Comet Brewington

[glenc (Glen)]

Comet P/Brewington (154P), mag 10, is the brightest comet at present.
Attached is its path through Aqr for the next month.
The Guide 9 map starts at 9pm tonight when the comet is 4 degrees from Neptune.
The zenith is up on this map.

"154P/Brewington makes its third return since its discovery by Howard J Brewington of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, as a small diffuse 10m object on 1992 August 28.41 using a 0.40-m reflector x55. This was his fourth discovery and his second periodic one. The comet is in a Jupiter crossing orbit, but has not approached the planet for several revolutions. At a really favourable return it could reach 7m, but at this return it will only reach 10th magnitude, although it is conveniently placed. Observers located in the UK should pick it up as a 12m object in the August morning sky, although Southern Hemisphere observers may find it a couple of months earlier. By October it could be 10m and has moved to the evening sky. It is at its brightest around the time of the new moon in early November, when it is on the border of Aquarius and Pegasus. By the end of the year it has faded to 11th magnitude, but remains well placed in the evening sky." http://freedomslips.com/2013comets.htm

[Shark Bait (Stu)]

Thanks for the chart Glen. Time to hunt down another comet.

What planetarium software did you use to plot the path of the comet?

[glenc (Glen)]

Originally Posted by Shark Bait

Thanks for the chart Glen. Time to hunt down another comet.

What planetarium software did you use to plot the path of the comet?

Guide 9
http://www.projectpluto.com/

Comet Brewington has an orbital period of 10.6594 years.
It might be mag 9 in late Nov, but could be only mag 11.
http://in-the-sky.org/cometephem.php
http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0154P/2013.html

[Rob_K]

154P is pretty dim at the moment, a vis obs from Outbackmanyep last night at m1 = 12.7. Given that the obs encompassed a fairly extended object it is a very hard get. CCD obs are getting around 13s-14s. I imaged it (roughly! ) last night, no great shakes but it shows an extended greenish coma. Star trailing is due to movement of the comet over the exposure time - this was stacked on the comet head. C/2012 V2 (LINEAR) in morning skies is easily the brightest comet about at the moment (~mag 9). However moonlight is interfering. Err, and cloud if you live in my neck of the woods!

Cheers -

[glenc (Glen)]

Thanks Rob, it looks faint.

[Lee]

I've imaged Brewington and Iwamoto this week - details from comet chasing - Iwamoto certainly seemed brighter to me on equivalent CCD subframes - could be worth a look. Transiting around midnight, Dec about 1 degree....

[Imagerman]

It dim alright