C/2013 US10 Catalina

Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina

Comet Catalina, 06 Dec 2015
Comet Catalina, 06 Dec 2015 taken by Brian D. Ottum in Rancho Hidalgo, New Mexico

Latest

The comet is currently in the constellation of Camelopardalis at a magnitude of 8.5 and slowly fading. The comet remains circumpolar making it visible all night after sunset in the Northern sky. The comet is now getting more diffuse making it difficult to observe in poor sky conditions.

History

Comet Catalina was discovered on 31 October 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey with their 0.68 meter Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. It’s thought to have an orbital period of several million years. The comet reached perihelion on 15 November 2015 at a distance of 0.82 AU. Through July and August the comet was circumpolar in the Southern hemisphere reaching around magnitude 7. Through September it reached magnitude 6.5, just shy of naked eye visibility.

Current Location

Constellation: Camelopardalis

Distance from Earth: 1.67 AU

Distance from Sun:  1.97 AU

Finder Charts

Comet Catalina Finder Chart Jan15th to 21st15th – 21st January

Comet Catalina - 30-Nov-201530th November 2015 @ 6am
 
 

Comet Catalina - 08-Dec-2015Comet Catalina, The Moon and Venus forms a triangle on the morning of 08th December 2015
 

Comet Catalina - 01-Jan-2016Comet Catalina and Arcturus are less than a degree apart on 01st January 2016!
 

Comet C/2013 Catalina Finder Chart

As you can see from these charts, the comet isn’t visible in the Northern hemisphere until the end of November. At this time the Comet will reside in the morning twilight glow before sunrise. It’s expected to stay between visual magnitude 4-5.