[BAA 00491] Comets

[Whitters]

BAA electronic bulletin No. 00491 -- http://www.britastro.org/
Bulletin transmitted on Mon Apr 19 19:11:54 BST 2010
(c) 2010 British Astronomical Association

Several comets are making news at the moment:

A newly discovered object designated comet P/2010 H2 is around 12th magnitude. Its orbit is not dissimilar to a main belt asteroid, and it was first spotted as a near stellar object.  Richard Miles made several of the early astrometric and photometric observations.  Over the last couple of days a coma has grown and the comet brightened a little.  It is currently well placed for observation from the UK.

Comet 2009 K5 (McNaught) is becoming better placed for observation from the UK, and at around 8.5 is currently the brightest comet on view.  Its position improves over the next month, although the moon will interfere with observations until early May.  Images taken by Nick Howes with the Faulkes Telescope suggest the presence of a secondary nucleus.

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, a comet that frequently outbursts, is undergoing another one, though this comet rarely gets brighter than 12th magnitude. Comets 81P/Wild and 2009 O2 (Catalina) are both diffuse objects and will be difficult in light polluted skies.

Comet 2009 R1 (McNaught) won't be observable from the UK until mid May, however observations suggest that it might be 3rd magnitude by the time it disappears from view at the end of June.

For more information see the Section web page at http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds

Jonathan Shanklin

Director, Comet Section