New! Comet LINEAR Splits in Two

By Charles Morris

The unexpected increase in brightness of C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) is apparently due to the break-up of the nucleus. IAU Circular 7616 (May 1,2001) reports that C. W. Hergenrother, M. Chamberlain, and Y. Chamberlain, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, have taken images with the Catalina 1.54-m reflector on April 30 that show two components to the nucleus.

Previous images on April 24 showed only a single nucleus. The two components are of nearly equal brightness, 3.5" apart and aligned on an east-west line. This comet should be monitored closely for other unusual activity. http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/

(NASA) A group of astronomers using the 1.5-meter Catalina telescope report that the nucleus of comet C/2001 A2 'LINEAR' has split into two pieces. Only a week ago it appeared whole.

The comet's brightness has soared a hundred-fold since the end of March, probably because volatile ices in the fragmenting nucleus are being newly exposed to solar radiation. At present, the visual magnitude of the comet is near 6.3 -- just below naked eye visibility. No one knows how much the comet will brighten as it heads for a 0.78 AU close encounter with the Sun on May 24th. This week, southern sky watchers with modest telescopes or binoculars can spot the fuzzy, fragmenting snowball from the outer solar system near the feet of Orion after sunset.