Kometen-Update die Zweite

Geschrieben von Mr. Burns am 24. April 2001 10:43:17:

UPDATE (4//23/01): The latest news on Comet Linear 2001 A2 from
Charles Morris courtesy of NearEart.Net

C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) Brightens Unexpectedly - Further Notes

As noted below, C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) has brightened
significantly. It is now clearthat this is not an
outburst in the classic sense. If it was, the comet
would have faded by now. It also seems unlikely that
the nucleus has broken up. There has been no
specific evidence to support that conclusion. Rather,
as notedbelow as one of the possible explanations,
I now believe that a major vent,notpreviously exposed
to sunlight, has opened up (or moved into the sunlight
via precession of the rotation of the nucleus). If
this is true, this comet may well reach naked-eye
brightness. The comet is currently (by my estimate)
magnitude 6.7. If it now followed a standard formula,
it would reach about magnitude 4.0-4.5 in June. If it
happens, it will be a nice treat. Although don't expect
a long bright tail. This comet appears to be
dust-poor so the tail is likely to be faint...

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