ALERT! 213P Van Ness Fragments Again!

Japanese amateurs are reporting that 213P van Ness has fragmented once more, with a C and D fragment being annouced on 7 September. Links to the reports, with images of the fragments, are here and here (both in Japanese).

Google Translate provides

“Ishigaki Observatory, on September 7, the home page “body image” in the corner of Van Ness announced the new images of the comet with three children.

As a child of the comet nucleus is a newly discovered comet was found earlier in children (core B) located before and after, and still move on the same track. Ishigaki Observatory, which had continued even after the discovery observations of the nucleus B, then C nucleus, nucleus also found D, also reported them to the International Astronomical Union. Brightness, and 22, respectively, as dark and 21 can not see with the naked eye.

For the nuclear B, Circular International Astronomical Union Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams at the end of 8 (IAU CBAT) newsletter and asteroids (MPEC), through researcher Hidekazu Hanayama Ishigaki Observatory, the discovery of the research group’s observation research engineer Hideo Fukushima et al. it was announced, has been introduced in the astronomy magazines this month’s issue.”

I think this means that the fragments are magnitude 22 and 21 respectively. Van Ness is well placed for observation, but with the full Moon nearly on top of it good imaging opportunities will be a few days away.