2020 January 15
Comet C/2020 A2 (Iwamoto)
CBET 4714 announces the discovery of a new comet by Masayuki Iwamoto, Awa, Tokushima-ken, Japan, on two CCD frames taken on Jan. 8.86 UT with a 10-cm Pentax 400-mm-f.l. f/4.0 lens and a Canon EOS 6D camera. This comet was on the PCCP as IF033 but has now been designated C/2020 A2 (Iwamoto) on MPEC 2020-A132. At present it is a morning object moving gradually north in Ophiuchus. It is currently around mag 14 and looks to be just past perihelion. The object is definitely cometary and observations over the next few days are encouraged before the Moon gets too close.
The latest astrometry shows that the comet will be very well placed for northern hemisphere observers over the next few months. The latest images are here.
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