Reports from Geisei Observatory <July 6, 2001>

• A color photograph of LINEAR C/2001 A2(LINEAR)
Clouds rolled in around the time when the lunar eclipse started on July 6 and the rainy season weather returned. Also because of bright moon light, there will no observation for a week or so. This photo of LINEAR by the 60cm telescope is the first to be shown in color. The coma appears to be made up of two parts: a whitish central part approximately 15' across and a faintly colored area (25') surrounding it. The straight ion tail extends more than 1 degree to the lower right. The tail branches out into numerous streamers but it is difficult to see on the prints, unfortunately. From that day on the tail became less conspicuous and the brightness gradually fell. This valuable image was taken over a short period of time when the comet was glimpsed in a break in the cloud cover. An enlarged copy of this photo will be sent to all the subscribers to the Comet Bulletin published by OAA Comet Section.

C/2001 A2(LINEAR)
At 3.10 - 3.17 am on July 1, 2001
60cm f/3.5 reflector on Provia 400F film
Tsutomu Seki at Geisei Observatory