Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (SW3) Bulletin #3

Michael L. Sitko, University of Cincinnati & Space Science Institute

As of April 6, 40 (!) fragments of SW3 have been spotted, earning this comet the title of the “most structured” (or “most prolific”?) comet on record. The Minor Planet Center, which provides the official designations for solar system objects, has not decided what will come after “SW3-Y”. Photo by Michael Jäger & Gerald Rhemann

“G” has recently shed a small companion as the pieces of the comet continue to fragment. In the past few days, “B” also underwent a dramatic brightening by 3 magnitudes (a factor of about 16 times), suggesting another breakup may be imminent.

For more information, contact:

Mike Sitko

Dept. of Physics, University of Cincinnati sitko@physics.uc.edu Phone: 513.556.0642

& Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO sitko@spacescience.org