Observation by Alan Snook: Comet 46P Wirtanen

Uploaded by

Alan Snook

Observer

Alan Snook

Observed

2018 Dec 07 - 21:00

Uploaded

2018 Dec 08 - 12:00

Objects

46P Wirtanen

Equipment

50cm f4.1 Dobsonian
17mm Ethos eyepiece x 120

Location

East Kent

Target name

Comet 46P Wirtanen

Title

Comet 46P Wirtanen

About this image

The instant I got my first look at Wirtanen I thought “green”. The drawing shows its position at 21.00, the cross marks where it was at 20.00. This reveals it is speeding NNE at about 7 arcmins an hour. There is a lopsided teardrop-shaped halo extending EW. The size of the halo is difficult to be precise about because it is low-surface-brightness and fades away to the sky background. I estimate its long axis to be 8 or 9 arcmins. Within the halo is a broad fan-shaped coma extending E from a bright non-stellar nucleus. The fan coma is only marginally brighter than the halo, very subtle.

Files associated with this observation

46P Wirtanen 2018 Dec 7.jpg (28.0 kB)

Like this image

Neil Morrison, David Basey, David Swan, Jeremy Shears, Peter Mulligan, Ray Emery, Jimmy Fraser, Callum Potter, Andy Wilson, Geof Lewis, Peter Carson

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