(All news
more than about 3 months old will normally be moved here)
2008/01/21 17P - micro-outburst (17P/Holmes page)
Latest CCD photometry and images show that 17P/Holmes has shown a small outburst of about 0.5 magnitudes (ver image017), with the light becoming much more concentrated close to the nucleus. It seems that this small outburst is already beginning to decay. Image before outburst (2008 Jan 14, lower image) and after outburst (2008 Jan 20, upper image). The increased brightness of the innermost coma is obvious. Images by Faustino García (MPC J38).
2007/10/24 - 17P / Holmes OUTBURST
Juan
Antonio Henríquez Santana (MPC J51) reports that a major outburst of Comet
17P/Holmes has apparently taken place. Observations during the night of 2007
October 23/24 show that the comet is some 7 magnitudes brighter than previously
in a 10" aperture and that the comet has brightened by 0.4 magnitudes in the
course of the night's observations. The outburst has been confirmed by Gustavo
Muler at MPC J47.
2007/09/16
OJ287 (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/cuasars.html): The first post-conjunction data show an important increase in brightness and the presence of a significant outburst in the light curve, although one rather smaller than was expected (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/image004.gif). The quasar appears to be increasing in brightness still, although the prediction by Mauri Valtonen and Harry Lehto at Tuorla Observatory (Finland) of a maximum on 2007 September 13th has been shown to be amazingly accurate.
2007 January 14, Martin Mobberley, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070114-mpm.jpg
2007 April 07, Ramón Naves, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070407-213.jpg
2007 September 07, Albert Sánchez, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070907-442.jpg
2007 September 15, Albert Sánchez, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070915-442.jpg
The complete light curve (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/image003.gif) shows clearly that this is an outburst and not a short-lived flare (of typically 10-14 days duration), although the amplitude of the maximum is disappointingly low, still near the minimum of the 70 year cycle.
Urgent coverage of the outburst and its decline are required.
2007/04/06
96P/Machholz 1 is passing through the field of SOHO's LASCO C3 camera. See the images and animation here
http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/96p/imagenes/96p.html
2007/03/15
Apophis
is in the news again thanks to some unfortunate comments by Spanish astronaut,
Pedro Duque. It will not hit the Earth in 2036. See why (English,
castellano)
2007/03/01
Given the amount of attention that (99948) Apophis
is receiving in the Spanish media and the (false) reports that it is likely to
hit the
Earth on April 13th 2036 , we have added a text on
this asteroid.
We are in
for a spectacular show from Apophis in 2029 when it
will pass UNDER geocentric orbit and be an easy naked
eye object, but that does not mean that it is going to hit us in 2036
2007/02/03
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann
1 (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/29p/29p.html)
A new
outburst was detected by Álbert Sánchez
(MPC 442) on January 29th, after an unusually long minimum. The
amplitude is only moderate compared to the size of outbursts seen since 2000 (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/29p/image012.gif).
The coma shows the normal evolution during outburst (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/29p/imagenes/29p-2007.htm).
2007/01/28
C/2006 P1 (McNaught)
We are
continuing to add new information, images and analysis to the web page for this
comet (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006p1/2006p1.html).
Among the
highlights are:
2007/01/12
C/2006 P1 (McNaught)
Images from
the
2007/01/09
C/2006 P1 (McNaught)
This comet has
become an unexpectedly bright and spectacular object visible very low in the
evening sky just after sunset and the morning sky just before sunrise. Current
estimates make it about magnitude –2 with forward scattering as the comet
passes between the Sun and the Earth likely to raise it to as bright as –5 on
January 13th. However, the comet’s small elongation will make it an
extremely difficult object to observe at this time.
Image
gallery:
http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006p1/imagenes/C2006P1.html
Light
curve:
http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006p1/lightcurve.html
The comet
should be an extremely spectacular object in images from the
24/10/2006
Comet
C/2006 M4 (SWAN)
Reports
have received from two independent visual observers that the comet may be
suffering a significant outburst. It is now an easy naked eye object in Corona
Borealis.
Image of
outburst at:
http://astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006m4/imagenes/C2006M4-061024-HG.jpg
Light curve
at:
http://astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006m4/lightcurve.html
07/10/2006
Comet
P/2006 T1 (Levy):
MPEC
2006-T47
presents a new orbit for this comet, which turns out to have the very short
period of 5.38 years. It is evident that this object was discovered thanks to a
large outburst and that normally it would be a “dark comet”. The observations
to date show that it is a very gassy object (it is much brighter in V than in R
or I). It is possible that the outburst has been due to a fragmentation, but
this is more speculative.
The new
orbit is interesting because the perihelion distance has dropped quite
significantly and the comet turns out to be slightly inside the Earth’s orbit.
The observations and plots are available at:
http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006t1/2006t1.html
03/10/2006
Comet C/2006 T1
(Levy):
David Levy's 23rd
discovery was made during the morning of October 2nd with his 40-cm reflector.
At the time it was less than 1º from Saturn in the sky. The total magnitude of
the comet is approximately 9.5. It shows a fine gas tail (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006t1/imagenes/2006t1.html) but, according to a very provisional orbit,
is expected to fade over the
next few days as it moves away from the Earth.
25/04/2006
73P-b
Recent observations show that this fragment is again in outburst. An image by
Ramón Naves & Montse Campàs from MontCabrer (Barcelona) on 2006 April 24.9
with a 30.5-cm S/C shows a bright central condensation that was not present on
the previous night. Photometry in a 10" aperture shows a brightening of at
least1.3 magnitudes that apparently initiated around 2006 April 23.5.
Representative Values of Afrho (10" aperture) by Spanish observers are:
April 20.05, 525-cm (José García Moreno, MPC J64, 20-cm Meade); (Naves
& Campàs); 20.85, 490-cm (Naves & Campàs); 23.85, 670-cm (Estevé Cortés
& Ferran García, MPC A10, 25-cm Meade); 24.90, 1600-cm (Naves &
Campàs). Further observations are strongly encouraged.
27/03/2006
The updated light curve for fragments b, c, g
and j can be found
*here*, and the approximate equivalent
water and dust production rates
*here*.
Image gallery.
|
08/03/2006
Just a
few days after celebrating his 83rd birthday (see the images below), the
popular British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore (who is in the Guinness Book of
Records as the monthly astronomy programme that he has presented on the BBC
since April 1957 is the longest running programme in the world with a single
presenter), has gone into hospital to have a heart pacemaker fitted. The
minor operation will be carried out tomorrow (March 9th). It is hoped that
this operation will cure his problems of breathlessness and tiredness.
Sir
Patrick never went to school and was tutored at home because of heart
problems that led to expectations that he would die before finishing
schooling, something that makes his run of almost 50 years with the Sky at
Night even more astonishing.
- Patrick
cutting the cakes at his birthday party. Jeannie and Ptolemy, his two cats,
featured prominently in the designs on the cakes.(Photographs: Martin
Mobberley) BBC report on his stay in hospital:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4785340.stm
March
9th, 12:00UT
March
10th |
09/03/2006
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann
3:
Four new fragments have been reported from Mount Lemmon observatory bringing the
total number of observed fragments at this apparition to 7.
All lie on the extension of the arc from fragment "B" to
"G". Fragment "H" has magnitude 20.0, "J" is
19.8, "K" is 21.7 and "L" is 19.8, compared to 14.5 and
17.3 in the same aperture for fragments "B" and "G" in V.
Fragment "L" is the most distant, 1145" from fragment
"G".
17/02/2006
P/2005 R2
(Van Ness): A new
major outburst of this comet has taken place in this comet at r=3.17AU, 367
days after perihelion when the comet appeared to be approaching quiescence
after its previous outburst. The comet shows a round, moderately condensed coma
with a diameter of 22 arcseconds in the
outburst images. Sample magnitudes and Afrho
values (10” square aperture) are:
2006
Jan 21.9, R=17.46, Afrho=16-cm (José Antonio Reyes and Sensi Pastor, MPC
station J76, 40-cm S/C); Jan 21.9, R=17.50, Afrho=15-cm (Ramón
Naves and Montse Campàs, MPC station 213, 30.5-cm Meade S/C); Feb 5.9, R=17.60,
Afrho=14-cm (Naves and Campàs); Feb. 13.8, R=15.59, Afrho=88-cm (Toni Climent,
MPC station J97, 25.4-cm Meade S/C); Feb. 16.85, R=15.53, Afrho=94-cm (Naves
and Campàs).
16/12/2005
A page added for
P/2001 OG108 (LONEOS). This interesting intermediate
period comet (P=48.3 years) has the longest rotation period of any cometary
nucleus (53 hours). The data is interesting in the water vapour production
shows a far more rapid rise close to perihelion than dust production.
05/12/2005
The Deep
Impact Science Team has just contacted me commenting that they find strong
support for the 4 or 8 day period in outbursts of the nucleus of 9P/Tempel 1
that we report initially in May based on the data from this group and later in
an IAUC. A series of outburst were recorded in May, June and July using various
instruments including the Deep Impact probe itself which show a highly regular
spacing in time.
20/10/2005
A new, deep
integration of P/2005 SD (LINEAR) by Toni Climent (MPC J97) shows no evidence
of the prominent tail visible previously. This comet seems to be repeating the
behaviour of 162P, which repeatedly formed and lost tails, appearing asteroidal
in between times.
18/10/2005
The
latest measures of 9P/Tempel 1 increase the number of photometric measures from
this apparition in our archive to more than 5000. There are also 2100
astrometric measures, 150 images and 99 total visual magnitude estimates
17/10/2005
Observations
of 2005 SD by Ramón Naves & Montse Campàs (MPC 213, October 6th),
Esteban Reina (MPC 232, October 8th), and Toni Climent (MPC J97,
October 15th) have shown a condensed coma and short, double tail
that rotates with time. The object has been redesignated P/2005 SD (LINEAR) on
IAUC 8618.
01/10/2005
Orbit calculations
from Ramon Naves with a slightly extended arc suggest that the orbit solution
for C/2005 S2 (Skiff) on
MPEC 2005-S78 is substantially different
from the true orbit and suggest the possibility that the comet has a prograde
Halley-type orbit well past perihelion. Details here.
30/09/2005
Photometry
on several nights gives a magnitude for 9P/Tempel 1 of approximately R=15.7.
22/09/2005
Photometry from Cristavao
Jacques (MPC I77) and Ramón Naves & Montse Campàs (MPC 213) and an
image from MPC 213
suggest that 9P/Tempel has faded substantially suddenly.
22/09/2005
An animation of the SWAN
observations of C/2005 P3 from July 31st to September 18th showing the rapid
initial brightening and later fade of the comet. Animation by Ramón Naves
12/09/2005
IAUC 8599
reports the recovery by Filip Fratev (MPC A79) of P/1998 W1 = P/2005 R3
(Spahr).
11/09/2005
The
asteroid 2004 FY140 has been shown to be non-stellar in observations
from Catalina Observatory and is now designated C/2004 FY140.
11/09/2005
A79001 has
now been confirmed as P/2005 R2 (Van Ness) on
MPEC 2005-R54. Congratulations to Esteban Reina (MPC 232),
Cristavao Jacques and E. Pimental (MPC I77).
11/09/2005
NEOCP
A79001 appears cometary (coma and tail) in observations by Esteban Reina (MPC
232).
08/09/2005
New
outburst of 29P/Schwassmann-Wachman 1 detected by José Ramón Vidal (MPC 945)
and confirmed by José García Moreno.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Noticias calientes:
21/01/2008 (Página del 17P/ Holmes)
La última fotometría CCD e imágenes muestran que 17P/Holmes
ha mostrado un pequeño estallido de aproximadamente 0.5 magnitudes, la luz se
hace mucho más concentrada cerca del núcleo. Parece que este pequeño estallido
ya comienza a deteriorarse.
Imagen de
antes del estallido (14-01-2008, imagen inferior) y después del estallido
(20-01-2008, imagen superior). El resplandor aumentado de la coma es obvio.
Imágenes de Faustino García (MPC J38).
29/12/2007 - 29P / Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 OUTBURST
Nuevo outburst detectado por Ramon Naves & Montse Campàs (MPC 213) y confirmado por César Piret (MPCJ46).
2007-12-27 mag 15.91
2007-12-29 mag 13.78 y seguía bajando de magnitud.
24/10/2007 - 17P / Holmes OUTBURST
Juan Antonio Henríquez (MPC J51), desde Tenerife, nos alerta de una gran estallido del cometa 17P, pasando de magnitud 17 a magnitud 10, en las primeras tomas, y aumentando de brilla. Más tarde, Gustavo Muler (MPC J47) confirma el estallido
En 1892 une stallido de este mismo cometa hizo que llegara a magnitud 4 haciendolo visible a simple vista.
16/09/2007
OJ287 (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/cuasars.html): Los primeros datos tras la conjunción solar muestran un incremento importante en el brillo y la presencia de un estallido importante, aunque menos fuerte que lo previsto, en la curva de luz (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/image004.gif). Parece que el cuasar sigue aumentando en brillo, pero que las previsiones de un estallido con máximo en torno al 13 de septiembre muestran un acuerdo asombroso con los datos reales.
Una comparación de imágenes antes y después del estallido muestra lo importante que ha sido el incremento en brillo:
14 de enero 2007, Martin Mobberley, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070114-mpm.jpg
7 de abril 2007, Ramón Naves, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070407-213.jpg
7 de septiembre 2007, Albert Sánchez, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070907-442.jpg
15 de septiembre 2007, Albert Sánchez, http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/Images/OJ287-070915-442.jpg
La curva de luz completa (http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/OJ287/image003.gif) muestra que ese claramente es un estallido y no una fulguración de corta duración (típicamente de 10 a 14 días), aunque la amplitud es decepcionante ya que sigue estando cerca del mínimo del ciclo de 70 años.
Hace falta cobertura urgente del máximo y de su declive.
16-06-2007
Para empezar, un objeto que
definitivamente no es un cometa...OJ287
(ver cuasars.
La siguiente gráfica muestra la
curva de luz para los últimos años:
image005.
06-04-2007
Puede verse el
paso del 96P/Machholz 1 por el campo de la cámara LASCO C3 del SOHO's LASCO C3 .
Podéis ver imágenes y una animación en
http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/96p/imagenes/96p.html
15/03/2007
Gracias
a unas declaraciones desafortunadas de astronauta Pedro Duque Apophis vuelve a ser noticia. No impactará en la Tierra en
2036. Para ver por qué no… (English,
castellano)
01/03/2007
Puesto que el asteroide (99948) Apophis está recibiendo mucha atención en los medios españoles y que se ha informado
(incorrectamente) que probablemente chocara con el Tierra el 13 de abril de 2036, hemos añadido un texto
acerca de
ese asteroide.
Apophis nos dará un espectáculo importante en 2029 cuando pasara por
DEBAJO de una orbita geocéntrica, haciéndose fácilmente visible a simple
vista, pero eso no significa que chocara con
la Tierra en 2036 (Español).
12/01/2007
C/2006 P1 (McNaught)
Imagenes del satelite SOHO:
http://soho.esac.esa.int/data/realtime/c3/512/
07/10/2006
Comet P/2006 T1
(Levy):
MPEC 2006-T47 presenta
una nueva órbita de ese cometa que resulta tener un período de 5.38 años. Es
evidente que ese ha sido un cometa descubierto gracias a un enorme
estallido y que normalmente seria un objeto "negro". Las
observaciones demuestran que es bastante gaseoso (es mucho más brillante en V
que en R e I). Es posible que el cometa podría haber
fragmentado, provocando el estallido, pero eso es más especulativo
La nueva órbita es interesante porque la distancia del perihelio se ha reducido
de modo significativo y resulta que el cometa está ligeramente por dentro de la
órbita terrestre. Las observaciones y gráficas están disponibles en:
http://www.astrosurf.com/comets/cometas/2006t1/2006t1.html
27/03/2006
La última actualización de la curva de luz de los fragmentos b, c, g y j podéis encontrarla *aquí*, y la aproximación equivalente a producción de agua y de polvo*aqui*. Galeria de Imagenes.
17/02/2006 - P/2005 R2 (Van Ness): Un nuevo estallido principal de este cometa ha ocurrido en r=3.17AU, 367 días después del perihelio cuando el cometa parecia acercarse a la quietud después de su anterior estallido. La coma se muestra redonda y moderadamente condensada con un diámetro de 22" en las imágenes del estallido. Las magnitudes de la muestra y los valores de Afrho (en la abertura de 10") son:
2006 Jan
21.9, R=17.46, Afrho=16-cm
(José Antonio Reyes and Sensi
Pastor, MPC station J76, 40-cm
S/C); Jan 21.9, R=17.50, Afrho=15-cm (Ramón Naves and Montse Campàs, MPC station 213, 30.5-cm Meade S/C); Feb 5.9, R=17.60, Afrho=14-cm (Naves and Campàs);
Feb. 13.8, R=15.59, Afrho=88-cm
(Toni Climent, MPC station
J97, 25.4-cm Meade S/C);
Feb. 16.85, R=15.53, Afrho=94-cm
(Naves and Campàs).
16/12/2005
Añadida página para P/2001 OG108 (LONEOS). Este cometa interesante, de período intermedio (P=48.3 años), tiene el período de rotación más largo de cualquier núcleo cometario (53 horas). Los datos son interesantes en la producción de vapor de agua, muestran una subida mucho más rápida cerca del perihelio que la producción de polvo.
05/12/2005
El Deep Impact Science Team acaba de ponerse en contacto conmigo comentandome el gran apoyo en el pertiodo de 4 a 8 dias del outburst del nucleo del 9P/Tempel 1, del cual reportamos un informe inicial en Mayo, basado en los datos de este grupo y despues en la IAUC. La serie de outburst fue registrada en Mayo, Junio y Julio usando varios instrumentos incluidos en la sonda de la Deep Impact, mostrando un espaciado sumamente regular en el tiempo.
20/10/2005
Una nueva integración profunda del P/2005 SD (LINEAR) por Toni Climent (MPC J97) demuestra que el cometa ya muestra la cola destacada que tenía antes. Parece replicar el comportamiento del 162P, un cometa que formó y perdió colas varias veces con intervalos de aspecto casi asteroidal entre medias.
18/10/2005
Las últimas medidas del 9P/Tempel 1 han incrementado la cantidad de medidas fotométricas en nuestro archivo para esa aparición a más de 5000. También tenemos 2100 medidas astrométricas, 150 imágenes y 99 estimaciones de la magnitud total visual.
17/10/2005
Observaciones del 2005 SD realizadas por Ramón Naves & Montse Campàs (MPC 213, 6 de octubre), Esteban Reina (MPC 232, 8 de octubre), y Toni Climent (MPC J97, 15 de octubre) han mostrado una coma condensada y una cola doble corta que gira con el tiempo. En el IAUC 8618 el objeto se ha redesignado el P/2005 SD (LINEAR).
01/10/2005
Los cálculos orbitales de Ramón Naves basados en un arco ligeramente ampliado sugieren que la solución orbital para el C/2005 S2 (Skiff) que se ha publicado en el MPEC 2005-S78 distan sustanciosamente de la verdadera órbita y sugieren que el cometa tiene una órbita progrado de tipo Halley y que el cometa ha pasado por el perihelio hace tiempo. Más detalles aquí (sólo inglés).
30/09/2005
La fotometría realizada en distintas noche recientes da una magnitud del 9P/Tempel 1 en torno a R=15.7.
22/09/2005
Fotometría de Cristavao Jacques (MPC I77) y Ramón Naves & Montse Campàs (MPC 213) y una imagen de MPC 213 sugieren que el 9P/Tempel ha sufrido un fuerte debilitamiento repentino.
22/09/2005
Animación de las observaciones de SWAN de C/2005 P3 del 31 de julio al 18 de septiembre, en la exposición se puede ver el brillo inicial y más tarde su declive. Animación realizada por Ramon Naves.
12/09/2005
El IAUC 8599 informa de la recuperación por parte de Filip Fratev (MPC A79) del P/1998 W1 = P/2005 R3 (Spahr).
11/09/2005El asteroide 2004 FY140 ha mostrado un aspecto cometario en observationes desde el Observatorio de Monte
Catalina y ha sido designado C/2004 FY140.
11/09/2005
Se ha confirmado que el A79001 es un cometa de corto período y ahora se ha designado P/2005 R2 (Van Ness) on MPEC 2005-R54. Muchas felicidades a Esteban Reina (MPC 232), Cristavao Jacques y E. Pimentel (MPC I77).
11/09/2005
NEOCP A79001 tiene aspecto cometario (destacado coma y cola) en observaciones realizadas por Esteban Reina (MPC 232).
08/09/2005
Estallido del cometa 29P/ Schwassmann-Wachman 1 detectado por José Ramón Vidal (MPC 945) y confirmado por José García Moreno
