A dearth of bright comets

Fig. 1 Looking NNW at 20h 44m UT on March 29 2006. A 30 sec. exposure 75mm f/1.8 ISO 500. Comet C/2006 A1 is located between the two white lines just above the trees.
Fig. 2 The same region of sky on a larger scale (aprrox. 1.75 arc degrees top to bottom). A 30 sec. exposure 160mm f/1.8 ISO 500. The comet is in the middle of the field. Stars to magnitude 13 are visible.
Fig. 3 Location diagram showing the position of comet C/2006 A1 at March 29 2006 (20h 40m UT) and April 02 2006 (21h 18m UT).
Fig. 4  Comet C/2006 A1 imaged April 2 2006 21h 18m. A 30 sec. exposure 160mm f/1.8 ISO 500.

It is now a little over three years since a comet with a visible tail to the naked eye has been observable from Orkney.

On the February 14, 2003, Comet C/2002 V1 NEAT disappeared into the evening twilight just four days from perihelion.

And now almost a year has passed (see archives) since Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) passed out of range - falling into twilight in late April 2005. It was at its brightest about mid-February when it showed a short, faint tail on photographs (see archives).

The comet is currently at magnitude 16. and. a little above the celestial equator in the constellation Ophiuchus beyond the reach of modest equipment.

Comet C2006A1(Pojmanski) has been visible from the northern hemisphere since early March when it was around 7th magnitude.

Poor weather prevented any attempt to locate the comet until the evening and night of 29 March, by which time it had faded to magnitude 9.1 It is now circumpolar from the latitude of Orkney.

Fig. 1 indicates the position of the comet (between the two white lines) in the inconspicuous constellation Lacerta. Fig. 2, gives an image taken with a longer focus lens, the comet appearing very much like C/2004 Q2 at this time last year.

This comet is fading rapidly at the same time increasing in declination at the rate of around 0.8 arc degrees per twenty-four hours. Movement is well demonstrated by reference to Fig. 3.

The location from 29 March is shown by the twin white lines and that for April 02 by the white cross.

An image taken on the night of April 02 is shown in Fig. 4. The brightest star in the field (right) is alpha Lac., magnitude 3.8 at a distance 1º 22' from the comet (centre).

JV 03/04/06