BRIGHTENING COMET
- This topic has 29 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 18 years ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Mila Zinkova of San Francisco, California, on Jan. 11th. “I watched McNaught for a long time in the company of this hunting hawk.”
wow is the word. so much snow and clouds here, doubt if I will be able to see it now, especially from the city so thanks for the photos.
Latest e-mail I received today 🙂
Space Weather News for Jan. 13, 2007
http://spaceweather.comObservers around the world are reporting that Comet McNaught is now visible in broad daylight. The comet is very close to the sun, so it is tricky to find. If you want to try, here’s how to do it: Go outside and stand in the shadow of a building so that the glare of the sun is blocked out. Make a fist and hold it at arm’s length. The comet is about one fist-width east of the sun.
This weekend is a special time for Comet McNaught because it is making its closest approach to the sun. Solar heat causes the comet to vaporize furiously and brighten to daytime visibility. McNaught is now the brightest comet in more than 40 years, and it may become the brightest in centuries.
At long last I was able to see it. No clouds 😀 Now I need to try find a better spot to get a photo of it from. I saw it around 7:30 at night here. I’ll try see if I can see it a little earlier.
credit: Thorsten Boeckel of Bavaria, Germany
Comet McNaught is now visible in broad daylight.
This trick is best performed around local noon: Go outside and stand in the shadow of a building. Face south. The comet lies 5 degrees to the left of the sun. (Five degrees is the width of your fist held at arm’s length.) You may not see anything at first, but don’t give up. Scan the blue sky until your eyes alight upon the comet. Once seen, you’ll wonder how you could’ve missed it.There are more great photos here http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught.htm
Southern Comet
Credit & Copyright: Noel Munford (Palmerston North Astronomical Society, New Zealand)
Explanation: After a remarkable performance in the northern hemisphere, the brightest comet in decades is now showing off in the south. Recorded during evening twilight on January 17, this view features the bright coma and gorgeous, sweeping tail of Comet McNaught (c/2006 P1) over Lake Horowhenua in Levin, a small town on New Zealand’s North Island. Astronomer Noel Munford reports that the five second long digital camera exposure comes close to capturing the visual appearance of the comet in a sky coloured by smoke from distant brush fires in Australia. Discovered last summer by R. H. McNaught (Siding Spring Survey), the comet grew impressively bright in early January and has even been sighted in full daylight. In the coming days Comet McNaught will continue to move south, for now a spectacle in southern skies as it heads for the outer solar system.Last night at sunset, motorists in South Africa pulled over to watch
what seemed to be a bush fire. As the twilight deepened, however, they
realized it was something else: the extravagant tail of Comet McNaught.
Even experienced astronomers say they’ve never seen anything quite like
it. McNaught’s tail materializes at sunset in the southern hemisphere
and is visible to the unaided eye as a majestic fan of pale streamers.The comet itself is visible only from the southern hemisphere, but its
tail sweeps all the way back into northern skies. People in California,
Colorado and Hawaii have seen it peeking above the western horizon
about an hour after sunset. This “northern tail” is faint but pretty, and
resembles a pale aurora borealis. (Dark skies are absolutely required.)Remember this is a once in lifetime experience.
The Magnificent Tail of Comet McNaught
Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, has grown a long and filamentary tail. The spectacular tail spreads across the sky and is visible to Southern Hemisphere observers just after sunset. The head of the comet remains quite bright and easily visible to even city observers without any optical aide. The amazing tail is visible on long exposures and even to the unaided eye from a dark location. Reports even have the tail visible just above the horizon after sunset for many northern observers as well. Comet McNaught, estimated at magnitude -2 (minus two), was caught by the comet’s discoverer in the above image just after sunset last Friday from Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. Comet McNaught, the brightest comet in decades, is now fading as it moves further into southern skies and away from the Sun and Earth.
She was real pretty – A sight to behold. Faretheewell Lady :wave:
I can’t see it here now. Did get to see it a few times though but not a good enough view for me to get a photo of it sadly. Never mind,atleast I have seen it 🙂
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.