By Paul Breitenstein (science teacher at Pascal-Gymnasium, Münster,
Germany)

After an unsuccessful three-week search with the 1m LCO telescopes by students at Pascal-Gymnasium, Münster, comet 46P finally fell into our net with the help of the 2m FTS. And no wonder – the comet (with the beautiful name “Wirtanen”) was predicted by the MPC to reappear at magnitude ~14.6, but until now it has only reached magnitude 19.8!

Whether 46P will be seen with the naked eye by December, as predicted, is questionable. We are very excited about further development, because 46P is considered capricious. It belongs to a small family of hyperactive comets whose activity levels are higher than expected. They seem to emit more water than they should for the size of their nucleus.

That is why participation in the “Comet Wirtanen Observing
Campaign” is worthwhile! (see http://wirtanen.astro.umd.edu/)

First sight on 46P/Wirtanen
After a three-week search with the 1m telescopes, the comet 46P finally went into the net with the help of the 2m FTS. No wonder! The comet with the beautiful name “Wirtanen” was announced by the MPC with 14.6mag, but until now reaches only 19.8mag. pic.twitter.com/4GoP6U3ZNh

— Paul B (@PaulB37754445) July 19, 2018