December 30:
8P/Tuttle moves over M33

What:
Size: 15 km diameter
Brightness: +5.7 magnitude comet in Pisces
Dust/gas: as much gas as Halley, much less small dust grains

Where:
Visible in constellation of Pisces

Moon:
Bad Moon in period late December

Best viewing direction:
Best viewing: late December and early January
Best time: Early evening

Important because:
Could well be brightest comet for 2008

Find out where 8P/Tuttle is now:
In its orbit;
On the sky;
In near future.
A very good finder chart was made by the Federation des Astronomes Amateurs du Quebec.

Public interest: This comet only returns every 13.6 years, but only once in 27 years is a good viewing. Last time was in 1980. Observe the Ursid parent comet 8P/Tuttle with binoculars, or your telescope and CCD camera.

2008 Mar 10 - Nucleus rotation period investigated.

2008 Jan 11 - Radar observations of comet 8P/Tuttle show the comet to be strongly bifurcated, possibly a compact binary, with two roughly spherical lobes measuring 3 and 4 km in diameter.

2007 Dec 30 - Ursid comet to travel over M33 galaxy on night of Dec 30 17h UT - Dec 31 00 UT.

2007 Dec 14 - Comet 8P/Tuttle update (I.A.U., Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams)

2007 June 12 - Comet ephemerides (Minor Planet Center)

Chandra - D. Christian: High resolution imaging and spectroscopy of 8P/Tuttle (Cyle 9). 50 ksec ACIS-S.

HST - WFPC2 imaging observations F336W, F439W, F555W, F675W, F814W

IRTF - R. Vervack, N. Dello Russo, H. A. Weaver, C. M. Lisse, N. Biver, D. Bockelee-Morvan, J. Crovisier: Investigating the organic composition of 8P/Tuttle using SpeX

Gemini South - Woodward: The nucleus and dust of comet 8P/Tuttle at perihelion (GS-2007B-Q-232)

Nordic Telescope - M. J. Vidal, Spain: Studies of 8P/Tuttle during its closest approach to Earth (Jan 1-5). ALFOSC + CAT.