C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR) Possible Tail Disconnection Event



This image at left, is a reproduction from memory of Comet C/2000 WM1 , roughly, as it appeared in the
7x 50 binoculars on 8 / JAN / 2002 at 11.05 U.T.
En route, seeking dark site location 200 km south of Adelaide, South Australia .
The length of the tail was about 3 degrees. We found the comet very easily and quickly in the 7x 50 bino's, without any dark adaption taking place, after having just got out of the car.
An hour later after driving on further, finding a location and setting up equipment. We couldnt find WM1 with the C8 telescope or bino's, for at least about 15 minutes..
( panic !! ).
The comet had become very stellar and we needed charts to find it, as it was indistinguishable from the stars around it. The seeing had only got better and darker.

( elevation had dropped though, but didnt have anything to do with the comets appearance changing )...........
 
 
 
..........These images were taken from there on, and all were around the 5 minute mark in exposure time ( all five pics are in sequence ). Equipment used was the usual pentax with 105 mm lens tracked on scope. Apologies for faintness of images , but they are on the limits of our equipment. (Pic is around the 60k size) note: strange fork shaped feature in ion tail.
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Same five sequenced pics, but with nearly full length tails ( ion tail was nearly 8 degrees in some shots, but i have shortened all a little here) in the negative aspect. The bright star to the left and down of the false nucleus is Gamma Indus.
( Pic is around 120k size )

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