Comet Images by Faulkes Telescope South

Below you can see the comets we imaged on 2013, September 24.6 through the 2.0-m f/10.0 Ritchey-Chretien + CCD of Faulkes Telescope South (MPC code E10 - operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network). Click on the images for a bigger version (details are in the caption of each photo).

Comet P/2013 J2 (McNaught) - September 24, 2013

Comet 154P/Brewington - September 24, 2013

C/2009 F4 (McNaught) - September 24, 2013

C/2013 E2 (Iwamoto) - September 24, 2013

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes

New Comet: C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO)

Cbet nr. 3439, issued on 2013, March 14, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~14) by Masayuki Iwamoto (Awa, Tokushima-ken, Japan) on three 60-s CCD frames taken on March 10.8 & 11.8 with a Pentax 100-mm f/4 lens and a Canon EOS 5D  digital camera. The new comet has been designated C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO).

We performed follow-up measurements of this object remotely, from the iTelescope network (Siding Spring - MPC code Q62) on 2013, March. 14.8, through a 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer.

Below you can see our image, stack of 5x20-second exposures obtained at the twilight (few minutes before the sunrise) with the Sun only 10 degree below the horizon and the comet +27 degree above the horizon (click on the image for a bigger version).

Below you can see a short animation (composed of 5x20-seconds exposures and spanning 5 minutes) showing the movement of the comet. Click on it for a bigger version.

M.P.E.C. 2013-E67 assigns the following preliminary parabolic orbital elements to comet C/2013 E2: T 2013 Mar. 5.5; e= 1.0; Peri. = 92.93; q = 1.39;  Incl.= 21.90.

UPDATE - March 15, 2013

Our new image of comet C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO) obtained remotely from iTelescope Observatory in New Mexico (MPC code H06) on March 15.5. Click on the image below for a bigger version.

by Ernesto Guido & Nick Howes