COMET LINEAR



Comet C/2001 A2 July 17, 2001 by Marco Verstraaten (AstroPage)


Background information, images and finder charts:

  • Comet Linear C/2001 A2
  • Comet LINEAR A2 Photo Gallery
  • Comet Observation Home Page
  • C/2001 A2 (LINEAR)
  • The Week of the Comet: June 23 through July 1
  • Comets Currently Visible: C/2001 A2 (LINEAR)
  • Comet Observation Home Page: Recent News and Observations
  • APOD: A Bright Comet LINEAR
  • Southernn Stars: Comet C/2001A2 (Linear) - Still Magnitude 4
  • Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2) in June
  • APOD: Another Comet LINEAR Breaks Up
  • Gary W. Kronk's Comets & Meteor Showers: C/2001 A2 (LINEAR)
  • Sky&Telescope, May 2001 Events: Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2)

    Dutch:

  • Marco Verstraaten: Komeet LINEAR 2001 A2
  • Nederlandse kometenvereniging
  • Zichtbaarheidsdiagrammen en kaarten


    What's Up in Space -- 30 Jul 2001

    FADING COMET

    Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2) continues to fade as it recedes from Earth. Glowing at visual magnitude 7 in the constellation Pegasus, the volatile comet is no longer a naked-eye object. It now appears as a faint, diffuse fuzzball through binoculars and small telescopes.


    What's Up in Space -- 23 Jul 2001

    FADING FUZZBALL

    Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2) is slowly fading as it recedes from Earth. Glowing at visual magnitude 6 to 7, the volatile comet is no longer a naked-eye object -- but it remains a treat for observers with binoculars or a modest telescope. Comet LINEAR has a history of crumbling then flaring as freshly exposed ice is vaporized by sunlight. What will the comet do in the days ahead? See for yourself. It's located in the constellation Pegasus, which is easy for northern sky watchers to find between local midnight and dawn.


    What's Up in Space -- 18 Jul 2001

    COMET LINEAR

    After flaring on Friday, July 13th, Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2) is fading again as it recedes from Earth. The volatile comet is barely a naked-eye object glowing at visual magnitude 5 to 6 -- but it remains a treat for observers with binoculars or a modest telescope. Comet LINEAR has a history of crumbling then flaring as freshly exposed ice is vaporized by sunlight. What will the comet do in the days ahead? See for yourself. It's located in the constellation Pegasus, which is easy for northern sky watchers to find between local midnight and dawn.


    Space Weather News for July, Friday the 13th

    Comet LINEAR Flares Again

    Just yesterday Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2) was fading from view as it receded from Earth. But now the volatile comet is again a naked-eye object. It's glowing at about 4th magnitude in the pre-dawn sky with a pair of tails you see through binoculars or a modest telescope. Comet LINEAR has a history of crumbling then flaring as freshly exposed ice is vaporized by sunlight. What will the comet do in the days ahead? See for yourself!

    Visit SpaceWeather.com for finder charts and more information.


    ===========================================================
    SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN - JULY 6, 2001
    ===========================================================
    For images and Web links for these items, visit www.skypub.com
    ===========================================================
    

    COMET LINEAR HANGS IN THERE

    After hiding out in the far-southern sky while at its brightest, Comet LINEAR (2001 A2) is now visible before dawn to skywatchers everywhere. According to many observers, LINEAR remains dimly visible to the naked eye as a tailless fuzzball, somewhere between magnitude 4.5 and 5.5. Binoculars will help in locating the comet. The comet continues to climb higher in the early morning sky in the Northern Hemisphere, crossing Pisces and entering Pegasus. By July 11th it is well up in the east as early as midnight or 1 a.m. local daylight saving time and very high before dawn. It's sinking lower for Southern Hemisphere observers, but LINEAR is still well up, passing due north a few hours before dawn. Here are coordinates for Comet LINEAR for 0 hours Universal Time (in 2000.0 coordinates) for the coming week:

             R.A.     Dec.
    
    July 7   23h 34m  +5.3 deg.
         9   23 13     8.2
        11   22 54    10.8
        13   22 37    13.0
    


    Today on SPACE.com -- Monday, July 2, 2001

    Naked-Eye Comet Makes Northern Hemisphere Debut

    2001's most visible comet yet, C/2001 A2 (LINEAR), has begun appearing in the binoculars and small telescopes of amateur observers in the northern parts of the world. Until recently it was only visible to observers in southern hemisphere countries.

    Full story.


    ===========================================================
    SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN - JUNE 29, 2001
    ===========================================================
    For images and Web links for these items, visit www.skypub.com
    ===========================================================
    

    COMET LINEAR NOW VISIBLE WORLDWIDE

    After hiding out in the far-southern sky while at its brightest, Comet LINEAR (2001 A2) is now visible before dawn to skywatchers everywhere. According to many observers, LINEAR has been as bright as about magnitude 4.2 in the last few days -- and dimly visible to the naked eye as a tailless fuzzball.

    On Saturday morning, June 30th, Northern Hemisphere observers will find the comet moderately well up in the southeastern sky before the first light of dawn, in the constellation Cetus. Binoculars will help in locating the comet, especially through light pollution. Here are coordinates for Comet LINEAR for 0 hours Universal Time (in 2000.0 coordinates) for the coming week:

             R.A.      Dec.
    
    
    June 30   0h 52m   -6.7 deg.
    July  2   0 29     -3.1
          4   0 06     +0.4
          6  23 44     +3.7
    

    In the next 10 days the comet climbs much higher in the early morning sky, crossing Pisces and entering Pegasus. By July 11th it is well up in the east as early as midnight or 1 a.m. local daylight saving time and very high before dawn -- though by this time it may have faded to roughly magnitude 5.0. It remains in Pegasus for most of the rest of July as it fades into the distance, possibly losing 1 magnitude every 10 days.


    Space Weather News for June 28, 2001

    NAKED-EYE COMET

    Comet C/2001 A2 (better known as "Comet LINEAR") makes its closest approach to Earth on Saturday, June 30th. Glowing at visual magnitude 4, Comet LINEAR is not spectacular like, e.g., Comet Hale-Bopp of 1997, but it will be easy to spot with the unaided eye. Astronomers have watched this comet intently in recent months as it repeatedly crumbled and brightened. The capricious snowball from the outer solar system could yet hold surprises for observers in the days and weeks ahead.


    Space Weather News for June 16, 2001

    BURSTING COMET

    The crumbling comet C/2001 A2 (LINEAR), better known as "Comet LINEAR," brightened suddenly this week to magnitude 3.3. Its fuzzy head is easily visible to the unaided eye from dark-sky sites in the southern hemisphere, and the comet's tail is a beautiful sight through binoculars, say observers. Later this month the brightening comet will also make an appearance in northern skies.



    Comet C/2001A2 starting June 15.78 UT, 2001, by T.Lovejoy.


    ===========================================================
    SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN - JUNE 15, 2001
    ===========================================================
    For images and Web links for these items, visit www.skypub.com
    ===========================================================
    

    COMET LINEAR BRIGHTENS EVEN MORE

    To the surprise and delight of astronomers, Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2) has once again surged in magnitude. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere have watched the comet gradually brighten to naked-eye visibility since the comet's initial outburst two months ago when its nucleus split. As of this week, comet watchers reporting to Charles Morris's Comet Observation Home Page note that LINEAR is now 3rd magnitude -- readily visible above the eastern horizon before dawn. The comet can't be seen from the Northern Hemisphere yet, but as it moves north, it should become visible from midnorthern latitudes by the end of June in the morning sky. This coming week, the comet moves from Fornax, to Eridanus, to Cetus. Here are coordinates in 2000.0 coordinates for Comet LINEAR for 0 hours Universal Time for the coming week:

    R.A. Dec.
    
    Jun 16 3h 21m -24.5 deg.
    Jun 18 3 03 -23.1
    Jun 20 2 44 -21.3
    Jun 22 2 23 -19.0
    

    SpaceWeather.com

    What's Up in Space -- 3 May 2001

    DOUBLE COMET

    A group of astronomers using the 1.5-meter Catalina telescope report that the nucleus of comet C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) has split into two pieces. Only a week ago it appeared whole. The comet's brightness has soared a hundred-fold since the end of March, probably because volatile ices in the fragmenting nucleus are being newly exposed to solar radiation. At present, the visual magnitude of the comet is near 6.3 -- just below naked eye visibility. No one knows how much the comet will brighten as it heads for a 0.78 AU close encounter with the Sun on May 24th. This week, southern sky watchers with modest telescopes or binoculars can spot the fuzzy, fragmenting snowball from the outer solar system near the feet of Orion after sunset.

    See:
    3D orbit
    ephemeris


    Nederlandse kometenvereniging

    02 mei 2001

    C/2001 A2 gesplitst

    De kern van komeet C/2001 A2 heeft zich gesplitst, wat de onverwachte helderheids toename kan verklaren. De komeet is nu niet goed meer te zien vanuit ons kikkerlandje, maar na juni verschijnt de komeet weer aan de hemel. Als de trend gevolgd blijft kan de komeet wel een helderheid van mag. 3 bereiken!


    Back to ASTRONET's home page
    Terug naar ASTRONET's home page