Comet 220P/McNaught

Aug 28th, 2026

2 h 30 m

Comet 220P/McNaught is a short-period comet discovered on May 20, 2004, by Australian astronomer Robert H. McNaught. It completes one orbit around the Sun in approximately 5.5 Earth years. In 2026, the comet became one of the brightest. The main feature of the object was two powerful outbursts of activity: the first occurred on May 31, and the second on August 3. They were presumably caused by partial fragmentation of the nucleus and the ejection of a large amount of material, which increased the reflection of sunlight. After the first outburst, the comet's brightness increased from magnitude 18 to magnitude 8 — roughly 10,000 times. After the second, it increased from magnitude 14 to magnitude 7, that is, by about another 600 times. Currently, the brightness of 220P/McNaught is gradually decreasing. If no new outbursts occur, the comet should return to its normal state within two to three months.The processing took a lot of time and effort. I processed the comet for the first time.) I had to use a hard drive; calibration and other files took up about 350 GB.

Aug 28th, 2026

2 h 30 m

Comet 220P/McNaught is a short-period comet discovered on May 20, 2004, by Australian astronomer Robert H. McNaught. It completes one orbit around the Sun in approximately 5.5 Earth years. In 2026, the comet became one of the brightest. The main feature of the object was two powerful outbursts of activity: the first occurred on May 31, and the second on August 3. They were presumably caused by partial fragmentation of the nucleus and the ejection of a large amount of material, which increased the reflection of sunlight. After the first outburst, the comet's brightness increased from magnitude 18 to magnitude 8 — roughly 10,000 times. After the second, it increased from magnitude 14 to magnitude 7, that is, by about another 600 times. Currently, the brightness of 220P/McNaught is gradually decreasing. If no new outbursts occur, the comet should return to its normal state within two to three months.Processing took a lot of time and effort. I processed the comet for the first time. I had to connect a hard drive; calibration and other files took up about 350 GB.