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Reports from Geisei Observatory <April 3, 2009>


C/2009 F5 (McNaught), C/2009 F4 (McNaught), and C/2006 W3 (Christensen)

    These are the observations of faint comets glowing in the southern sky after midnight and C/2006 W3 which has become visible in the predawn sky. The photographic magnitude of the nucleus of C/2006 W3 is 11, but the visual estimate is 10. This comet can be observed by a 15cm telescope and larger.
    A long time ago, there was a comet hunter called Peltier in the state of Ohio, U.S.A. He had the second highest record of comet discoveries after Barnard. He found comets of this faintness with his 15cm refractor. If this comet had appeared in Japan at the times when the skies were much darker, a number of Japanese hunters could have discovered it. This comet will rise higher and become easier to observe. But I wonder if it brightens.

    CK09F040   2009 03 25.72448 15 45 28.84 -23 23 55.5          18.5 N      372
    CK09F040   2009 03 25.74201 15 45 28.51 -23 23 57.9                      372
    CK09F040   2009 04 02.68958 15 42 56.03 -23 40 19.1                      372
    CK09F040   2009 04 02.70486 15 42 55.69 -23 40 20.9                      372
    CK09F040   2009 04 02.75660 15 42 54.59 -23 40 27.3          18.6 N      372

    CK09F050   2009 03 25.69583 15 08 40.54 -34 55 18.3          18.0 N      372
    CK09F050   2009 03 25.70799 15 08 39.58 -34 55 02.9                      372
    CK09F050   2009 03 25.75608 15 08 35.83 -34 53 58.3                      372
    CK09F050   2009 03 30.70243 15 02 01.76 -32 59 12.6                      372
    CK09F050   2009 03 30.71354 15 02 00.83 -32 58 56.1          17.5 T      372
    CK09F050   2009 04 02.72014 14 57 46.73 -31 44 21.1                      372
    CK09F050   2009 04 02.73576 14 57 45.40 -31 43 56.7                      372

    CK06W030   2009 04 02.79497 22 46 26.28 +33 57 07.6          11.5 N      372
    CK06W030   2009 04 02.80104 22 46 26.43 +33 57 06.6           9.5 T      372
Copyright (C) 2009 Tsutomu Seki.