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Photographer:

Mike Olason

Location of Photo:

Tucson, Arizona

Date/Time of photo:

2024 November 20, 0202UT

Equipment:

RASA 8 and ASI178MC

Description:

On 2024 November 19 at about 2330UT comets 37P/Forbes and C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) had a conjunction as observed from Earth. This image shows the 2 comets 2 arc minutes from each other as they were moving apart 2.5 hours after the conjunction, the conjunction occurred before sunset as seen from Tucson. 37P is the brighter of the 2 comets at magnitude 12.5 and C/2023 C2 is magnitude 14.1 in this image. 37P/Forbes was about 1.5 magnitudes brighter than magnitude curves had predicted, it should have been about the same magnitude as C/2023 C2 per predictions.