Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 on Mar 31, 2006


Date & Time: (Component C) Mar 31 2006, from 21:58 to 22:29 JST(+0900), 10min.×4shots
(Component B) Mar 31 2006, from 23:15 to 23:47 JST(+0900), 10min.×4shots
Optical: TAKAHASHI 12.5cm(4.9") fluorite refractor (f=1000mm, F8.0)
Auto-guided with VIXEN ATLUX Equatorial & Meade Pictor 201XT
Digital Camera: Nikon D70 (Remodeled)
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...12bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(3008×2000)
CCD Sensitivity...ISO1250


Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 in that day has been positioned about 5.7 degrees east of Arcturus. The component C has a visual brightness of about 10th magnitude, visible only with portable binoculars. But it was bad transparency condition, I could not observe its dust tail clearly. The component B can be observed about 2.5 degrees WNW of compopnent C with its brightness of about 13th magnitude.
And this image shows you one more component of 15th magnitude G just northwest of component B for the first time.


Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 on Apr 21, 2006
Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 on Mar 3, 2006

Copyright(c) 2006 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
To top page To Comets&Meteors index