| • Searching Comet Haneda-Campos No new observation has been made due to continuing rainy weather. The telescope has not been turned to the new 18th-magnitude C/2003 L2 yet. Comet Haneda-Campos will return to perihelion at the end of the year. It was unfortunate that the comet had been in the summer Milky Way on its first return in 1984. At Geisei Observatory the comet was tracked by the 60cm telescope for 7 or 8 nights. The photograph below was taken on October 13 when the comet was in the Milky Way. The comet must be there buried among numerous faint stars. Using the new orbital elements, I am checking every star in the photograph looking for the trace of the invisible comet. In December 1984 Comet Haneda-Campos accelerated through the Milky Way toward perihelion. Geisei's 60cm telescope has pursued the invisible comet following its persistently fast proper motion. The predicted magnitude is 15 and it must have been captured in normal circumstances. |
October 13, 1984
19:22-19:44 J.S.T
The comet motion was tracked toward the north.
60cm f/3.5
Copyright (C) 2003 Tsutomu Seki.