to 11.5 mag in autumn. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be observable in excellent condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be extremely low from autumn to winter.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   2  5.12   16 10.8   0.664   1.430   115   12.2   3:58 (180, 39)  
Aug. 31   2 16.95   20 29.6   0.632   1.421   118   12.0   3:43 (180, 35)  

* C/2017 T2 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 13.6 mag (Aug. 6, Hirohisa Sato). It is expected to brighten up to 7 mag in 2020. It is a bit fainter than this ephemeris recently.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   5 13.71   21 40.0   3.712   3.516    71   12.4   5:06 (212, 26)  
Aug. 31   5 19.06   22 33.7   3.543   3.450    76   12.2   4:57 (208, 27)  

* C/2019 A9 ( PanSTARRS )

It brightened rapidly. Now it is very bright as 12.7 mag (Aug. 5, Hidetaka Sato). It stays at 12.5 mag until September. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in the low sky until it becomes fainter than 18 mag in winter. It is not observable at all in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   8 41.30  -32 35.1   1.939   1.482    48   12.9   5:06 (294, 24)  
Aug. 31   9  5.12  -37 56.2   1.920   1.511    51   13.1   4:57 (300, 25)  

* 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1

Now it is 14.3 mag (Aug. 24, Christian Harder). Richard Miles reported that it brightened by 2 mag in outburst on Aug. 2.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   0 58.89   16 18.2   5.073   5.772   129   13.2   2:53 (180, 39)  
Aug. 31   0 57.13   16 19.9   4.996   5.773   136   13.2   2:23 (180, 39)  

* 78P/Gehrels 2

Appearing in the morning sky. It is observable at 14 mag in good condition in autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   7 35.38   17 11.1   3.033   2.317    37   13.7   5:06 (242,  9)  
Aug. 31   7 48.48   16 28.7   3.007   2.344    41   13.8   4:57 (241, 10)  

* 68P/Klemola

Now it is 13.6 mag (Aug. 22, Steffen Fritsche). It is observable at 13.5 mag in good condition in autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  17 24.86   -8 38.9   1.364   1.956   110   13.9  19:16 (180, 64)  
Aug. 31  17 31.91   -9 41.7   1.398   1.930   105   13.9  19:03 (176, 65)  

* C/2018 A6 ( Gibbs )

Now it is 13.8 mag (Aug. 8, Chris Wyatt). It stays 13-14 mag for a long time in 2019. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is observable in excellent condition. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observasble until summer in 2020.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   8 48.19  -65  5.2   3.085   3.039    77   13.9   5:06 (330, 34)  
Aug. 31   8 59.56  -67 28.9   3.087   3.047    78   13.9   4:57 (332, 35)  

* C/2016 M1 ( PanSTARRS )

It brightened up to 7.7 mag in June in 2018 (June 19, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 14.8 mag (Aug. 8, Chris Wyatt). In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time until the comet will fade out. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will appear in the morning sky in late September. But it stays low for a while after that.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   6 55.46  -29  6.1   4.960   4.571    61   14.3   5:06 (279, 43)  
Aug. 31   6 58.53  -29 26.2   4.969   4.628    64   14.3   4:57 (278, 46)  

* C/2017 B3 ( LINEAR )

Now it is 14.4 mag (Aug. 8, Chris Wyatt). In the Southern Hemisphere, it is observable for a long time. It stays low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  23 57.08  -45 59.6   3.483   4.293   138   14.7   1:51 (  0, 79)  
Aug. 31  23 48.94  -45 45.1   3.496   4.317   139   14.8   1:16 (  0, 79)  

* C/2018 R3 ( Lemmon )

It brightened rapidly up to 10 mag in June. Now it is not observable. It will appear in the morning sky in October. But it will be fainter than 18 mag at that time.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   9 55.70   16 57.0   2.726   1.725     6   14.8   5:06 (262,-18)  
Aug. 31  10  4.96   13 54.2   2.782   1.791     8   15.3   4:57 (263,-15)  

* C/2017 M4 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 14.6 mag (Aug. 5, Thomas Lehmann). It will be fading slowly after this. It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It will never be observable after this in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  13 34.09  -42 58.6   4.041   3.843    71   14.9  18:59 ( 62, 48)  
Aug. 31  13 35.12  -43 20.2   4.171   3.878    66   15.0  19:03 ( 60, 43)  

* A/2018 V3

Peculiar asteroid moving along a cometary orbit. Now it is 15.9 mag (Aug. 11, Katsumi Yoshimoto). It approaches to Earth down to 0.37 a.u. in mid August. Then it brightens up to 15 mag and will be observable in good condition.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  19 31.89  -30 31.8   0.424   1.359   138   15.6  21:13 (180, 85)  
Aug. 31  17 53.22  -25 56.4   0.594   1.346   111   16.7  19:13 (180, 81)  

* 261P/Larson

Now it is 16.2 mag (Aug. 9, Charles Morris). It is observable at 16 mag in good condition from summer to autumn. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   3 18.85   25 55.7   1.712   2.079    96   15.9   5:06 (182, 29)  
Aug. 31   3 27.29   26 42.7   1.654   2.093   100   15.9   4:53 (180, 28)  

* C/2018 F4 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 16.6 mag (May 10, Mount John Observatory, Lake Tekapo). It stays 16 mag for a long time from 2019 to 2020. It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It is hardly observable in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  11 11.97  -55 28.9   3.818   3.567    68   15.9  18:59 ( 40, 29)  
Aug. 31  11 17.39  -56 24.7   3.841   3.551    65   15.9  19:03 ( 37, 26)  

* A/2017 U7

It looks cometary on the LCO (CTIO) image on Aug. 21. Now it is 15.9 mag (Aug. 8, ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa). It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it locates extremely low for a while.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  20 41.23  -43  6.7   5.583   6.419   142   16.0  22:31 (  0, 82)  
Aug. 31  20 31.96  -42 54.7   5.646   6.418   136   16.0  21:54 (  0, 82)  

* C/2019 K5 ( Young )

Now it is 15.6 mag (Aug. 3, Chris Wyatt). It stays observable in good condition while the comet will be fading slowly after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   3  7.41    9 32.8   1.700   2.166   103   16.0   5:00 (180, 45)  
Aug. 31   3 15.49    8 50.6   1.663   2.195   107   16.0   4:41 (180, 46)  

* 101P/Chernykh

Now it is 17.7 mag (Aug. 23, Jost Jahn). It will brighten up to 15.5 mag and it will be observable in good condition in autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   0  5.47   -6  7.5   1.712   2.641   150   16.2   1:59 (180, 61)  
Aug. 31   0  3.84   -6 39.3   1.652   2.616   157   16.1   1:30 (180, 62)  

* C/2019 K7 ( Smith )

Now it is 16.2 mag (Aug. 10, Ken-ichi Kadota). It stays 15-16 mag for a long time until 2021.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  20 52.65  -33 35.7   4.164   5.077   151   16.2  22:42 (180, 88)  
Aug. 31  20 43.44  -32 57.6   4.192   5.051   144   16.1  22:06 (180, 88)  

* C/2019 K1 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 16.5 mag (July 27, Kevin Hills). It will brighten up to 14 mag in winter. It stays observable for a long time in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable for a long time until August in 2020.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  14 54.57  -37 53.3   2.801   2.854    82   16.3  18:59 ( 74, 63)  
Aug. 31  14 53.07  -38 41.9   2.860   2.800    76   16.3  19:03 ( 71, 57)  

* P/2008 Y1 ( Boattini )

First return of a new periodic comet which brightened up to 16.5 mag in 2009. It has not been recovered yet in this apparition. It will brighten up to 16 mag in autumn. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It locates low in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   5 59.44   27 46.6   1.439   1.288    60   16.4   5:06 (218, 16)  
Aug. 31   6 29.27   26 52.2   1.420   1.275    60   16.3   4:57 (220, 15)  

* C/2018 Y1 ( Iwamoto )

It approached to Earth down to 0.3 a.u. in mid February, and brightened up to 5.5 mag (Feb. 13, Juan Jose Gonzalez). Now it is fading. It has already faded down to 16.6 mag (Aug. 2, Ken-ichi Kadota).

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   4 28.01   41 21.3   2.985   2.964    79   16.5   5:06 (194, 12)  
Aug. 31   4 19.94   42  0.1   2.921   3.038    86   16.6   4:57 (189, 12)  

* C/2016 N6 ( PanSTARRS )

Fading now. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable for a long time until it fades out. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will not be observable after this.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   6 41.86  -32 37.2   5.087   4.770    66   16.5   5:06 (282, 47)  
Aug. 31   6 43.76  -34 12.0   5.079   4.822    69   16.6   4:57 (283, 51)  

* C/2017 K2 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 16.0 mag (Aug. 9, Charles Morris). It is expected to be observable at 5-6 mag for a long time from 2022 to 2023. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable at the highlight from 2022 summer to 2023 summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays unobservable for a while. But it will be observable in good condition at the highlight.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  17  8.50   54 37.0  10.977  11.007    89   16.6  18:59 (180,  0)  
Aug. 31  17  7.47   53 55.7  10.958  10.960    87   16.6  19:03 (175,  1)  

* (3200) Phaethon

It passed the perihelion on July 2. Then it must have brightened up to 13 mag, but it was not observable around that time. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in excellent condition until December when it becomes fainter than 18 mag. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays locating low.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   4 57.99   47 28.5   1.004   1.205    73   16.7   5:06 (198,  4)  
Aug. 31   4 48.70   49 11.4   0.994   1.302    81   16.7   4:57 (193,  4)  

* C/2018 A3 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 16.8 mag (Aug. 2, Charles Morris). It will be fading after this. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition for a long time. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays extremely low for a long time.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   4 11.27   49 43.2   3.908   3.881    81   16.8   5:06 (190,  4)  
Aug. 31   4  4.63   49 53.4   3.818   3.916    88   16.8   4:57 (185,  5)  

* C/2019 K4 ( Ye )

Now it is 16.7 mag (Aug. 7, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It is observable at 17 mag in good condition from August to September.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   1  0.10   26 15.0   1.673   2.390   124   16.9   2:54 (180, 29)  
Aug. 31   0 47.56   22  5.2   1.595   2.417   135   16.8   2:14 (180, 33)  

* C/2019 D1 ( Flewelling )

Now it is 16.8 mag (Aug. 2, Ken Ogawa). It is observable in excellent condition in the Northern Hemisphere. It locates extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. It will be fading after this, and it will be fainter than 18 mag in late September.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   1 12.31   46 45.1   1.535   2.095   108   16.9   3:06 (180,  8)  
Aug. 31   1 11.88   46 16.7   1.528   2.154   114   17.1   2:38 (180,  9)  

* C/2018 KJ3 ( Lemmon )

Now it is 17.2 mag (May 26, iTelescope Observatory, Siding Spring). It will be fading slowly after this. It is observable in excellent condition in the Southern Hemisphere. It locates low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  14 31.21  -38 28.9   3.692   3.632    78   16.9  18:59 ( 72, 59)  
Aug. 31  14 28.20  -38 18.8   3.815   3.630    71   17.0  19:03 ( 70, 52)  

* C/2016 R2 ( PanSTARRS )

Now it is 15.1 mag (Aug. 9, y). Small outburst occurred in early August. It is observable in good condition in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays extremely low for a while.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  14 50.81   27 41.8   5.586   5.281    67   16.9  18:59 (148, 20)  
Aug. 31  14 54.19   26 23.4   5.707   5.333    63   17.0  19:03 (142, 17)  

* 160P/LINEAR

It has not been observed yet in this apparition. It will brighten up to 16 mag in autumn. It is observable in good 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)  
Aug. 24  18 25.14  -37 21.7   1.264   2.009   123   17.2  20:16 (  0, 88)  
Aug. 31  18 28.23  -35 46.8   1.295   1.982   118   17.1  19:52 (  0, 89)  

* 203P/Korlevic

It will brighten up to 16.5 mag in winter, and it will be observable in good condition. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   4 12.91   23 52.9   3.302   3.362    84   17.7   5:06 (196, 29)  
Aug. 31   4 18.76   24 10.0   3.195   3.351    90   17.6   4:57 (192, 30)  

* 200P/Larsen

It will brighten up to 17.5 mag, and it will be observable in good condition in autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   1 36.75   20 33.3   2.678   3.300   119   17.7   3:30 (180, 34)  
Aug. 31   1 37.11   20 36.8   2.602   3.302   126   17.6   3:03 (180, 34)  

* 65P/Gunn

Now it is fading. In 2019, it is observable at 17.5 mag in good condition in autumn.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24   2 56.12   11 16.6   3.683   4.069   105   17.8   4:49 (180, 44)  
Aug. 31   2 56.83   11 18.5   3.598   4.083   111   17.8   4:23 (180, 44)  

* P/2012 K3 ( Gibbs )

It has not been observed yet in this apparition. It was expected to be observable at 17.5 mag from June to August. But actually, it was fainter than 21.5 mag in March (Mar. 10, Erwin Schwab).

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  18 34.94  -21 15.0   1.311   2.089   127   17.8  20:26 (180, 76)  
Aug. 31  18 39.41  -22 12.9   1.372   2.091   122   17.9  20:03 (180, 77)  

* C/2019 L3 ( ATLAS )

Now it is 17.5 mag (Aug. 7, Toshihiko Ikemura, Hirohisa Sato). It will brighten up to 12 mag in winter in 2022.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  22 31.08   47 32.4   7.416   7.982   120   17.9   0:25 (180,  7)  
Aug. 31  22 27.23   47 38.2   7.336   7.937   123   17.8  23:49 (180,  7)  

* 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh

Now it is 16.9 mag (July 4, Alexander Baransky). It is observable at 17 mag in good condition in 2019. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  15 24.52  -17 32.4   3.994   3.998    82   17.8  18:59 (121, 61)  
Aug. 31  15 29.14  -17 56.8   4.105   4.007    77   17.9  19:03 (112, 56)  

* P/2006 H1 ( McNaught )

First return of a new periodic comet which brightened up to 17 mag in 2006. It has not been recovered yet in this apparition. It will brighten up to 18 mag in autumn. 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)  
Aug. 24  16 36.58  -37 25.4   2.166   2.577   102   17.9  18:59 ( 66, 83)  
Aug. 31  16 44.49  -37  2.3   2.227   2.558    97   17.9  19:03 ( 76, 79)  

* 215P/NEAT

In the Southern Hemisphere, it is observable at 18 mag in good condition from July to August. It locates low in the Northern Hemisphere.

Date(TT)  R.A. (2000) Decl.   Delta     r    Elong.  m1   Best Time(A, h)  
Aug. 24  20  2.79  -33 42.9   2.757   3.619   143   17.9  21:53 (180, 89)  
Aug. 31  20  0.07  -33 38.2   2.816   3.617   136   18.0  21:23 (180, 89)  

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