Comet C/2009 R1 (McNaught) - Animation & Images

Comet C/2009 R1 has been discovered in September 2009 by Robert H. McNaught in the course of Australia’s Siding Spring Survey.

For more information about the discovery of this comet, please see our previous post:
http://remanzacco.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-comet-discovery-c2009-r1-mcnaught.html

The comet is now around magnitude 7.5 and it will be a nice binocular object. Throughout this apparition it will be low in the east or northeast when dawn begins to brighten.

In our images, taken on May 26, is clearly visible a nice disconnection event (DE) in the plasma tail of the comet C/2009 R1. Occasionally due to comet-solar wind interaction, the entire plasma tail or part of it separates from the comet and drift away (antisunward), followed by simultaneous renewal of the plasma tail. This phenomena is called a disconnection event.




Here & here you can see bigger versions of this image:


Wide-field animation of comet C/2009 R1 (May 26, 2010), showing the DE event:

Wide-Field Image (May 26, 2010):

by Ernesto Guido & Giovanni Sostero

New Comet Discovery: C/2009 R1 (McNAUGHT)

IAU Circular nr.9071, issued on 2009, Sep. 10, announces the discovery of a new comet by R. H. McNaught, named C/2009 R1 (McNAUGHT). It was found on Sep. 09 in the course of the Siding Spring Survey with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope. Pre-discovery Uppsala Schmidt images taken by G. J. Garradd and McNaught on July 20, Aug. 1, and 18 have been identified by T. Spahr and B. G. Marsden in astrometry submitted to the Minor Planet Center.

After posting on the Minor Planet Center's 'NEOCP' webpage, other observers have noted the cometary appearance of this 17.5 magnitude object.

We have been able to confirm this object remotely, through the GRAS network, using a scope located in Mayhill (NM): on 2009, September 10.2, co-adding of 20 unfiltered exposures, 120 seconds each, obtained by means of a 0.25-m, f/3.4 reflector + CCD, show a coma of diameter about 12" with a hint of elongation toward p.a. 65 deg.

Our image is available here:

The preliminary orbit for comet C/2009 R1 (McNAUGHT) indicates perihelion on Jul. 02, 2010, at about 0.4 AU: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/mpec/K09/K09R33.html

This comet may reach magnitude 5 at the end of June 2010, but the elongation will be very small (only 18 degree on June 27, 2010) and so the observing conditions.

This is the comet discovery number 51 for Robert McNaught.

UPDATE MAY 30, 2010

Please see our last post about this comet:

http://remanzacco.blogspot.com/2010/05/comet-c2009-r1-mcnaught-animation.html

by Ernesto Guido & Giovanni Sostero