21P/Giacobini-Zinner

[Christopher K.]

This comet will probably reach peak brightness within the next six days if it hasn't already. The magnitude graph at Yoshida's Aerith implies the best is yet to come.

It is currently about magnitude 7.2. Below are the times during which it will be at least fifteen degrees up in the Baton Rouge night...
9 September = 1:00am to 5:24am
10 September = 1:05am to 5:24am
11 September = 1:11am to 5:25am
12 September = 1:16am to 5:26am
13 September = 1:20am to 5:26am
14 September = 1:25am to 5:27am

About Giacobini-Zinner:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/small-bodi ... /in-depth/
http://www.cometography.com/pcomets/021p.html
http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0021P/2018.html

[Christopher K.]

According to Tony Phillip's Spaceweather, 21P came the closest to Earth in seventy-two years. On Saturday the 15th (probably early in the morning) the comet will be extremely close to M35, an open cluster in Gemini.

More information:
https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2018/09 ... -to-earth/

[Christopher K.]

Sadly, The Starry Night leaves something to be desired when it comes to comet tracking. Its declared comet paths always seem to disagree with others. Here is the chart from the S&T people...
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-cont ... 018_ST.jpg

[mhess]

I haven't used Starry Night for comet tracking but I have heard several others complain it isn't accurate.

[steveareno225]

Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner on 2018-09-14 from Mayhill, New Mexico
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner on 2018-09-14 from Mayhill, New Mexico [New Mexico Skies](MPC Code H06) 60-30 second luminance BIN2 images taken with iTelescope.net's (T11)

Credits

The targeting information was obtained from the
The Minor Planet Center (MPC)

http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/

The images where taken with iTelescope.net's
(TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 reflector + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer)Mayhill, New Mexico [New Mexico Skies](MPC Code H06)

http://iTelescope.Net/

The observations were made in support of the PACA_21/GZ campaign

https://www.facebook.com/ThePACAProject/

Image blinking and 1st stacked image was done with CCDStack2

http://www.ccdware.com/

Data reduction, the stacked images, and the object verification windows was done with Astrometrica

http://www.astrometrica.at/

The data was examine with the help of
Find_Orb Orbit determination software - Project Pluto

http://www.projectpluto.com/find_orb.htm

Music: Good Starts by Jingle Punks from YouTube Audio Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NstTz8iyl-c

(c) Steven M. Tilley

http://lagniappeobserving.com