73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 approaches.
The following are the observations of Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann
3 at Geisei accompanied by a photograph. The original Nucleus C is impressive
always showing a solid coma. The tail is faint and 20 to 30 minutes long.
Nucleus B, however, changes its appearance like ninja. It has formed a
bright, firm, and round coma again. As the gas of the coma has become more
dense, Nucleus AQ cannot be distinguished from Nucleus B. They appeared
to be connected, but I made measurements assuming it was Nucleus B. Quite
recently it has become bright again with outbursts. I can hardly wait for
the next observation to see what kind of appearance it takes on in the
future.
The geocentric distance is only 0.1 AU! It has finally arrived
.
73P-C/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3
2006UT RA (2000.0) Decl. m1
Apr.30.60938 16 41 15.00 +31 56 54.5 8.1 372
73P-B/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3
Apr.30.60139 16 00 57.52 +34 44 09.6 7.9 372
The magnitudes given above are visual magnitudes by the 20cm
refractor at 60x. There was no sign of Nucleus G at first glance. It might
have faded a little. There were two faint 15th-magnitude nuclei nearby
with tails. I will measure them to find out their identity. Look forward
to the next report from Geisei Observatory.
