SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Mike Olason
Location of Photo:
Tucson, Arizona
Date/Time of photo:
1 August 2021, 0656 UT
Equipment:
11" SCT and STF-8300M CCD Camera
Description:
In these images Comet 284P/McNaught was magnitude 15.4, had a 13 arc second wide coma, the tale was at least 0.033 degrees long at a position angle of 252 degrees from the coma and the comet was 134 million miles from Earth. The comet will be at perihelion in it's 7.06 year orbit in September 2021 at 213 million miles from the Sun. The comet will make it's close approach to the Earth in September 2021 at 120 million miles. The comet was only expected to brighten to magnitude 16 in September but at the beginning of August it was already magnitude 15.4. For those young amateur astronomers who would like to see where the comet is in relation to the Earth and other planets on any give day go to www.heavens-above.com and select the comet page, from the comet page you can select a comet of interest, then enter the date and time to see where the comet is in our solar system and all the information about that comet's position and stuff.
