![[Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) in March-July 2004 : Size = 11902 bytes]](c2001q4.gif)
Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) was discovered on 24 August 2001 by the Near-Earth-Asteroid Tracking Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. With an eccentricity of just over 1.0, this comet is on a hyperbolic course through the inner solar system. Its inclination is approximately 100° so it cuts through the ecliptic at nearly right angles. Perihelion occurs on 15 May.
The chart above shows the track of Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT), plotted at five-day intervals, from the beginning of March through to the end of July. Original estimates had the comet reaching naked-eye visibility by mid-March and getting as bright as first magnitude in May. However, the comet is not brightening as quickly as originally thought and may get no brighter than third magnitude. Predicting comet magnitudes is clearly fraught with danger!
The best views of this comet will be after perihelion in the northern hemisphere and until about June in the southern hemisphere.
| Month | Location | Original Magnitude | Revised Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | Tucana | 7 -> 5 | 7 -> 6 |
| April | Hydrus -> Reticulum -> Dorado -> Horologium -> Pictor | 5 -> 2 | 6 -> 3 |
| May | Puppis -> Columba -> Monoceros -> Canis Minor -> Cancer -> Lynx | 2 -> 1 -> 3 | 3 -> 4 |
| June | Ursa Major | 3 -> 5 | 4 -> 7 |
| July | Ursa Major | 5 -> 7 | 7 -> 9 |
Copyright © 1995-2004 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman