Comet Chasing in February
Comet chasing is the visual observation of telescopic comets. Jump to: Observing synopses Summary data Buy me a Coffee
This month is an odd one. As the month begins, the only bright comet has disintegrated, leaving a fading tail. At least an 8-inch telescope will be required to see other comets this month. See the Observing Synopses for which comets are visible from your latitude, the best dates and the time of night.
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passed perihelion on January 13, 2025, within 0.1 AU of the sun.It put on a fantastic show, primarily for southern hemisphere observers. As of January 19, reports indicated that 2024 G3 had disintegrated, and the tail became spectacular. Despite no longer having a visible coma, as of January 31, the tail of this comet could still be glimpsed faintly with the unaided eye and is stunning in photographs. It will surely fade, but it isn't clear how quickly it will do so.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was very impressive in October. Although fading, it remains a telescopic comet throughout the month.
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann has frequent outbursts, typically resulting in a brightening of 0.5 - 1.0 magnitudes, which occur roughly every 59 days, typically taking 5-10 days to subside. Up to three subsequent outbursts may occur 5-10 days afterward, each typically smaller than the last, although on some occasions they can be even brighter than the first. These outbursts make 29P one of the most interesting comets to follow, both visually and scientifically. 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann has a 14.8-year orbital period, and last passed perihelion in early March 2019. It varies in its distance from the Sun from 5.8 AU (at perihelion) to 6.3 AU (at aphelion), which is an unusually small variation for a comet, and remains quite far from the sun at all times. This means that it can be observed more or less continuously.
C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) is past perihelion, which occurred in mid September 2024.It reached maximum brightness of magnitude in early December.
C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) passed perihelion in mid November.
Comet 13P/Olbers passed perihelion in late June and is fading.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks passed perihelion on April 21 and has become a southern-hemisphere object. It is fading.This well-documented comet, perhaps observed as early as the year 245, experienced a large unexpected outburst in late July 2023, catapulting from a magnitude of 16.6 to 11.6 in a single day. Afterward it displayed an unusual coma shape, characterized by a distinctive 'notch' and a pair of 'horns' that persisted for weeks. The same pattern repeated in the following months, except in recent outbursts the 'horns' have become longer and curved. Here is a link to a video with an animation of the July outburst aftermath C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) passed perihelion in mid February 2024.
C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) is an interesting Oort cloud comet that was reported as a result of the Dark Energy Survey. Soon after it was made public, images showed a cometary coma. Discovery credit goes to Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein. This is a remarkable comet that was at 29 AU in 2014, with a perihelion of 10.9 AU in 2031. Its orbit extends out to 40,000 AU! It was unusually bright for its distance. HST observations that isolate the nucleus estimate the diameter to be between 120 and 140 km, making this possibly the largest comet nucleus yet measured. Because of its distant perihelion, this comet is not expected to become bright enough to be visually observed except in large instruments, and not until the end of the decade, but it is likely going to be the subject of intense scientific scrutiny.
Comets that have apparently di
sintegrated: C/2024 S1 (ATLAS), C/2022 S3 (PANSTARRS), C/2021 P4 (ATLAS), C/2020 Q1 (Borisov), C/2020 P1 (NEOWISE), and C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS). Beware that various other sources often fail to keep track of whether or not a comet still exists!Comet Visibility in the Eyepiece
When you read below that a particular aperture is required to see a comet you can have a reasonable degree of confidence that the comet can in fact be seen in the eyepiece.
This
page uses code developed for SkyTools to predict the visibility of a comet. Predicting how much
aperture is required to see a comet is a very complex task. The magnitude
alone is a very poor predictor. SkyTools considers the magnitude, coma
diameter, and degree of concentration of the comet, based on recent
observations.The predictions are made for a Country/Suburban site,
which is approximately
Bortle
5, unless
indicated otherwise. But always
remember, comets are like cats. They both have tails and do what they want, and
not always what we expect. This is one of the things that makes comet chasing
interesting!
Observing
Synopses for February
Explanation
of Comet Synopses and charts (read this if you have questions) C/2024 G3 (ATLAS): A
southern hemisphere evening comet visible in binoculars C/2023 A3
(Tsuchinshan-ATLAS): A northern hemisphere morning comet visible in an 8-inch
(20 cm) telescope at a dark site, or a 24-inch telescope under a country sky 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann:
A morning comet visible in a 10-inch (25 cm) telescope at a dark site 13P/Olbers: A morning
comet visible in a 14-inch (36 cm) telescope at a dark site C/2022 E2 (ATLAS): A
northern hemisphere evening comet visible in a 16-inch (41 cm) telescope at a
dark site Summary
Data for This Month's Telescopic Comets
This comet disintegrated on or about January 19th, but as of January 31, the bright tail persists. Magnitudes are measured for the coma of the comet, which has now disappeared, so it is no longer possible to make meaningful measurements or predictions for visibility in the standard way. This remnant tail should fade, but so far has been hanging in there.
Some observers report that the tail is still faintly visible to the unadied eye
as of January 30. It begins the month in Piscis Austrinus and will move into Phoenix by month's end. The best visibility is early in the month as seen from the southern hemisphere, and it will not be visible from the northern hemisphere again.
FINDER CHART
Latitude
Visibility February 1
Visibility February 8
Visibility February 15
Visibility February 22
Visibility March 1
Nights Visible
55o
N
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
40o
N
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Equator
Very low in the western sky
during evening twilight at ~18:50
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
1-
30o S
Low in the western sky during
evening twilight at ~19:50
Low in the western sky during
evening twilight at ~19:50
Low in the western sky during
evening twilight at ~19:40
Low in the western sky during
evening twilight at ~19:30
Not visible
1-
This comet begins the month in Aquila at magnitude 11.2. Look
for a 1.5' coma, diffuse condensation at center. It should fade slowly, moving
into Delphinus by month's end. FINDER
CHART
Latitude
Visibility February 1
Visibility February 8
Visibility February 15
Visibility February 22
Visibility March 1
Nights Visible
55o
N
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~06:10
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~05:50
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~05:40
Fairly high in the eastern sky
during morning twilight at ~05:20
Fairly high in the eastern sky
during morning twilight at ~05:00
1-
40o
N
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~05:50
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~05:40
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~05:40
Fairly high in the eastern sky
during morning twilight at ~05:20
Fairly high in the eastern sky
during morning twilight at ~05:10
1-
Equator
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Low in the eastern sky during
morning twilight at ~05:10
Fairly high in the eastern sky
during morning twilight at ~05:10
17-
30o S
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
This comet begins the month in Leo at magnitude 11.4. Look for a
4' , diffuse coma with definite brightening toward center. It should remain
constant. FINDER CHART
Latitude
Visibility February 1
Visibility February 8
Visibility February 15
Visibility February 22
Visibility March 1
Nights Visible
55o
N
High at ~01:10
Not visible
Not visible
High at ~23:40
High at ~23:10
1-8, 15-
40o
N
High at ~01:10
Not visible
Fairly high at ~21:00
High at ~23:40
High at ~23:10
1-8, 14-
Equator
High at ~01:10
High at ~03:10
Fairly high at ~20:50
High at ~23:40
High at ~23:10
1-10, 14-
30o S
High at ~01:10
High at ~01:50
Not visible
High at ~23:40
High at ~23:10
1-10, 15-
This comet begins the month in Sagittarius at magnitude 12.1.
Look for a 2.5' coma, diffuse condensation at center. It should fade slowly.
FINDER CHART
Latitude
Visibility February 1
Visibility February 8
Visibility February 15
Visibility February 22
Visibility March 1
Nights Visible
55o
N
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
40o
N
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
23-24
Equator
Not visible
Fairly high during morning
twilight at ~05:10
Not visible
Fairly high during morning
twilight at ~05:00
High during morning twilight at
~05:00
1-
30o S
Not visible
Fairly high in the eastern sky
during morning twilight at ~04:20
Not visible
Fairly high during morning
twilight at ~04:30
High during morning twilight at
~04:40
1-
This comet begins the month in Cassiopeia at magnitude 13.7.
Look for a 50" coma, center much brighter than edges, though still diffuse.
It should fade slowly, moving into Andromeda by month's end. FINDER
CHART
Latitude
Visibility February 1
Visibility February 8
Visibility February 15
Visibility February 22
Visibility March 1
Nights Visible
55o
N
High in moonlight at ~18:40
High during evening twilight at
~18:50
High during evening twilight at
~19:10
High during evening twilight at
~19:20
High during evening twilight at
~19:30
1-
40o
N
High during evening twilight at
~18:50
High during evening twilight at
~19:00
High during evening twilight at
~19:00
High during evening twilight at
~19:10
High during evening twilight at
~19:20
1-
Equator
Fairly high in the northern sky
during evening twilight at ~19:20
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
1-7, 13-15
30o S
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Not visible
Comets
brighter than 16th magnitude. This table is
updated as necessary. The last column indicates the date of the last
observation used to compute these values. The constellation listed is
where the comet was on the first of the month.
Comet | Constellation |
February 1st |
February 15th |
February 28th |
Observations as of (UT) | |||
Mag | Diam | Mag | Diam | Mag | Diam | |||
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) | Piscis Austrinus | 6? | -- | 8? | -- | ? | ? | 2025 January 30 |
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) | Aquila | 11.2 | 1.4' | 11.5 | 1.4' | 11.7 | 1.3' | 2024 December 30 |
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann | Leo | 11.4 | 4.1' | 11.4 | 4.2' | 11.4 | 4.1' | 2024 December 31 |
13P/Olbers | Sagittarius | 12.1? | 2.4'? | 12.2? | 2.5'? | 12.4? | 2.5'? | 2024 October 20 |
C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | Cassiopeia | 13.7 | 52" | 13.8 | 48" | 14.0 | 46" | 2025 January 19 |
C/2021 G2 (Atlas) | Libra | 14.3? | 53"? | 14.2? | 55"? | 14.1? | 57"? | 2024 August 29 |
C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | Aquarius | 14.3 | 28" | 14.4 | 28" | 14.5 | 27" | 2024 September 5 |
12P/Pons-Brooks | Ara | 14.6 | 1.5' | 14.8 | 1.5' | 14.9 | 1.5' | 2025 January 10 |
C/2024 B1 (Lemmon) | Hercules | 15.0 | 2.2' | 15.3 | 2.2' | 15.5 | 2.2' | 2024 December 26 |
C/2024 J2 (Wierzchos) | Vulpecula | 15.2 | 39" | 15.1 | 38" | 15.1 | 37" | 2024 December 28 |
C/2022 QE78 (ATLAS) | Orion | 15.2 | 34" | 15.3 | 33" | 15.3 | 32" | 2025 January 29 |
333P/LINEAR | Pegasus | 15.3 | 38" | 16.0 | 32" | 16.5 | 29" | 2025 January 18 |
C/2022 N2 (PANSTARRS) | Pisces | 15.4 | 31" | 15.4 | 31" | 15.4 | 31" | 2025 January 18 |
P/2023 S1 | Cancer | 15.6 | 42" | 15.6 | 41" | 15.7 | 40" | 2025 January 29 |
37P/Forbes | Aquarius | 15.7 | 39" | 16.3 | 37" | 16.8 | 36" | 2024 December 17 |
C/2020 V2 (ZTF) | Pavo | 15.9 | 47" | 15.9 | 46" | 15.9 | 46" | 2024 December 18 |
C/2023 Q1 (PANSTARRS) | Camelopardalis | 15.9 | 35" | 16.1 | 33" | 16.2 | 32" | 2024 December 27 |
C/2023 H5 (Lemmon) | Canes Venatici | 16.0 | 29" | 16.0 | 29" | 15.9 | 29" | 2025 January 23 |
For information about specific comets see Gary W. Kronk's Cometography
Make your own visual observing custom charts for your location and telescope/binoculars: Software for visual comet observing
Select comets that are appropriate for your
imaging system, and plan when they are best imaged: Software
for comet imaging
Links
Skyhound's Guide
to Comets
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