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Photographer:

Mike Olason

Location of Photo:

Denver, Colorado

Date/Time of photo:

11 August 2018, 0913UT

Equipment:

11" SCT f/6.4 and STF-8300M CCD Camera

Description:

Comet 46P/Wirtanen is finally showing some nice comet activity with a short tail to the west (above) the coma in this image. 46P is magnitude 16.7 and 98 million miles from Earth in this image and is now following Seiichi Yoshidas magnitude curve which could make 46P a faint naked eye comet in December. Comet 46P/Wirtanen is predicted to reach about magnitude 3.5 when it will only be 7 million miles from Earth on December 16 this year and the comet will be 50 degrees above the western horizon when the Moon sets at 8UT/1AM in Denver and over 6 hours will move 1 degree across Earth's night sky on that night. 46P should be brighter than magnitude 6 and visible in the night sky from mid November until mid January.

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