C/2018 W2 Africano

Here’s C/2018 W2 Africano imaged using SBIG STT-8300MM CCD with Johnson V filter, Meade LX850 16 inch SCT last September 11, 2019. Its apparent magnitude was measured at +11.6 at the date and time of capture.

C/2018 W2 (Africano) was first observed and discovered by B.M. Africano with the Mount Lemmon 1.5-metre reflector on November 27, 2018. It was also spotted by H. Groeller with the Catalina Sky Survey’s .68-metre Schmidt telescope on the same night. Both reported this small fuzzy point of light with a faint short tail with an approximate magnitude of +20. However, the discovery was credited to Africano because of his earlier reporting (just 21 minutes apart from Groeller’s). It made its close approach to Earth last September 27, 2019, when it was about 74 million kilometers distant, peaked at magnitude +8.5 which was bright enough to spot by observers with larger binoculars and small telescopes.

References

https://astronomynow.com/2019/09/23/watch-comet-africano-c-2018-w2-pass-closest-to-earth-in-late-september/

http://www.cometwatch.co.uk/comet-2018-w2-africano/

https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/comet-c-2018-w2-africano-in-its-maximum/

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