Comet 15P/Finlay

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Photographer:

Mike Olason

Location of Photo:

Tucson, Arizona

Date/Time of photo:

20 May 2021, 1102 UT

Equipment:

11" SCT and STF-8300M CCD Camera

Description:

Comet 15P/Finlay is now coming into view in the early morning sky. In these images the comet was about magnitude 15 with a 44" coma and no apparent tail, but the images were collected with some very thin high clouds in the field of view so the data may not be accurate. The comet was 111 million miles from Earth in the images. Comet 15P will make it's close approach to Earth on 17 June 2021 at 101 million miles and it will reach perihelion in it's 6.56 year orbit in July 2021 when it will be 92 million miles from the Sun and may brighten to magnitude 10.