Chaps a very strange comet discovered by an amateur.
http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/mpec/K10/K10H12.htmlOne 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.
