![]() ![]() Despite the poor viewing geometry, the comet is intrinsically rather bright, and should reach a peak brightness close to 5th magnitude. The viewing geometry in 2024 is, unfortunately, rather unfavorable, as during the run-up to perihelion the comet remains on the far side of the sun from Earth and is only visible for a brief period of time in the northwestern sky after dusk, at a small elongation (37 degrees in mid-March, shrinking to 28 degrees by month's end and to 23 degrees by perihelion). This "classical" Halley-type comet (period 70 years) last returned in 1954, four years before I was born. 146), when I followed it for eight months and it reached a peak brightness near 12th magnitude.ĬOMET 12P/PONS-BROOKS (Perihelion 2024 April 21) The viewing geometry is almost identical to that of the return in 1990 (no. The 2022 return is moderately favorable, with the comet's being in the morning sky at an elongation of 55 degrees at the time of perihelion, and subsequently at opposition in June 2023. 26), and I discuss it in detail in the entry I wrote when I observed it as a part of " Countdown" during its return in 2010 (no. I have observed this comet at every return it has made in my lifetime, beginning with its discovery return in 1978 (no. Although this is very uncertain, there is a possibility of a strong meteor shower from this comet in 2022, with some predictions suggesting that this could occur in late May from a radiant in southwestern Bootes.ĬOMET 81P/WILD 2 (Perihelion 2022 December 15) It has already been recovered in January 2021 by the Lowell Discovery Telescope in Arizona as a very faint object near 23rd magnitude, and when near perihelion will be visible in the western evening sky, albeit more favorably placed for observers in the southern hemisphere it may be around 11th magnitude at the time. 612), which took place under mediocre viewing geometry, one additional "companion" comet appeared which for a time was brighter than the primary component. Even at the most recent return, in 2017 (no. 385) when it passed within 0.08 AU from Earth and I detected three discrete "companion" comets in addition to the primary one, and over 60 nuclear fragments were detected with large telescopes. Various fragments have been seen at most of its returns since then, including in 2006 (no. 202) its nucleus split into four discrete fragments as the comet itself underwent a dramatic outburst to 5th magnitude. We may, or may not, have been seeing the break-up of this comet over the past couple of decades. ![]() We will just have to wait and see what happens over the coming months.ĬOMET 73P/SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN 3 (Perihelion 2022 August 25) The potential for a bright display certainly exists, although it is also entirely possible that it could brighten slowly and become a relatively unimpressive object, and conceivably could even disintegrate as it approaches and passes through perihelion. As is always true for newly-discovered long-period comets, brightness predictions for the time during and after perihelion are problematical, and this comet's behavior will likely depend on such factors as to whether or not it is a "new" comet making its first visit from the Oort Cloud and also its dust content - none of which are known at present. The comet appears at a maximum phase angle of 136 degrees just before the end of April and is nearest Earth (0.60 AU) a week and a half later.Īt this time Comet PANSTARRS is a very faint object between 19th and 20th magnitude. By that time it is in northern circumpolar skies, and it reaches a peak northerly declination of +82 degrees shortly before the end of May. At that time it will be in the evening sky at an elongation of 17 degrees, and although the elongation remains between 15 and 17 degress through the end of April, the comet is moving northward, with the elongation increasing to 30 degrees by the end of the first week of May and to 45 degrees by the middle of that month. The "long-range" comets listed at the end of this page are, as implied, mentioned here primarily for long-range planning purposes.ĬOMET PANSTARRS C/2021 O3 (Perihelion 2022 April 21)Īccording to preliminary orbital calculations this recently-discovered long-period comet passes through perihelion at a heliocentric distance of 0.29 AU. I don't intend this list to be exhaustive, but instead will focus on those comets that are worthy of attention from sky-watchers and other interested people (including, certainly, students) who would not normally be considered "comet astronomers." I plan to update this page every one to two months and/or as necessary. For planning purposes, on this page I will list the incoming comets that are expected to become moderately bright or otherwise notable within the next one to two years, and which I expect to add to my tally (if I haven't already). ![]()
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