David's Astronomy Pages (Solar System)
Comets - 2008

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Comet Images (2008) This page summarises observations and images of comets in 2008
Bullet 8P/Tuttle (Dec 2007-Jan 2008)
Bullet 17P/Holmes  (Oct 2007 - Feb 2008)
Bullet 46P/Wirtanen (Feb-Mar)
Bullet C/2008 C1 (Chen-Gao) (Mar)
Bullet C/2005 L3 (McNaught) (May)
Bullet C/2008 J1 (Boattini) (May)
Bullet C/2007 W1 (Boattini) (Sep)
Bullet 85P/Boethin ("Nasa's missing comet") - (Nov/Dec)
Bullet 144P/Kushida (Nov/Dec)

 

Comet 8P/Tuttle

Comet 8P/Tuttle  - 2008-01-07
passing through starfield in Andromeda
Image
CCD Image 
3 x 30s exposure , 2x2 binning, C Filter
Aligned on comet
2008-01-07 19:56h UT (#251042-50)

   

Comet 8P/Tuttle - colour image
Image
Approximate Colour CCD Image  (CBVR)
Luminance : av 3x 30s (C),
Red : av 3 x 30s (R), Green : av 3 x 30s (V), Blue : av 3 x 60s (B)
2008-01-07 19:56h UT (#251042-53)

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Comet 17P/Holmes 

Comet 17P/Holmes, 2008-01-11
passing through starfield in Perseus
Central Coma much faded compared to Oct-Nov 2007
Image 
CCD Image (50% size)
5  x 60s exposure (av. combine), 1x1 binning, C Filter
2008-01-11 00:58h UT (#252361-65)

     

Comet 17P/Holmes,  2008-01-25
 passing through starfield in Perseus
Central Coma much faded compared to Oct-Nov 2007
Image 
CCD Image 
3  x 120s exposure (av. combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-01-25 18:55h UT (#258042-44)

     

Comet 17P/Holmes,  2008-02-05
  passing through starfield in Perseus
Central Coma much faded compared to Oct-Nov 2007
 Image
CCD Image 
3  x 90s exposure (av. combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-02-05 00:58h UT (#260074-76)

     

Earlier Image of Comet 17P/Holmes (Nov 2007)
Central Coma much brighter back in Nov 2007
Image
CCD Image (50% size), Linear Scale
7 x 60s exposure (av. combine), 1x1 binning, C Filter, 
2007-11-28 20:57h UT (#237051-57)
 

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Comet 46P/Wirtanen

Comet 46P/Wirtanen,  2008-02-24
( passing through starfield in Aries)
Image 
Annotated CCD Image 
120s exposure , 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-02-24 22:16h UT (#268164)
 
Comet 46P/ Wirtanen  - detail
Image 
Annotated CCD Image 
5 x 120s exposure (av. combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-02-24 22:18h UT (#268163-67)
 

Comet 46P/Wirtanen  
(passing through starfield in Aries)
Image 
CCD Image 
2  x 120s exposure (av. combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-02-27 19:42h UT (#270035-36
 

Comet 46P/Wirtanen, 2008-03-08
(passing through starfield in Taurus)
Image 
CCD Image
5  x 60s exposure (av. combine, aligned on comet) 
2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-03-08 19:54h UT (#274019-23)
 

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C/2008 C1 (Chen-Gao)

Comet C/2008 C1 (Chen-Gao)
passing through starfield in Auriga
Image
CCD Image
5 x 60s exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter 
2008-03-30 21:21hUT (#278067-71)
 
Comet C/2008 C1 (Chen-Gao) - detail

Image 

CCD Image 
5 x 60s exposure (average combine, aligned on comet),
Image details as above
  

Pair of images illustrating motion of C/2008 A1 (Chen-Gao)
over a period of one hour.

 Image
CCD Images
5 x 180s exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
Top: 2008-03-30 21:21hUT (#278067-71)
Bottom: 2008-03-30 21:23hUT (#278113-17)

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C/2005 L3 (McNaught) - (May)

C/2005 L3 (McNaught) - 2008-05-08
(passing through star field in Hercules)
Image
Annotated CCD Image
180s exposure, 2x2 binning, C Filter 
2008-05-08 23:14 hUT (#287052)

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C/2008 J1 (Boattini) - (May)

C/2008 J1 (Boattini) - 2008-05-18
passing through starfield in Vulpecula
Image
Annotated CCD Image
3 x 120s (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-05-18 00:47hUT (#288113-15)

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C/2007 W1 (Boattini) - (Aug)

C/2007  W1 (Boattini) - 2008-08-26
passing through starfield in Aries
Image
Annotated CCD Image 
3 x 120 sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-08-26 01:47 UT (#297250-52)

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85P/Boethin ("Nasa's missing comet") - (Nov/Dec)

Attempted observation of 85P/Boethin  - 2008-11-27 

Comet 85P/Boethin, with an expected magnitude of +8, should have been an 
easy target in this starfield in Capricornus, however there was no sign of any 
comet-like object at or near to the expected position.

Investigating further it was interesting to find out that 85P/Boethin was due to have been a target 
of NASA's EPOXI comet-exploration mission (previously Deep Impact Mission) in December 2008; 
however, the comet was not recovered in time to set up the trajectory for the flyby with 
sufficient accuracy. It is thought that the comet may have broken into pieces too 
small for visual detection. NASA and the Case of the Missing Comet

[ 85P/Boethin is a periodic comet with period of 11.8 years, the 
last time the comet was visible from earth was 1986. In 1997 the comet lay 
too close to the direction of the sun was not seen ] 

The Deep Impact spacecraft will now be rerouted to spacecraft was re-routed to Comet 103P/Hartley 2. 
The Hartley 2 fly-by is scheduled to happen on 2010 November 4.

Image
CCD Image 
3 x 180s sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2006-11-27 18-32 h UT (#326038-40

Expected position of 85P/Boethin 
(marked by white circle)

Image
Annotated CCD Image 
Image details as abobe

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Comet 144P/Kushida -  (Nov/Dec)

144P/Kushida - 2008-11-25
(passing through starfield in Aries)

Image
Annotated CCD Image 
3 x 180s sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2006-11-25 23:42 h UT (#325267-69)
 

144P/Kushida - detail 

Image
CCD Image (150% size,cropped)
3 x 180s sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2006-11-25 23:42 h UT (#325267-69)
 

144P/Kushida - 2008-11-27

Image
Annotated CCD Image 
3 x 120s sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-11-27 23:42 h UT (#326084-86)
 

144P/Kushida - 2008-12-01

Image
Annotated CCD Image 
3 x 120s sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2008-12-01 20:53 h UT (#329002-04)
 

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This Web Page: Comet Images - 2008
Last Updated : 2015-05-15
Site Owner : David Richards
Home Page : David's Astronomy Web Site