Comet C/2012 X1 (Linear) on October 24, 2013

c2012x2-131024-1100-17x60-800-85f5_6-cl2
C/2012 X1 (Linear) on Oct 24, 2013. 17×60 sec @ ISO 800, TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, modified Canon T3.

 My first image of the “exploding” Comet Linear.  Sometime before October 20th, 2013, it is believed that the comet went from below magnitude 14 to magnitude 8.5 in an “explosive” outburst.   This is reminiscent of Comet Holmes back in October of 2007.    In Comet Holmes case, the comet reached naked eye visibility soon after the outburst started.   C/2012 X1 is still a long way away from that level of brightness and is not expected to get anywhere close to naked eye visibility until, if the trend continues,  February of 2014.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

14 + 8 =