This morning’s (Nov 22.22) image from the Alnitak telescope in Spain shows that component B has become very diffuse and it looks as if it is not long for this world. The astrometric residuals for B are now large and this reflects the fact that it doesn’t have a definite centroid any more.
The astrometric residuals for component A are generally small and they fit the previous orbit well, so we presume that this is the original nucleus, but the astrometry from this morning shows significant residuals. This component has also brightened significantly over the past few mornings. This may be a sign of further fragmentation so please keep observing this comet as frequently as possible.
This is why comets are so much fun. You never quite know what to expect when you observe them!
