AIMS OF THE ALPO COMETS SECTION
by Carl Hergenrother (ALPO Comets Section Coordinator)
Introduction:
Members of the ALPO Comets Section have been producing quality comet observations since the Section’s formation in 1957. In turn, the section coordinators have done an excellent job in publishing analyses in the Journal of the ALPO. Just in the past year, research articles on the Comets of 2019 and 2020 were published in the Journal of the ALPO.
Goals of the ALPO Comets Section:
The ALPO Comet Section has a few simple primary goals.
1. To encourage and coordinate the observations of comets.
2. To share these observations with the wider community by posting all observations on the Section’s webpage.
3. To analyze the observations and publish our findings in a timely manner.
Much has changed over the history of the Section. Today the great majority of comets are discovered with CCD imagers. While the era of visual comet discovery may not be over yet, it visual discover of a comet has become a once in a few years event. As for photographic discovery that era is probably over. Amateur astronomers are still able to discover comets though most are using very “professional” methods, i.e. CCD cameras, automated telescopes and detection software. While professional surveys have always contributed to the discovery of comets, the fraction of comets discovered by professionals has increased.
Comet observation has also changed, but not as much as you’d think. The advent of CCD cameras and all-sky professional surveys may lead one to question the use of visual, or even backyard, observations. As impressive as surveys like ATLAS, Catalina Sky Survey, Mount Lemmon Survey, Pan-STARRS, Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and others are, they do not cover enough of the sky as often as needed to keep all comets under constant watch. This means that backyard observers are often the first to notice sudden changes and provide the most thorough coverage throughout an apparition.
All types of observations are welcome including, but not restricted to: visual magnitude observations, visual drawings, visual descriptions, CCD images, CCD magnitude measurements, spectroscopy and photographs.
About the Comets Section Coordinator:
My passion for astronomy, particularly comets, has been a lifelong journey. My first comet observation was of Comet Halley in November 1985 at the age of 12, using a vintage 1950s 60-mm refractor telescope. My interest in comet observation intensified in 1989 when my parents gifted me a Meade MTS-SN6 150-mm Schmidt-Newtonian reflector.
In 1991, I relocated from northern New Jersey to Tucson, Arizona, to attend the University of Arizona. My first research position in astronomy involved processing CCD images for Steve Larson’s comet monitoring program. Alongside Tim Spahr, I initiated a photographic comet/asteroid discovery program using the 0.4-m Catalina Schmidt, which later evolved into the CCD-based Catalina Sky Survey.
During my tenure with the survey, I discovered several comets, including C/1996 (Hergenrother-Spahr), 168P/Hergenrother, 175P/Hergenrother, and 330P/Catalina. After departing the Catalina Sky Survey in 2003, I engaged in the study of rotational properties of small near-Earth asteroids and contributed as a scientist and mission planner on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission.
Presently, my work with comets encompasses visual observation using 10×50 and 30×125 binoculars and CCD/CMOS observation from both my backyard observatory and remote observatories such as iTelescopes and Skygems Observatory.
Conclusion:
I invite all comet observers to submit their observations to the Section and look forward to working with all contributors to the ALPO Comets Section.
