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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2788      2011 Dec 20 12.59UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise,  Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074
INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK      Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
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COMET C/2011 W3 (LOVEJOY)
Contrary to many predictions, viewing of LASCO C3 camera on SOHO on WWW 
indicates the comet has survived perihelion and emerged from the solar 
occulting disk with a newly formed tail.

K. Battams, Naval Research Laboratory, reports on IAUC 9246 that the 
comet may have reached magnitude -3 saturating the C3 images.
Images were also obtained with the coronagraphs on both STEREO 
satellites.  After re-emergence, the comet was highly condensed but 
intrinsically very bright (conservatively mag 1.5 immediately after 
reappearing from behind the occulting disk), with minimal discernable 
tail.  Meanwhile, the "original tail" was still visible as an extended 
diffuse cloud along the pre-perihelion orbital path.
Several hours after perihelion both the dust and ion tail reformed, the 
former not being as long or quite as wide as pre- perihelion; the 
brightness also increased again noticeably as the comet pulled away from 
the sun in the C3 images.

Graham Wolf, New Zealand has e-mailed the editor to report positive 
visual sightings post-perihelion.
Date (UT)        Mag             Diameter     DC  Instrument
Dec 18.674      -0.5             0.5'         6   18cm f5 Newtonian
     18.677      -0.8             1'           8   10 x 90B
     19.674      -0.0             1'           6   10 x 50B
Comet has "migrated" a few more degrees from the Sun and "climbed up" 
towards Mv 2.28 Star Epsilon Scorpii. Yesterday morning, it was located 
almost right over the Globular Cluster Messier 62.
After Christmas day, the comet is circumpolar from Wellington, New 
Zealand.

Editor: The solar elongation angle remains small so extreme care is 
needed with any attempts to observe visually and if in doubt do not risk 
it and blindness!

Guy M Hurst