Tonight, for the first time, I'm able to tease Fragment R from the background sky. This confirms reports on the comets-ml Yahoo group that R is in the midst of a significant outburst. The sketch at left captures a 141X view in my 18-inch Obsession. The comet is just north of center. About 4' to the south, 8.9 magnitude HD 141348 is the brightest star in the field. A 12th magnitude GSC star simmers 48" to the southwest. The comet appears subtly fan-shaped and is almost a dead ringer for Hubble's Variable Nebula. The tail extends 2' along the slightly brighter eastern edge and about 1' along the western edge. The nuclear region is noticeably brighter but no stellaring is visible. Twenty-one stars are scattered throughout the field, framing this view of comet 73P-R. I was not able to find Fragment G, which should have been stationed about 49' to the east-southeast.

This fragment has changed a lot since my last observation on the night of April 23rd. Six nights ago, this comet displayed two stellar pseudonuclei within the coma. Tonight, the coma appears elongated but contains no stellaring; not even a hint. My sketch presents a 399X view in the Obsession. The 15" inner coma is aligned nearly along a north-south axis. A 15th magnitude GSC stars burns through the outer coma some 15" to the northwest. The outer coma appears as 1' diameter foggy patch. The bright, tapered inner tail extends from the coma to the south over a distance of about 2'. A more subtle but much broader tail reaches to the field boundary, some 6' to the south, and beyond. The western edge of this tail appears brighter than its eastern counterpart. Among the five stars dotting the field, most are 14th magnitude embers.

This fragment is clearly the brightest of the group. At 399X in the 18-inch, Fragment C presents a stellar pseudonucleus enveloped within a bright, teardrop-shaped 15" coma. The outer coma covers a 1' diameter area wit subtle wings extending to the southeast and southwest about 3'. The primary tail reaches to the southwest beyond the field boudary. The brighter spine extends about 6' toward a 14th magnitude GSC star. Its feathery edges gradually expand to a 3' width at the field edge. The western edge of the tail appears slightly brighter than its eastern counterpart. Fragment C has evolved into quite a lovely comet.