Observation by Nick James: C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)

Uploaded by

Nick James

Observer

Nick James

Observed

2020 Apr 06 - 19:41

Uploaded

2020 Apr 07 - 07:07

Objects

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)

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Constellation

Indus

Field centre

RA: 21^h15^m
Dec: -49°49'
Position angle: +54°22'

Field size

1°27' × 1°02'

Equipment

C11 Edge HD + FLI6303

Exposure

55x60s

Location

Chelmsford, UK

Target name

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)

Title

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)

About this image

An image of C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) from last night. Typically, just after I gave my webinar, this comet decided to fizzle. The inner coma is fading and more extended along the tail. It is probable that the nucleus has either fragmented or ejected a large amount of material tailward. It doesn't look good but comets do this sort of thing!

Files associated with this observation

2019y4_20200406_2041_ndj.jpg (585.3 kB)

Like this image

Dr Andrew Smith, Jeremy Shears, David Basey, Bill Leatherbarrow, Mr Leonard Entwisle, Dean Ashton OBE, Andy Wilson, Chris Dole, Nick Hewitt, Paul G. Abel, Andrew Dumbleton, Peter Carson

Comments

David Swan, 2020 Apr 07 - 07:13 UTC

Nick,

I can't believe it. There should be a total moratorium on even measured speculation about comet behaviour.

I replaced my Hyperstar with the f/6.3 reducer and took some images last night in a milky sky. I still need to do the calibration frames, but even in the raw images I can see elongation of the pseudonucleus.

David

Nick James, 2020 Apr 07 - 19:48 UTC

Neils Bohr was supposed to have said that and it is certainly true in the case of comets. It appears to be fizzling just as the media started ramping up the hype. I guess they will have to go back to talking about Pink Moons now.

David Strange, 2020 Apr 07 - 22:04 UTC

It's beginning to look like 1994 S4 (LINEAR) which elongated from the classic tear drop shaped coma overnight and was gone within the week!

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