Comet 220P/McNaught
Taken by José J. Chambó on June 25, 2026 @
Valencia, Spain
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Details:
Periodic Comet 220P/McNaught, imaged on June 25, 2026, had faded to around magnitude 12, just three weeks after the spectacular outburst that briefly brightened it to magnitude 8.5 and raised questions about the stability of its nucleus.
Imaged during morning astronomical twilight, with the comet only 22 degrees above my light-polluted eastern horizon, 220P/McNaught already displayed a much quieter appearance than it had earlier in June. Its 1.6-arcminute coma retained a subtle greenish hue and surrounded a distinctly elongated central condensation extending toward a short dust tail about 4 arcminutes long. Even so, subsequent images ultimately failed to reveal any clear evidence of significant fragmentation.
At the time, the comet was moving through the constellation Pisces, crossing a rather sparse star field with no prominent deep-sky objects to distract from the modest appearance of the comet itself.
In the end, time put everything into perspective: after the fireworks, 220P/McNaught simply looked like an ordinary periodic comet again—and that turned out to be an interesting observation in its own right.
220P/McNaught @ 2026-Jun-25, 02:24 UT
Total Mag= 12.3 [aperture 97"], Dia.= 1.6, Tail= 3.9' PA= 246° (Tycho Tracker)
TS-Photon 8" f/4, Atik 383L+. L=31x60s RGB=1x60s, FOV=29x22'(crop), N:Up E:Left. OAV, Valencia (Spain). J. Chambó
Photographer's website:
https://cometografia.es
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