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Title: Comet 2010/H2 (Vales) Post by: davegrennan on April 20, 2010, 02:30:56 pm Chaps a very strange comet discovered by an amateur.
http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/mpec/K10/K10H12.html One of the longest mpec's in history. A couple of strange things about this comet. Although if was discovered at just below mag +13, Richard Kowalski of the Catalina Sky Survey reports that there was nothing on CSS plates taken of that area just a few days beforehand with a limiting magnitude of +19.0. So This looks like a significant event happened in the intervening period to cause this flare. Secondly there is very little evidence of coma. In fact there was a lot of initial doubt before the discovery was announced if this even was a comet. There was no evidence of coma on my follow up images. However minor planets don't just jump from below mag +19 to brighter than +13 in a few days so it has to be a comet. Who knows maybe it will flare again? Its currently in Virgo and definitely worth a look for those with bigger scopes. Dave. Title: Re: Comet 2010/H2 (Vales) Post by: rjgjr on April 20, 2010, 03:45:59 pm Thanks for the information Dave, all we can do is hope that it flares again into something truely magnificent!!
Title: Re: Comet 2010/H2 (Vales) Post by: martinastro on April 22, 2010, 05:28:09 pm Thanks very much for the heads up Dave, I have been following the discussion on cometsml/mpml, definitely one to keep an eye on.
Also, RI McNaught could reach mag +3 or even +2 this June. Title: Re: Comet 2010/H2 (Vales) Post by: markt on April 22, 2010, 06:58:59 pm Something to keep our eyes on... McNaught sounds exciting. We must be due a nice comet... ::) |