Comets

Our Comets section is headed by Ana Russo

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2023

C/2022 E3 ZTF (Zwicky Transient Facility)

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2021

C/2021 A1 Leonard

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2020

C/2020 F3 NEOWISE

C/2020 M3 ATLAS

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2019

C/2018 Y1 Iwamoto

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2018

46P/Wirtanen

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2017                                                                              

41P/Tuttle-Giacobini- Kresak 

45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2016

 

45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova

C/2013 X1 PANSTARRS

C/2013 US10 Catalina

252P/LINEAR     

                                 

 

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2015

C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy 

C/2013 US 10 Catalina

COMETS OBSERVED IN 2014

C/2012 K1 PANSTARRS 

C/2014 E2 Jacques 

C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy **

                                                                                                                                                     

** C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy was observed from 25.12.2014 to 7.05.2015                                                                                       

                                                                                                           

C/2014 E2 Jacques

Courtesy Kevin Parker, Mackay, Queensland, Australia

Imaged on 29 July 2014 at 1900UT 59x30 seconds. Skywatcher ED100 at F7.2 Pentax K-5

  

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COMETS OBSERVED IN 2013   

 

C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS

C/2012 S1 ISON

C/2013 R1 LOVEJOY

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Comet Lovejoy C/2013 R1

photographed by Victor C Rogus on 30 November 2013 from Jadwin, Missouri, USA

 

 

Comet Lovejoy C/2013 R1

Courtesy Victor C Rogus 12 December 2013 at 05:36:51 AM CST from Jadwin, Missouri, USA

 

 

Perihelion date: 22 December 2013

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Comet ISON C/2012 S1

Imaged by Damian Peach on 15 November 2013.  He used a 4-inch f/5 refractor for 12 minutes of combined exposures. The field is 2.5° wide. 

Permission given by Damian Peach to use this image.

 

 

 Comet ISON was discovered on 21 September 2012 by Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON). It originated from the Oort Cloud at the edge of the Solar System where comets reside beyond the orbits of Neptune and the Kuiper Belt. 

This comet was observed at 06:30am on 15 November 2013, the same day it was imaged by Damian Peach above.  It was located 23 degrees above the East South-Eastern horizon, above and to the right of the star Spica in Virgo.  Viewing location: Kusuma Promenade by the Lighthouse. 

 

Perihelion date: 28 November 2013

 

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Comet C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS

Courtesy Victor Rogus, Jadwin, Missouri, USA

 

 

 

 

Comet PanStarrs was discovered in June 2011 by the automated Pan-STARRS sky survey in Hawaii. Its orbit brought it by the Sun for the first time from the outer reaches of the Solar System.  After it spent billions of years in the cold of deep space, it will fly out again never to return.

 

This comet was followed from 10 March to 25 March 2013. 

Perihelion date:  10 March 2013

Note from the images above how the tail changed positon from left to right as the comet rounded the sun in its orbit

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COMETS OBSERVED