|
Tail Brightness
Hi Luigi and Swannies,
we should expect an aparent drop of in brightness as the comet approaches perigee. With the increase in not only length, but width as well, the light is spread over a greater area and therefore gives the impression of being fainter.
Having said that there is also the decreasing amount of volatiles coming from the central condensation as the comet backs away from the sun that has a great impact on the appearance of Lovejoy now compared to five days ago.
Luigi is right regarding the urban vs rural view. The rural view is best, but my mate George Ionas who lives on the south eastern side of Palmerston North (population 80,000) saw the comet from his backyard this morning after the cloud that took me out cleared in his vicinity. So, there is still hope for city dwellers who minimize their light pollution problems as much as possible.
The only photos that I have seen from this morning suggest that the light along the tail is fairly evenly bright. Which was my impression too yesterday.
Cheers, Coops.
|