{"id":54233,"date":"2024-02-01T08:33:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T08:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/146a205c-edf2-4690-bdb1-4dc6347ed676"},"modified":"2024-02-01T09:32:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T09:32:33","slug":"see-comet-62p-tsuchinshan-in-the-sky-this-month","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/see-comet-62p-tsuchinshan-in-the-sky-this-month\/","title":{"rendered":"See Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan in the sky this month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan is visible in the night sky through binoculars in February. <\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 01 February 2024 at 08:33 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The best time to see Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan will be 1\u201317 February, near or after midnight. The comet is located in the northern portion of the Bowl of Virgo.<\/p>

Predicted to shine with an integrated magnitude of 7.8 at the start of February, 62P\/Tsuchinshan is expected to fade throughout the month to mag. 9.3.<\/p>

Consequently, like 144P\/Kushida<\/a>, it\u2019s also perfectly positioned in terms of brightness for small telescope observation.<\/p>

At the start of the month, binoculars should also pick it up fairly easily.<\/p>

Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan is one of 5 bright comets to look out for in 2024<\/a>. Find out what comets and asteroids are in the sky tonight<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>

Chart showing the location of Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan in February 2024. Click on the chart to zoom in. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Photographing Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan<\/strong><\/h2>
62P\/Tsuchinshan is good news if you like to photograph comets, because it doesn\u2019t move much throughout the month.<\/p>
It starts its monthly track near mag. 6.3 20 Virginis, heading east to almost reach mag. 4.9 Rho (\u03c1) Virginis, before turning back to head towards 20 Virginis once again.<\/p>
When you consider that the separation between 20 and Rho Virginis is only 2\u00b0, it\u2019s obvious that the daily movement of the comet is fairly slow.<\/p>
$\"Image$
Image of Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan captured by the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), 14 January 2018. Credit: NEOWISE\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><\/figure>
As a result, you should be able to get away with a tracked image lasting several minutes without any motion blurring.<\/p>
This is also galaxy territory and there are a number of galaxies near the comet\u2019s track.<\/p>
Of particular interest is the barred lenticular galaxy NGC 4596 that shines with an integrated magnitude of 12.4. The comet appears to cross this galaxy on the morning of 20 February.<\/p>
Find out more in our guide on how to photograph a comet<\/a>.<\/p>
$\"A$
A bright full Moon can be a comet hunter’s worst enemy. Credit: Hillary Kladke \/ Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan and the Moon<\/strong><\/h2>
What of the Moon, a comet\u2019s natural enemy?<\/p>
Well, on the night of 1\/2 February the Moon rises around 00:40 UT, leaving time to catch sight of the comet before this happens.<\/p>
After this date, things improve further, the comet being best seen through to 17 February.<\/p>
After that, the Moon will begin to have an impact.<\/p>
Although visible on 20 February, the 83%-lit waxing gibbous Moon starts to get low as the comet crosses NGC 4596.<\/p>
***Have you managed to spot or even photograph Comet 62P\/Tsuchinshan? Let us know by emailing*** ***contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>***
***This article appeared in the February 2024 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n***
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