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15P/Finlay

2014/15


In winter 2014/15 owners of larger instruments could try to observe comet 15P/Finlay (P=6.51a). Positioned in Capricornus in early December 2014 it will move along the ecliptic, reaching Aries in March 2015. Accordingly it will get ever higher for mid-European observers, alas fading from 12.5 mag to 14.5 mag during this period.

Around the turn of the years 2014/15 the comet surprised with two large outbursts, according to 19 observations by 6 members of the German Comet Section and 90 international reports. During the first outburst around Dec. 19, 2014 (8 days prior to perihelion) it reached a maximum brightness of 8.6 mag. During the second event even 7.0 mag were reached on Jan. 17, 2015 (21 days after perihelion). Thereafter the comet faded, reaching 13 mag in mid-March. Until mid-December 2014 and again from the beginning of February 2015 onwards it seems to have followed the brightness parameters m0=11.0 mag / n=3.

Total Brightness and Coma Diameter

Prior to the first outburst the coma measured 2' (125.000 km). It peaked short of 4' (250.000 km) during the first outburst and reached 4.5' (300.000 km) during the second event. Thereafter it shrunk, measuring only 1' (85.000 km) in mid-March. During the first outburst the degree of condensation reached DC 6 and during the second even DC 7. During the other times the coma was medium-condensed (DC 3). The tail could be glimpsed visually mainly during the second outburst (8' = 650.000 km), when it was pointing towards East.

Andreas Kammerer

FGK observations


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