Comet 21P passes through Cassiopeia

Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner has been well placed throughout June and July for northern hemisphere observers as the icy ball of dust passed through the high altitude, summer constellations of Cygnus and Cepheus. Now the comet (which has now reached magnitude 9) heads in to Cassiopeia through the first half of August followed by Camelopardalis. Between the 16-19 August, the comet will pass approximately 2° from the Heart and Soul nebula’s (IC1805 and IC1848) which would make for a decent widefield photographic opportunity.

The Northbolt Branch Observatories released this time-lapse video of 21P on August 05, 2018. With 37 days to go until perihelion on 10/11 September, the comet is expected to reach magnitude 7. Although this is just outside the realms of naked eye visibility for most, it will make for a good binocular or telescope observing.

Courtesy of Northbolt Branch Observatories

Finder Charts

01-22 August 2018    Click images to enlarge

 

Comet 21P Live Position Data

The post Comet 21P passes through Cassiopeia appeared first on Comet Watch.