[BAA Comets] Today's outburst of Comet 29P

[Richard Miles]

A strong outburst of his most unusual of comets appears to have taken place 
on 2017 August 23.50 +/-0.13. The outburst was detected in three images 
taken using the Faulkes Telescope South on 2017 August 23.67.

Photometry in the standard aperture of 5.7" radius has shown it has 
brightened about 2.3 mag reaching magnitude 13.98 in SDSS-r, or about 13.75 
in R.

Measurements of the inner coma (1.8" radius in good seeing) show it to be 
only 0.05 mag fainter than in the standard aperture, showing the additional 
reflected light is concentrated very close to the nucleus.

Observers may wish to carry out follow-up observations, and in particular to 
look out for repeat outbursts in the coming days, the chances of which are 
quite high.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that high-res spectral observations in the 
infrared can be scheduled shortly and carried using the NASA IRTF on Mauna 
Kea, thanks to astronomers at the University of Central Florida. If so, then 
such observations could be the first to be made shortly after outburst of 
this enigmatic object.

Richard Miles
BAA

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Standard photometry carried out using telescopes of the Las Cumbres 
Observatory network follows:

0029P         C2017 08 22.62786 21 17 42.15 -14 16 21.4          16.33N 
E10
0029P         C2017 08 22.62943 21 17 42.11 -14 16 21.5          16.29N 
E10
0029P         C2017 08 22.63100 21 17 42.06 -14 16 21.6          16.28N 
E10

0029P         C2017 08 23.31993 21 17 23.18 -14 17 14.8          16.30N 
W87

0029P         C2017 08 23.33447 21 17 22.91 -14 17 17.9          16.04N 
F65
0029P         C2017 08 23.33604 21 17 22.86 -14 17 18.1          16.07N 
F65
0029P         C2017 08 23.33761 21 17 22.81 -14 17 18.2          16.06N 
F65

0029P         C2017 08 23.66836 21 17 13.68 -14 17 41.7          13.99N 
E10
0029P         C2017 08 23.66993 21 17 13.63 -14 17 41.6          13.98N 
E10
0029P         C2017 08 23.67150 21 17 13.59 -14 17 41.7          13.97N 
E10