Large Outburst Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

ATel #16270; Helen Usher (Open University, Cardiff University, Faulkes Telescope Project), Richard Miles (British Astronomical Association), Jose Manuel Perez Redondo (Institut d'Alcarràs, Catalonia), Ben Wooding (St Marys Primary School, Bridgend, UK), Michael S. P. Kelley (University of Maryland), Tim Lister (Las Cumbres Observatory), Faustino Garcia (Observadores-cometas ), Denis Buczynski (Tarbatness Observatory), Alan Hale (USA), Marcelo de Oliveira Souza (Louis Cruls Astronomy Club), Errol Simpson, Maria Eleftheriou ( Model Junior High School of Heraklion, Greece), Tony Angel (Harlingten Observatory, Spain), Julio Vannini (LIADA, Peru), Cai Stoddard-Jones (Cardiff University, UK), Marjana Malaric (Zagreb, Croatia), Gustavo Rojas (NUCLIO, Faulkes Telescope Project, Portugal), Valentina Matei (Dacia Secondary School Oradea, Romania), Paul Roche (Cardiff University, UK) and their students, Colin Snodgrass (Edinburgh University, UK), on behalf of the Comet Chasers Project, the Faulkes Telescope Project and the LCO Outbursting Objects Key Project.
on 6 Oct 2023; 15:08 UT
Credential Certification: Colin Snodgrass (csn@roe.ac.uk)

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A large (~5 mag) outburst of Comet 12P/Pons-Brook was detected by Tamás on 2023 July 20.82. Since then members of the Comet Chasers education and outreach project (www.cometchasers.org) and the LCO Outbursting Objects Key (LOOK) Project have been regularly monitoring the comet using the 0.4m, 1m and 2m telescopes from the Las Cumbres Observatory network through the Faulkes Telescope Project.
We reported a small outburst of 0.34 mag timed at 2023 Sep 0.4.3 ±0.8 in Atel #16229. A further outburst of ~ 0.87 mag was reported in ATel #16254, with data from the Comet Chasers project used as part of confirmation of the outburst.

Our on-going observations and analysis by Richard Miles, monitoring G and R magnitudes with Astrometrica identified a further very large outburst almost certainly brighter than that of last July 20. The analysis of observations scheduled by Jose Manuel Perez Redondo (Institut d'Alcarràs Catalonia), using the MuSCAT3 instrument on the Faulkes Telescope North 2m telescope in Haleakala identified an outburst of ~5 mag timed at 2023 Oct 04.75 ±0.43, when compared with the analysis of observations by St Mary’s School Bridgend 2023 Oct 04.21. The image of the comet was saturated in all 4 filters of the instrument. The outburst has been confirmed using automated photometry from the LOOK project and other observers. Photometric analyses of observations since the initial outburst are available at https://www.cometchasers.org/home/comet-12p-observations The timing has been further refined to 2023 10 05.16 ± 0.03 using the following observations:
Usher/Miles (Z24) UCAC-4, R, 9.9"
2023 10 05.87 11.45
Hale/Miles (T03) UCAC-4, R, 10.0"
2023 10 05.222 11.77
2023 10 05.224 11.82
2023 10 05.226 11.84

Garcia (J38) Gaia DR2, N,
2023 10 04.832 15.7
2023 10 04.835 15.8
2023 10 04.841 15.8

Buczynski (I81), UCAC-4, R
2023 10 04.92 15.67
2023 10 04.93 15.67
2023 10 04.93 15.62
**Outburst at 2023 10 05.10 ± 0.14**

Perez/Wooding/Miles (F65), UCAC-4, R,
2023 10 05.274 11.72 N.B. image well saturated
2023 10 05.276 11.69
2023 10 05.277 11.72

Early indications are that the outburst may exhibit a similar unusual shape as the last big outburst in July (resembling the Millenium Falcon). The project will continue to monitor the comet through perihelion.

All the observations made by Comet Chasers are publicly available via the LCO Archive. The Comet Chasers project is led by Helen Usher (Open University/Cardiff University/Faulkes Telescope Project) and Cai Stoddard-Jones (Cardiff University) and works with students and educators across the world, engaging them in making scientific observations of comets and other small bodies for researchers. Participants are guided and supported by researchers and amateur astronomers. The project is grateful for support from the Faulkes Telescope Project, the Open University, Cardiff University, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Science and Technology Facilities Council in the UK.

This work makes use of observations from the Las Cumbres Observatory global telescope network. This work is based on observations made with the MuSCAT3 instrument, developed by Astrobiology Center and under financial supports by JSPS KAKENHI (JP18H05439) and JST PRESTO (JPMJPR1775), at Faulkes Telescope North on Maui, HI, operated by the Las Cumbres Observatory.

Comet Chasers Observations and Analysis