Comet McNaught Update!

[Radar]

I have generated a comet McNaught map from Starry Night software. The comet is quite close to the sun as you can see below. Apparenlty this Comet is at Mag 2 and can be seen easily at twilight.

This is a new image of where Comet McNaught will be on Monday evening around 9 o'clock. Both maps are the same. I created a white one for persons that may wish to print it. (I'll be in and out of the chat room this evening).

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[Astro Dave]

Good one Radar

This is shaping up to be a world-wide event.

I spoke to the discoverer , Robert McNaught, and here's the email he sent me, taken obviously from what he posted on his webpage as well - hope it helps.


Hi David
I'll concentrate my comments on the latitude of Sydney, which will be reasonably accurate for most of the Australian population.

The first possibility to see the comet will be at sunset on Jan 13 when the comet would be a very difficult object some 6 degrees north of the azimuth of the just setting sun. The comet will set only 7 minutes after the top edge of the sun has set. You would need a very good horizon and beautifully clear skies to see it, but given the possible brightness it's not an impossibility. The tail would lie almost flat along the horizon to the comet's right.

The first real chance will be at sunset on Jan 14 with the comet about 5 degrees from the just set sun, up at 45 degrees to the right (and gas tail continuing away from the sun in that direction). The head of the comet will set about 23 mins after the sun, still in the bright twilight, but as the sky darkens, it is possible that the tail will continue to be visible and at greater distances from the comet. It is close to sunset on the 14th that the comet will reach it's theoretical brightest.

The best geometry occurs on Jan 15, with the comet starting to move away from the sun (now 7 degrees) and almost directly above the position of the sun at sunset. The head will set about 39 mins after the sun although the azimuth at which it sets will be 5.0 degrees to the left of the sunset point. It is quite reasonable to expect the tail to remain visible up to an hour after sunset, so it could be seen in a dark sky.

On Jan 16, the effect of forward scatter will have dropped back to about zero and the comet is already heading away from the Sun and Earth back to the obscurity of the Oort cloud. Although now clearly fading, it is now moving higher into the southern sky away from the sun. At sunset on the 16th, the comet is about 10 degrees from the sun and just left of directly above the sun at sunset. It will set 54 mins after the sun, 9 degrees to the left of the sunset point.

From Jan 17 onwards, the comet, although fainter, should be well visible in the darker skies. It will be moving into the SW sky at roughly a 45 deg angle up to the left of the sunset point.

[CanisMajorTom]

That must be amazingly bright if it can be seen at twilight. I will be sure to get down the beach with the binos for this one.

[Radar]

I have updated the image at the top of this thread. I'm in the chat room.

[beren]

Thanks guys for the info....exciting stuff, great opportunity for some images this week :welldone:

[CanisMajorTom]

Thanks guys for the info....exciting stuff, great opportunity for some images this week :welldone:

I agree Beren. This is one object that even I can image.

[AstroBob]

I can't beleive how bright this thing has gotten. It just crept up on us. I will definately be trying to see and photograph this thing. Any tips on how to shoot this object (with film or digital are welcome).

[Mick]

Hi everyone, there are some amazing images coming from Soho of this comet. I hope we get a look in the south before it fades. Nice site Ray.

The following links are to Soho and Comet Chasing if you are interested.

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
http://www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html

Mick.

[AstroTasmania]

I received this email from a friend & fellow astronomer in Devonport, north west Tasmania:

...Was blown away by the appearance of this daytime comet today at 8:30am. Should start to put on a good show for us in the days to come.

Photo taken through a 150mm Achromatic Refractor and Pentax istDL digital camera. Image taken with eyepiece projection with 25mm eyepiece, cropped and contrast enhanced to show tail detail on Windows Picture Manager. just had a photo shoot with the Advocate newspaper just then for tomorrows publication. Things are running hot up here - had great views all day of the comet - both naked eye and with the 6'' refractor - some thin cloud has drowned the comet out now and hope this does not interfere with tonight's showing.
Attached is a shot taken same time this morning - still hard to believe this can be seen during the day! Pete.

Image attached from Peter.

Note. it is 5:30 Tasmania time and I have just seen the comet in broad daylight with 10x50 binoculars with ease, including the tail. Shevill


Clear skies...

[phoenix]

Very nice pics :welldone:
Will you be taking any pics of the comet shevill ?
hopefully i'll be going out tonight to have a look, weather permitting!

[AstroTasmania]

The 2nd darker image is mine, perhaps I should re-post it, confusing.

Clear skies...

[Radar]

Wow, this comet is really turning out to be a headliner. To think that this is daytime visibility, is just incredible.

G'day Mick, thanks for the kind words and welcome to the site mate. :thumbsupmate:

[AstroTasmania]

Taken at 6 pm local time from my observatory near Hobart, with a WO Megrez 90 APO and a Nikon D200 at prime focus. Stationary tripod.

The darker image is taken with an Infra Red camera which has better contrast.

Clear skies...

[phoenix]

You took that shot at 6pm ?
" unbelievable "
It looks fantastic!!!! :cool!: :cool!: :cool!:

[Radar]

Yeah nice work mate. :thumbsupmate:

[Mick]

Nice images Shevill :thumbsupmate: , I'm going to have a look for it at midday tomorrow just have to find a good sun shade and be very careful.

[h0ughy]

nice images Shevill, we were clouded in by the time it was able to be spotted, and we has a fire and smoke, taken from Redhead (Lake Mac/Newcastle) with pentax *ist DS 50-500 sigma lens

[Radar]

Nice shots mate. Those first two are beautiful.

We have had very hot cloudless skies last few days, and then this afternoon (typical), dam cloud on the western horizon. So at this stage I have not had a chance to view or photograph this comet.

Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

[phoenix]

Hey radar
We had clouds to the west too :ahh!:
hopefully tomorrow :yesplease:
By the way nice photos houghy :blink:

[Mick]

Nice work hOughy. :welldone:

[Tenacious Del]

Good photos guys. I'm hoping to see this Monday arvo.

[orion]

Looking for the comet.
These are a few shots of the "team" from the Newcastle Astronomical Society yesterday evening taken at Redhead Bluff, Newcastle.

1 Me and Houghy
2 Alan,Scott
3 A friend of ours George and the cockie (sharing the binos)
4 Conditions
5 The sun through the smoke!

[AstroTasmania]

This is the last single shot I got with a 2.5x telenegative lens to increase image scale before the clouds (small ones) rolled in low down. Got up early this am to clear skies and as the sun cleared to horizon a morning mist drifted in, just like an autumn morning, most weird. Also a shot of the equipment, first light for the new WO Megrez 90 APO. I just knew I needed this new scope.!

Nice sunset shots Dave, but not what you wanted I guess. The smoke has been a real pest down here as well, both our own in Tasmania and from Victoria.

Clear skies for - all please! whatever sacrifices are needed, we will make them!!

Now 11:15 am and I have been observing the comet since around 9 am. I have set up the SN-10 on the Alhena which has comet tracking - follows in RA & Dec.
A fair bit of haze around so not really the best for imaging.

Clear skies...

[Radar]

Nice work Orion and Shevill. That smoke must have been annoying.

Love the new WO scope to Shev :thumbsupmate:

[Radar]

I can't beleive the weather here. I'm the only one that hasn't seen it!

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[Mick]

No your not the only one Radar, tropics + clouds this time of the year. All these great photos make it a little easier to cop.

[h0ughy]

tonight effort with comet McNaught. Taken from "sunny " Shortland sewerage works (literally) from the waterboards land.

fantastic sail like structure:thumbsupmate:

[Radar]

Nice work David. :thumbsupmate:

I managed to see this thing and get a couple of shots off. We went down to the beach for this. It was cloudy here all day, but as the afternoon came the clouds started to break up so we decided to head to the coast.

The first shot is simply the horizon. You can see the kind of cloud we were dealing with.

Anyway, we stood for at least half an hour and scanned the gaps in the clouds for this comet. Nothing was visible, then bang, it hit me through my binos. An unmistakable view. It was only visible for 25 seconds. I had to put down the binos, get the people that were hiding in the car from the sea breeze out to view it and then shoot off a few pics.

I managed to get some photos but they won't be winning any awards. I zoomed right in for the third shot.

Camera was a Sony Cybershot 5 megapixel. Carl Zeiss lens with a 1.7 teleconverstion lens attached.

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[Robert TG]

I can't beleive the weather here. I'm the only one that hasn't seen it!

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Complete cloud cover here also in Brisbane. :noob: :thumbsdownmate:

[Tenacious Del]

Good shots guys. :thumbsupmate:

I didn't even bother trying to find this thing because of the cloud situation, but it looks like most people managed to sneak a peak through the clouds. Apparently this thing is hanging around for a few more days. I can't wait to see it.

[Astro Dave]

Radar et al you're not alone. No Sun here on the mid-north coast NSW (Port Macquarie) for the last week.

It will clear up for though, I've been assured by 3 crickets we have in a cage here - BUT, the bad news is old comet McNaught will just be rounding Jupiter when that happens.

[Mick]

A 90km trip to a dark site this evening was the only way that I could shake some of the tropical cloud that has obscured my view of comet McNaught since it started it's journey south. Now I know what all the fuss is about, what a spectacular sight it was shining bright between the cloud banks. I viewed it for around 30 minutes with some 7X50 binos and snapped off a few quick photos. Photos on the net are great but to see it up close with my own eyes was the best. The following are two 4 sec cropped photos from my trip tonight.

Mick.

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[Radar]

Awesome stuff that you drove so far for it Mick. I would have done the same if we were having no luck with the weather. I was just on my way home from the shops and did a detour with the GF in the car. Got to a high point in the middle of suburbia and there it was. Still putting on a great show.

Nice photos as well Mick.

I'm going to view this comet as much as possible whilst it is putting on such a great show. I can't see something like this happening again for a long time.

[Tenacious Del]

Well done Mick. It must have been a good feeling when you saw it for the first time. I have been watching it all week now.

What an amazing sight. I can't get sick of it. I want more comets please! :Chessy_Smile:

[CloudMagnet]

Got a thin strip of clear air on the horizon last night. :thumbsupmate:

[AstroTasmania]

Great image, one of the best I have seen so far. Can you devise a cloud rejection magnet - please?

Not so Clear skies...

[CloudMagnet]

Thanks AT.

It was easy in the end. I quietly said "Right, I've had enough of this cloud!" started to pack away the more non-essential gear and sure enough the cloud started to clear.:thumbsupmate:

I hope it works a second time tonight.

[Radar]

That's a good shot cloud magnet. WD :thumbsupmate:

[Mick]

Nice work beautiful image.