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Periodic Comet Machholz 2 is fainter than expected, but might still be glimpsed in our evening sky. It will return every 5.2 years but will not be well placed again until 2015.
The Catalina Sky Survey found a faint comet on November 5, 1999. It is now pulling away from the sun. Meanwhile, old data from the SOHO satellite was used to find a comet that appeared in May 1997.
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COMET HUNTING NOTES: As we head into the new year, the visual comet hunter faces competition from programs designed to find comets and asteroids that may strike Earth. Is there any need for the visual comet hunter? The consensus seems to be that amateurs will still find comets, but at a much reduced rate. Searching for more than 1,000 hours may become commonplace. Areas near the sun, especially in the morning sky, should yield the greatest number of visual discoveries.
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