C/2020 M3 ATLAS on 2020 August 28 at 18:20UT. Much brighter than ephemeris prediction. My visual estimate = 11.4, with a 5' coma using a 20cm reflector at 70x. The coma is a whopping 10' in this image. This is a Halley type comet with an orbital period of 138 years arriving at perihelion on 2020 October 25 at 1.26AU. It will be 0.35AU from Earth on 2020 November 15, possibly reaching magnitude 8. |
Page last updated: Sun 2 Apr 08:16:55 BST 2023