Observation by Mazin Younis: Comet A3 eclipsing a star

Uploaded by

Mazin Younis

Observer

Mazin Younis

Observed

2024 May 31 - 21:37

Uploaded

2024 May 31 - 21:37

Objects

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

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Constellation

Virgo

Field centre

RA: 12^h03^m
Dec: +02°34'
Position angle: -137°47'

Field size

0°54' × 0°28'

Equipment

Sky-watcher Quattro 8 f/4
ASI 2600MC Duo

Exposure

1 x 120s

Location

Personal Remote Telescope - Morocco

Title

Comet A3 eclipsing a star

About this image

Not sure if there's any scientific value for the comet's core eclipsing a star?

Though it's only one shot of 120s you can see below the comet the galaxy NGC 4045 of mag.12

Files associated with this observation

A3_1shot.jpg (657.2 kB)

Like this image

Gary Eason, Simon Paul Davis, Jeremy Shears, Dominic Ford, Tim Haymes

Comments

Nick James, 2024 Jun 02 - 07:39 UTC

An occultation, where the comet's nucleus goes in front of a star, would be extremely valuable since it could tell us a lot about the shape and size of the nucleus. The nucleus of this comet is probably only a few km in diameter so such occultations would be extremely rare. We do have observations of occultations for Comet 29P (see this for example) but that has a far larger nucleus and its position is much better known.

The coma is much larger than the nucleus and is optically thin and so has no effect on the starlight shining though it.

Mazin Younis

Mazin Younis, 2024 Jun 03 - 00:49 UTC

Thanks Nick for your detailed insight into this interesting subject!

Tim Haymes, 2024 Jun 03 - 21:48 UTC

Nice image Mazin.
That is an interesting paper linked to Nick's comment. I hadnt seen that - thanks.

In the UK, the first (and so far only) comet nucleus occultation was recorded by Malcolm Jennings in South London, when 29P Occulted a star on 2023 May 7th. It is reported in JBAA October 2023, p 133 Section Reports. Several observers attempted this prediction but only one was lucky to be the actual shadow path !

The duration was 0.38s, with a maximum prediction of 2 sec.

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