Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak, well known for its brightness outbursts, experienced another one at the end of November 2000. On CCD-frames taken in mid-November it shows as an 15m faint object. The outburst was noted by Alan Hale on Nov. 27, when he estimated it at 10.2m. Observations in the following nights confirmed the outburst, the brightness was estimated at 10.5m on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 (IAUC 7536). In mid-December the comet was already 8.5m bright and showed a 3' coma as well as a 16' tail on CCD-exposures (IAUC 7543). The maximum of this outburst was reached on Dec. 20, when the brightness was estimated as 7.7m and the coma diameter as 4-5' (about 350.000 km). The coma was moderately condensed (DC 4-5) and showed a tail which was also noticeable visually. Following this date brightness as well as the coma diameter decreased rapidly, reaching 11.5m for the brightness and 1' for the coma diameter at the end of January. Visually a tail with a maximum length of 0.1° (600.000 km) could be detected. During the next weeks this comet is placed very badly in the morning sky for Europeans.
Total Brightness and Coma diameter
Andreas Kammerer
