I wonder if C/2002 V1 (NEAT) will survive this relatively close pass of
ol' Sol intact, or if some breakup will occur. Just eight days ago, Jim
Bartolini and I were viewing this comet from Fremont Peak. Thanks to
SOHO, we all get another look.
...Bob...
Bob Czerwinski
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Courtesy of _Sky_&_Telescope_ ...
COMET NEAT'S RENDEZVOUS WITH THE SUN
Like Comet Kudo-Fujikawa two weeks ago, the much brighter Comet NEAT
(C/2002 V1) has now entered the field of view of SOHO's LASCO C3
coronagraph. It first appeared this afternoon (February 16th) near the
top of the frame. Images are being returned every hour or so by the SOHO
spacecraft, and they can be viewed at:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html
Although this comet may be as bright as magnitude -2 during the next few
days, it is too close to the Sun to be observed safely by ordinary
techniques. The Minor Planet Center's latest orbital elements indicate
that Comet NEAT will reach perihelion at about 7 hours Universal Time on
February 18th. It will then be just 0.099 astronomical unit from the Sun
(one-fourth the mean orbital distance of Mercury).
The comet will depart the LASCO C3 field of view on February 19th.
Roger W. Sinnott
Senior Editor
Sky & Telescope