Comet 220P/McNaught
Taken by José J. Chambó on June 8, 2026 @
Valencia, Spain
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Details:
Comet 220P/McNaught, shining at around magnitude 11, is seen in this image obtained on June 8, 2026, still displaying the aftermath of the remarkable outburst that had increased its brightness by roughly a factor of four thousand just days earlier.
Between May 30 and 31, this periodic comet underwent one of the most dramatic outbursts observed in recent years, surging from magnitude 17.5 to 8.5 in a very short time. After several nights of poor weather, an opportunity finally arose to image the comet as it was already fading, yet still showing clear signs of the intense activity triggered by that event.
The comet displays a bright central condensation surrounded by a broad green coma, its color produced by gaseous emissions within the cometary atmosphere. Extending from the coma is a dust tail reaching about 6.4 arcminutes toward the west-southwest, relatively narrow in appearance and featuring a more prominent central spine embedded within fainter surrounding material. Although the comet had already faded significantly from its peak brightness, its overall appearance continued to reflect a level of activity far greater than before the outburst.
At the time of the observation, the comet was moving through a rather sparse region of Pisces, in a star field that naturally draws attention to its delicate structure. Observing conditions were far from ideal: the comet stood low above the eastern horizon, in the brightest part of the local sky, while a 53%-illuminated waning Moon lay nearby, fortunately hidden behind surrounding buildings.
A week after the outburst, the comet was already beginning to settle down, but the image still retained enough evidence to reveal what had taken place.
220P/McNaught @ 2026-Jun-08, 02:43 UT
Total Mag= 10.9 [aperture 135"], Dia.= 2.3, Tail= 6.4' PA= 247° (Tycho Tracker)
TS-Photon 8" f/4, Atik 383L+. L=13x60s RGB=1x120s, FOV=51x38'(crop), N:Up E:Left. OAV, Valencia (Spain)
Photographer's website:
https://cometografia.es
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