During the whohle apparition comet 88P/Howell could not be observed from mid-European latitudes, because its altitude did not exceed 10° above the southwestern evening horizon.
According to 65 published international observations the comet showed a very rapid brightness evolution during this apparition, best decribed by the formula
m = 2.4 mag + 5×log D + 39×log rThe maximum brightness of 8.7 mag was reached around Oct. 10.
The coma diameter increased enormously from 0.7' (45.000 km) at the start of the apparition to 6' (475.000 km) in mid-October. The coma was significantly condensed (DC 5-6) at the first weeks, getting more diffuse as time passed (DC 3-4).
Total Brightness and Coma Diameter
Andreas Kammerer
