46P/Wirtanen

 
A periodic comet of period 5.4 years, it made an especially close approach to Earth on 2018 December 18 (11.66 million km) when it reached a magnitude around 3.5 to become naked eye visible. Its motion against the stars was apparent in just a few minutes! Early November its motion against the stars over an hour was negligible making deep imaging relatively easy.

 

2018 November 7: photographed under dark skies from Lady's Pass, near Heathcote, Victoria, against the stars of Fornax when it was about magnitude 7.2; Canon 5D II + 500mm lens, at f4, on a mount tracking the sky. Fifty four minutes of exposures stacked and combined. Field of view ~3.5°x2.5°.

2018 November 29: photographed under dark skies from Lady's Pass, near Heathcote, Victoria, against the stars of Cetus when it was about magnitude 5.8; equipment as above. Sixty minutes of exposures stacked and combined to optimise the comet and the background stars. Field of view ~3.5°x2.5°.. Note how the comet had brightened and grown in size, compared with earlier in the month, as it approached both the sun and the Earth.

2018 December 10; magnitude about 4.5 against the stars of Cetus and naked-eye visible, equipment as above. Sixty x 1 minute exposures stacked and combined to optimise the comet and the background stars. Field of view ~3.2°x2.3°.. The comet had brightened and grown in size as it approached both the sun and the Earth.

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