Comet 1999 S2 McNaught-Watson

Comet 1999 S2 McNaught-Watson was a faint comet caused some headaches for comet observers, with reported magnitudes being highly discordent. Magnitudes being reported anywhere for 15 through to 20 on the same night!!!! My own observations, made between May 3, 2000 and June 19, 2001, showed the comet to be fading from about magnitude 16.8 down to about magnitude 18.1.

Comet 1999 S2 McNaught-Watson. May 3, 2000
3 minutes exposure, Meade 416XTE CCD. 300mm f/6 newtonian at prime focus.

Comet 1999 S2 McNaught-Watson. August 28, 2000
5 minutes exposure, Meade 416XTE CCD. 300mm f/6 newtonian at prime focus.

Comet 1999 S2 McNaught-Watson. January 29, 2001
Combination of 2, 3 minute images, Meade 416XTE CCD. 300mm f/6 newtonian at prime focus.

Comet 1999 S2 McNaught-Watson. January 30, 2001
Combination of 2, 3 minute images, Meade 416XTE CCD. 300mm f/6 newtonian at prime focus.

At this time the comet was passing through a field rich in faint galaxies. These are shown in the image below, which is the same as the image above, however the individual frames have been aligned on the stars instead of the comet.