Tootfinder

Meet #comet P/2026 R2 (Leonard) - discovered and tracked by many amateurs since mid-September but only officially named today: https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K26/K26TC6.html (see https://groups.io/g/comets-ml/topic/121311524 and https://groups.io/g/comets-ml/topic/121629614 for an old and a new thread; here it is two days ago, details in ALT text).

On 5 August the brightness of #comet 220P/McNaught suddenly jumped by a factor of ~300 to 6-7 mag.: https://skyweek.wordpress.com/2026/08/05/allgemeines-live-blog-ab-dem-5-august-2026/#Aug07 - should be easy to find near µ Ceti in the morning.

Observing session on #Comet P10/Tempel during an earthquake at the Kottamia Astrophysical Observatory (MPC Q62, Egypt): https://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=17942 -> illustrations https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1O44wDk_MW0H52MU995R_Y7hlCi59Ku31/edit?slide=id.p2#slide=id.p2 and https://web.oapd.inaf.it/bedin/files/PAPERs_eMATERIALs/ATel/10P/ATEL_10P_period_caption_of_the_figures.pdf

Investigation of Split #Comet 240P/NEAT: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae83ac -> Spying on a Split Comet: https://aasnova.org/2026/07/31/spying-on-a-split-comet/

A compact transient meteor shower was detected during 2026 July 13-19 UT which may be related to asteroid 2023 VN9: http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/005700/CBET005732.txt -> New #MeteorShower Identifies #Asteroid as a Cloaked #Comet: https://www.seti.org/news/new-meteor-shower-identifies-asteroid-as-a-cloaked-comet/

#OppositionEffect of #comet 28P/Neujmin observed with #Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam: https://academic.oup.com/pasj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pasj/psag088/8756772?login=false -> Naked Photo-Bombing Comet Found in Public Image: https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/news/science/2026/20260825-subaru.html

#Comet 220P/McNaught continues to look fabulous - to large instruments - following its outburst: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2517447492105401 = the combined view a 16-inch and 8-inch telescopes on the morning of 16 August, by Michael Jäger and Gerald Rhemann.

Another attempt on the #comet 220P/McNaught in outburst on the morning of 10 August in Corrulón, 6 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 6400: while trailed the characterisic drop-like shape - see e.g. https://www.facebook.com/groups/177226535688885/posts/27777212818596885 - is kinda recognizable. That night I also spotted McNaught in 11x70 binoculars, but a great show it was not.