Comet 141P/ Machholz passes through Auriga
WHEN: 5-11 August
COMET 141P/MACHHOLZ begins August in Perseus but quickly hops across the border into Auriga, where it then spends a good deal of the month passing some beautiful background deep-sky objects. On 1 August it should be around 11th magnitude, which means it’ll be on the edge of visibility for a small telescope, but a fairly easy spot for larger scopes.
By midnight on the 5th the comet should have brightened very slightly and will be positioned to the north of the Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405. The red emission of the nebula should contrast nicely with the greenish coma of the comet.
On the nights of 6/7 and 7/8 August, 141P/Machholz will pass just to the south of the lovely mag. +6.4 open cluster M38. The comet’s travels take it less than 1º from the cluster. At midnight on the 7th the comet is located midway between M38 and a slightly brighter open cluster, mag. +6.0 M36. It should be around mag. +11.4 at this time. The following night on 8/9 August, it lies less than 1º northeast of M36. M37 is the brightest of the M36, M37, M38 trio in Auriga and Machholz pays it a visit too. On the night of 10/11 August, the comet will be 1.3º north of M37.
We’d recommend waiting until 02:3003:00 BST (01:30-02:00 UT) to view the comet, when it will have gained some altitude and be 25º up, low in the eastnortheast. 141P/Machholz is a complex object known to have fragmented in the past. It’s worth noting that its brightness can be somewhat unpredictable.