As Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) Makes Its Flacid Swansong, I Bring You Comet C/2017 K2.
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As I say in my ‘Comets’ book it is a very atypical comet.
Read the little blurb on it.
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More on this comet in the coming days.
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Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN): Very Low & Barely Naked-Eye In The Night Sky, In The U.S.
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So, this is where it was at 11pm tonight, i.e., Friday, May 29, 2020.
It brightness, in ‘absolute magnitude’, is DOWN to +6. That is NOT good. That is borderline naked-eye visible.
So, I am NOT expecting C/2020 F8 (SWAN), alas, to be a BIG hit. I, after the collapse of ‘ATLAS‘, was ultra-cautious. I did not want to build-up, false expectations.
But, I will keep you posted.
You might want to check out my new ‘Comets’ book — published yesterday!
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Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) Still Elusive In The North, Though It Put On Quite The Show ‘Down Below’.
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It is BARELY naked-eye visible in the North — and it is very low, in the very early mornings — in the NW sky.
Very low & borderline naked-eye.
It could — it should get — brighter. Perihelion is on May 27, 2010. 10-days away.
On May 13 it was at its closest to Earth.
Fingers crossed. It is up there. Just not that visible.
This has been the story, when it comes to comets, in the Northern Hemisphere.
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New Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) Looks VERY Promising, BUT Will Not Be Seen In The North Till Next Week.
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Comet SWAN, i.e., C/2020 F8 (SWAN), has become naked-eye visible in the Southern Hemisphere. It is approaching us from below the equator. Hence, why it is currently only visible in the South.
This will change as of May 11, 2020. It will cross the ‘equator’ — so to speak. The ‘Ecliptic‘ if you want to get technical. It will still take a few days after that to get above the horizon and trees.
I will keep you posted.
Keep your fingers crossed that this one, unlike C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), will NOT fragment and fizzle away.
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Hubble Imaging Shows Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), Alas, Continuing To Fragment.
Efrain Morales Rivera’s imaging as of April 22, 2020.
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C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), as I told you last week, has started to fragment.
Some very clear & graphic imaging on C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) from Hubble.
You can clearly see that it continues to break-up. It will NOT be naked-eye visible. SORRY.
Hopefully C/2020 F8 (SWAN) will step in. I am keeping an eye — quite literally.
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The ‘Eccentricity’ Of New Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) Is Very High, But This Could Change With More Observations.
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It has NOT been deemed Interstellar — i.e., originating from outside our Solar System.
But, the eccentricity — pretty damn close to ‘1.0’ — and the CRAZY 10 MILLION YEAR orbital period suggest that this is a strange comet — for NOW.
But, we only have 90 observations of it yet. Basically, early days.
With more observations the orbital path will get REFINED and will most likely change.
Just wanted to make sure you got that.
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New, Promising Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) VS. C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) That Has Fizzled.
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C/2020 F8 (SWAN) definitely has promise & potential. But, you saw what happened to C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS). So, let’s give this one another couple of weeks before we get too excited. Yes, I will, of course, monitor progress and keep you posted. Promise. We will definitely know by end of April.
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Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) Steps In As Naked-Eye Candidate C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) Fizzles.
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A brand new comet, discovered in March 2020 — hence the ‘2020 F’ (6th half-month of 2020).
SWAN denotes that it was found by the Solar Wind ANisotropies (SWAN) instrument of the SOHO spacecraft studying the Sun.
Its perihelion date is May 27, 2020.
It could become naked-eye visible in a few weeks. I will keep YOU posted. Promise.
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