Noone

Changes in the coma of the Comet 12P

Comparing the shots I have taken of it over the past two days, one can see how much its appearance has changed in just 24 hours.

Yesterday – 4 april –, its coma appeared lacklustre, evanescent and parabolic in shape. Unlike the day before yesterday, when it was almost perfectly spherical, dense and with well-defined contours. Details recognisable both in photos and visually.

But that's not all.

By superimposing the two shots on the same map and matching the small stars visible next to the comet on the respective days, one can clearly see how much the coma has also changed in size.

In short, it appears that on the evening of 3 April, the comet had just returned from an outburst that made it brighter, and that in 24 hours, that "new" and dense disc that enveloped it had thinned out and enlarged, doubling the size of the coma and giving it a more transparent appearance.

This is my interpretation. I will be glad to hear the opinion of those more experienced than me.

Initially I was convinced that the beautiful vision I was admiring through the eyepiece was all the result of the large diameter of my telescope; but then when I saw it again yesterday, weak and evanescent like all other comets, I realised that something had changed in 24 hours.

In the meantime, I will continue to follow it. Who knows, maybe it won't give us any more shows.