It's now time for the final swan song for comet Catalina as it heads into deep space and not to be seen for a very long time again, if ever. On January 17th, the comet made its closest approach to Earth and was easily visible with binoculars in the constellation of Ursa Major more commonly known as the Plough or Big Dipper. At magnitude +6.2, it appeared as a fuzzy smudge of light and was clearly non-stellar in nature.
Although now fading, Catalina will remain within the range of telescopes for a few more weeks to come. It may also be seen with binoculars although for a shorter time period. The advantage for most living in the Northern Hemisphere is that the comet is now circumpolar and therefore visible all night long. It can be seen towards the northern part of the sky during early evenings close to Ursa Major. On January 25th, Catalina passes close by elliptical galaxy NGC 4589. This galaxy shines at magnitude +10.7 and therefore requires a medium or large size scope to be seen. For comparison, the comet will be 40x brighter than the galaxy. During the last week of January the bright Moon will somewhat interfere with viewing. Catalina then heads southwards spending all of February moving through the faint constellation of Camelopardalis. It remains well placed in the evening sky from northern latitudes although from mid southern locations it can no longer be seen.
The finder charts below show the positions of Catalina from January 9th to February 12th, 2016.
(C/2013 US10) Catalina Data (at epoch November 15, 2014)
Name | C/2013 US10 (Catalina) |
---|---|
Type | Comet |
Discoverer | Catalina Sky Survey |
Discovery date | October 31, 2013 |
Perihelion (AU) | 0.82290 |
Eccentricity | 1.00040 |
Orbital period (years) | unknown |
Inclination (degrees) | 148.8733 |
Longitude of ascending node (degrees) | 186.1371 |
Perihelion | November 15th, 2015 |
(C/2013 US10) Catalina Data Table
01-Jan-2016 | 14h 13m 59s | 18d 21m 48s | 6.4 | 0.898 | Boötes |
02-Jan-2016 | 14h 13m 28s | 20d 04m 29s | 6.4 | 0.880 | Boötes |
03-Jan-2016 | 14h 12m 53s | 21d 51m 41s | 6.4 | 0.863 | Boötes |
04-Jan-2016 | 14h 12m 13s | 23d 43m 30s | 6.3 | 0.846 | Boötes |
05-Jan-2016 | 14h 11m 28s | 25d 40m 01s | 6.3 | 0.830 | Boötes |
06-Jan-2016 | 14h 10m 37s | 27d 41m 18s | 6.3 | 0.815 | Boötes |
07-Jan-2016 | 14h 09m 40s | 29d 47m 20s | 6.3 | 0.800 | Boötes |
08-Jan-2016 | 14h 08m 35s | 31d 58m 03s | 6.3 | 0.787 | Boötes |
09-Jan-2016 | 14h 07m 22s | 34d 13m 22s | 6.3 | 0.775 | Canes Venatici |
10-Jan-2016 | 14h 05m 59s | 36d 33m 03s | 6.3 | 0.764 | Canes Venatici |
11-Jan-2016 | 14h 04m 24s | 38d 56m 52s | 6.3 | 0.754 | Canes Venatici |
12-Jan-2016 | 14h 02m 36s | 41d 24m 25s | 6.3 | 0.746 | Canes Venatici |
13-Jan-2016 | 14h 00m 32s | 43d 55m 16s | 6.3 | 0.738 | Canes Venatici |
14-Jan-2016 | 13h 58m 11s | 46d 28m 54s | 6.3 | 0.733 | Canes Venatici |
15-Jan-2016 | 13h 55m 28s | 49d 04m 41s | 6.3 | 0.729 | Ursa Major |
16-Jan-2016 | 13h 52m 21s | 51d 41m 54s | 6.2 | 0.726 | Ursa Major |
17-Jan-2016 | 13h 48m 43s | 54d 19m 49s | 6.2 | 0.725 | Ursa Major |
18-Jan-2016 | 13h 44m 28s | 56d 57m 34s | 6.2 | 0.725 | Ursa Major |
19-Jan-2016 | 13h 39m 30s | 59d 34m 18s | 6.3 | 0.727 | Ursa Major |
20-Jan-2016 | 13h 33m 36s | 62d 09m 04s | 6.3 | 0.731 | Ursa Major |
21-Jan-2016 | 13h 26m 34s | 64d 40m 54s | 6.4 | 0.736 | Draco |
22-Jan-2016 | 13h 18m 05s | 67d 08m 46s | 6.4 | 0.743 | Draco |
23-Jan-2016 | 13h 07m 46s | 69d 31m 34s | 6.5 | 0.751 | Ursa Minor |
24-Jan-2016 | 12h 55m 03s | 71d 48m 02s | 6.5 | 0.761 | Draco |
25-Jan-2016 | 12h 39m 12s | 73d 56m 43s | 6.6 | 0.772 | Draco |
26-Jan-2016 | 12h 19m 14s | 75d 55m 44s | 6.7 | 0.785 | Draco |
27-Jan-2016 | 11h 53m 53s | 77d 42m 41s | 6.7 | 0.799 | Camelopardalis |
28-Jan-2016 | 11h 21m 47s | 79d 14m 21s | 6.7 | 0.814 | Draco |
29-Jan-2016 | 10h 41m 53s | 80d 26m 41s | 6.8 | 0.830 | Draco |
30-Jan-2016 | 09h 54m 33s | 81d 15m 18s | 6.8 | 0.848 | Draco |
31-Jan-2016 | 09h 02m 43s | 81d 37m 01s | 6.9 | 0.866 | Camelopardalis |
01-Feb-2016 | 08h 11m 30s | 81d 31m 57s | 6.9 | 0.886 | Camelopardalis |
02-Feb-2016 | 07h 25m 41s | 81d 04m 02s | 7.0 | 0.906 | Camelopardalis |
03-Feb-2016 | 06h 47m 34s | 80d 19m 17s | 7.1 | 0.928 | Camelopardalis |
04-Feb-2016 | 06h 17m 07s | 79d 23m 32s | 7.2 | 0.950 | Camelopardalis |
05-Feb-2016 | 05h 53m 09s | 78d 21m 19s | 7.2 | 0.973 | Camelopardalis |
06-Feb-2016 | 05h 34m 15s | 77d 15m 49s | 7.3 | 0.997 | Camelopardalis |
07-Feb-2016 | 05h 19m 16s | 76d 09m 07s | 7.4 | 1.021 | Camelopardalis |
08-Feb-2016 | 05h 07m 14s | 75d 02m 33s | 7.5 | 1.046 | Camelopardalis |
09-Feb-2016 | 04h 57m 29s | 73d 56m 58s | 7.6 | 1.072 | Camelopardalis |
10-Feb-2016 | 04h 49m 29s | 72d 52m 56s | 7.6 | 1.098 | Camelopardalis |
11-Feb-2016 | 04h 42m 52s | 71d 50m 46s | 7.7 | 1.124 | Camelopardalis |
12-Feb-2016 | 04h 37m 21s | 70d 50m 40s | 7.8 | 1.151 | Camelopardalis |
13-Feb-2016 | 04h 32m 43s | 69d 52m 43s | 7.9 | 1.179 | Camelopardalis |
14-Feb-2016 | 04h 28m 48s | 68d 56m 59s | 7.9 | 1.207 | Camelopardalis |
15-Feb-2016 | 04h 25m 28s | 68d 03m 25s | 8.0 | 1.235 | Camelopardalis |
16-Feb-2016 | 04h 22m 39s | 67d 12m 02s | 8.1 | 1.263 | Camelopardalis |
17-Feb-2016 | 04h 20m 14s | 66d 22m 45s | 8.1 | 1.292 | Camelopardalis |
18-Feb-2016 | 04h 18m 10s | 65d 35m 30s | 8.2 | 1.321 | Camelopardalis |
19-Feb-2016 | 04h 16m 25s | 64d 50m 14s | 8.3 | 1.350 | Camelopardalis |
20-Feb-2016 | 04h 14m 55s | 64d 06m 51s | 8.4 | 1.380 | Camelopardalis |
21-Feb-2016 | 04h 13m 38s | 63d 25m 17s | 8.4 | 1.409 | Camelopardalis |
22-Feb-2016 | 04h 12m 34s | 62d 45m 28s | 8.5 | 1.439 | Camelopardalis |
23-Feb-2016 | 04h 11m 39s | 62d 07m 18s | 8.6 | 1.469 | Camelopardalis |
24-Feb-2016 | 04h 10m 54s | 61d 30m 44s | 8.6 | 1.499 | Camelopardalis |
25-Feb-2016 | 04h 10m 17s | 60d 55m 40s | 8.7 | 1.530 | Camelopardalis |
26-Feb-2016 | 04h 09m 47s | 60d 22m 03s | 8.8 | 1.560 | Camelopardalis |
27-Feb-2016 | 04h 09m 24s | 59d 49m 48s | 8.8 | 1.591 | Camelopardalis |
28-Feb-2016 | 04h 09m 06s | 59d 18m 52s | 8.9 | 1.621 | Camelopardalis |
29-Feb-2016 | 04h 08m 54s | 58d 49m 10s | 9.0 | 1.652 | Camelopardalis |
See also
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) moves past Kemble's Cascade during the last week of February 2016. Visible with binoculars and small telescopes from northern and tropical latitudes.
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) remains visible with binoculars and small telescopes at it moves northwards. This month offers the last good chance to catch a glimpse before it fades significantly.
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) moves past Arcturus as it heads north during January. Remains visible with binoculars and small telescopes.
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) remains an early morning binocular and small telescope object
Catalina (C/2013 US10) an early morning binocular and small telescope comet
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) edges towards naked eye visibility
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) remains visible in the evening from Southern and Equatorial Latitudes during September 2015
Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) now visible with binoculars from Southern and Equatorial Latitudes