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Updated on April 9, 2013 |
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I observed 2 comets and an asteroid 2012 DA14 visually on Feb. 15 on Mt. Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Although it was rainy in daytime, the sky became completely fine around midnight as the weather forecast predicted. Although Tsukuba City was in the dense fog, the sky was clear on Mt. Tsukuba. So I could enjoy the historical close flyby of an asteroid 2012 DA14.
I also tried to observe C/2006 S3, but it was blended with a neaby 12 mag star and I could not oberve.
12.6 mag Dia. 1.1' DC 3 (40.0-cm reflector 144x)
Difficult to see because locating near by a pair of double stars, but I could see the comet.
10.8 mag Dia. 2.1' DC 5 (40.0-cm reflector 144x)
I was filled with deep emotion because finally I could see the long lost comet D/Pons-Gambart. The comet looks well condensed. But anyway, must fainter than I had expected. I had imagined D/Pons-Gambart would be a historical great comet...
7.1 mag DC 9 (10x70 monocular)
7.2 mag DC 9 (40.0-cm reflector 36x)
Easy to find exactly at the predicted position. I was observing it during 20 minutes, but the brightness did not change at all.
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Go to Seiichi Yoshida's Diary of Comet Observations in 2012. |