Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS- Visible Now!

[Suzy]

There's a lovely, easy to find, binocular comet visible in our evening southern skies right now.
The comet is displaying three gorgeous tails in photographs!


Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS seen here, was imaged by IceInSpace member, Colin Legg on July 15th from Burns Beach, Western Australia at 10.47 UT.


185208


But you'd better hurry if you want to catch it at its brightest.
"Over the next few nights it will climb higher but also fade as it leaves the sun. Friday night it will sit around 1/2 way between Moon and Jupiter best seen between 6:40 and 7 pm. Saturday night it will be around 3 degrees below and slightly left of the Moon. Best seen in binoculars", Colin wrote.



The comet made perihelion on July 6th. Its current magnitude estimates are around +4 to +5. Seeing it naked eye could be difficult against the twilight sky so binoculars or a small telescope are recommended.


Michael Mattiazzo’s observations in the Universe Today article (link below) wrote, “The view through my 25 x 100 mm binoculars showed a lovely parabolic dust hood about half a degree to the east. Photographically the comet showed three separate tails, a forked ion tail about 1.5° long. Embedded within this was the main dust tail about half a degree long to the east and an unusual feature at right angles to the main tail — a broad “dust trail” 1° long to the north.”


Here's some guides:


http://earthsky.org/todays-image/comet-briefly-appears-for-southern-hemisphere#.Vae7aLp6Rz8.facebook


http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/comet-q1-panstarrs-bright-but-tight070920150907/


http://www.universetoday.com/121401/three-tailed-comet-q1-panstarrs-lights-up-southern-skies/#more-121401




If you'd like to share this, I've popped this information today on our facebook page :) .

[Dennis]

Well worth a look. Here is a 30 sec image taken near Lake Wivenhoe after the Moon had set and then a 5 sec image taken earlier when the Moon was still above the horizon/tree line and the comet barely visible.

Cheers

Dennis

[Suzy]

Thank you for these Dennis :thumbsup:.
I particularly love the first one.
*sigh* it's a Saturday night and looks to be a lovely clear night tonight, and if hubby and I weren't sick right now, it'd certainly be well worth the trip out that way to Lake Mooggerah, but right now, being out there in the cold, isn't such a great idea :rolleyes::mad2:.
I'll give the comet a go at 30 secs like you did and see how it turns out.

[Dennis]

Hi Susy

Sorry to hear of your collective ailments – hope you both get better soon!:)

Yesterday (Fri 17th July) we were brutalised by the cruel westerlies, hammering us at Wivenhoe Dam, but were lucky to find a clump of trees that offered some welcome protection.:)

I was using a Skywatcher Star Adventurer, roughly polar aligned using a compass and protractor so I was able to extend the exposures to 30 secs with the 50mm lens at ISO3200, F5.6.

Good luck for tonight!:thumbsup:

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Here’s the view from our study window tonight (Sat 18th July 2015 at 6:20pm) in light polluted suburban Brisbane.:sadeyes:

Taken with a Canon 400mm F5.6 lens. This is a blend of 2 images exposed for 20 secs at F5.6; one at ISO100 the other at ISO400.

Cheers

Dennis

[hotspur]

managed to see it through 15 by 80 bino's and image it quickly last night using a 400 mm prime lens.Only a single image at 3.2 seconds iso very high at 12800.But very pleased to get an image and see it.More images from 5D and 24-105 lens to follow.Was very hard to capture so low to horizon and bitterly cold with ice forming before tea last night.

[Rob_K]

Here's some shots from last night (18 July 2015) - comet, Moon & two planets is not something you see every day! The comet/Moon shot is a crop from the full frame - Canon 650D, 55mm lens, 4 x 10 sec, ISO 1600, F/5.6; 08:22, 18 July 2015 UT.

Visually C/2014 Q1 looked great through 10 x 50 binoculars despite the adjacent Moon. My estimate was m1 = 5.2.

Cheers -

[Liz]

Great images there fellas :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Am glad you labelled that image Dennis, I had found myself wiping my computer screen to get rid of the 'plane trail'. :lol:

Been clouded out here in Tassie, but looking good for tonight. :)

[JethroB76]

Nice easy find in the binos tonight in Launceston

[ZeroID]

Wow ! Nice pix.
All bad weather and clouds over here. I can't see that low to my western horizon from the Ob anyway. Might take the binos and a scope on the AZ3 up on top of Mt Albert, our backyard volcano for a look.

[Dennis]

Thanks Liz – it was a busy night up there, with several aircraft making turns. Here is a composite of 8x30 sec exposures showing a lot of aerial activity.:)


Cheers

Dennis

[h0ughy]

wow just like fireflies - great work Dennis

[zardos123]

Here is one from out the front of the malins on saturday
petax k3 28mm f10 13seconds little bit of fiddling in cs6 to lighten comet

[Dennis]

Hi Dave

I think the aircraft were associated with a local strip at Toogoolawah, as their movements, tight turns and patterns indicated light aircraft rather than typical domestic or international movements.

You probably have driven past the strip on your way to/from Astrofest if you drive via Fernvale and Esk.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[h0ughy]

:D yes many times:thumbsup:

[SpaceTas]

Visually it is 5th mag or fainter, so didn't show up in the finder. I traced the main tail to 1/2 to 3/4 deg, with a 8" Newt at low power. Followed it as it set behind a low hill. Here is a stack of 35 4sec exposures (no tripod) at f2.8 ISO 1000 with 50mm ziess T* 50mm lens on a Canon 40D. I used deep sky stacker. Bias and darks used. This is a small crop.

[sil]

I popped outside last night and got some shots. rare cloudless sky :)
http://www.astrobin.com/195871/
It is low on my horizon so might try again tonight and see if i can get better shots but am happy to have gotten it at least and hope to bring it out better when i get some time.

I never get bored with comets, its a bit of a lucky dip for me to get a camera pointed in the right area, get clear sky and get enough data to tease it out of the shot with a tail. :)

[Suzy]

Great pics you guys, thank you so much for these, it's such a gorgeous comet isn't it.

Unfortunately, because of cloud here in Brisbane I haven't been able to observe it since my first look on the 18th. I was dodging cloud that day as well - only in the western sky, what are the chances :screwy:, so by the time I got to see it, it was too low for my scope so only got a binocular view in my 10x60's but showed a lovely fan shape all the same. I'm enjoying all the pics in the meantime.

[doppler]

We got our last look here in Mackay on the 19th, its been clouded out since and won't clear (maybe) till the weekend. Managed to get the 10" newt onto it from the backyard but only managed a few 8 sec exposures before it went behind the trees.

[mickyj]

Captured this on the 20th (stacked) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/296/19878582732_5a8c1f8a66_z_d.jpg

[ZeroID]

Absolutely no luck at all over here. When it was low in the sky earlier my back neighbours rear yard light was on killing all viewing in that direction. Now it is later and higher we've been socked in with clouds and some serious rain. Earliest possible clearish skies might be next weekend. :shrug:

[pixelsaurus]

I'm a little late but mine from 20 July.
http://www.astrobin.com/196038/

[doppler]

Faint but still sporting a couple of dust tails. Here's a pic from last night 2nd Aug. It's getting hard to spot but it's slowly rising out of the twighlight.

120mm f5 refractor 9x 20sec (3 min total) @ iso 3200

[cometcatcher]

Nice one Rick! :thumbsup:

[doppler]

Thanks Kevin. Had a go with the 10" newt tonight, but the refractor is picking it up much better, more contrast less background glow. And with no bright stars near the comet, the CA is not too bad either.

[geolindon]

G day,
I got a good look at it last night, plenty of large diffuse tail visible clearly in two directions but not the detail as in pics like 'andyc' s in the solar system images. Best view was with ES 20 mm brighter and more contrast than the TV 25 mm. Higher magnifications were not clear.
A very enjoyable view tho!
L

[andyc]

Hi Lindon - just in case you missed it, my image was from two weeks ago on the 21st July, and so it wouldn't be surprising if the tails have changed a lot (like in Rick's image below on this thread). But well done for seeing the two dust tails!

[geolindon]

Thanks Andy,
Enjoyed it again last night and the eastern tail - the one pointing to zenith, was more visible than it was on the 4th. Dunno if it has increased or the seeing was better?

The views I am getting show a lot more than is in Rick's pic; might be because he is in town n I have beaut dark skies. Or maybe he just needs to look through a decent 'scope ;)

We will find out on 15th, our Mackay group is gathering at a newly available dark site :thumbsup:

[doppler]

LOL Lindon, but seriously there's a big difference between a 5" scope and a 16" scope and yes the streetlights don't help much either. Looking forward to a peek through the 16".