Comet McNaught (2006/P1) - discussions - Page 14

Greg Bryant · #**261** 15-01-2007, 09:54 PM

The comet was a pleasant sight indeed tonight. Like Mark, I was also in Berowra, and there were several cars present too.

The general newspapers and various websites have indeed given this comet too much hype for these first few days. The comet is:

(1) against a very bright sky background currently, and

(2) the viewing angle has us nearly seeing the comet from nearly behind (hence the surge in brightness due to "forward scattering")...which might be OK if it was close, but it's more than 0.8 AU away. The tail is therefore very foreshortened.

Wait till later this week when we'll see it against a darker sky background.

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #**262** 15-01-2007, 09:57 PM

I can't take the credit for "Comet McNot" unfortunately. It was started by some frustrated astronomers in the Northern Hemisphere.

maksutover · #**263** 15-01-2007, 10:01 PM

I finally saw it! Praise the LORD !!!

La Perouse was quite nice and the public were indeed hyped up. Well except one lady who walked up to me and said "whats everyone looking at??"

I took some pics with my digi camera which im ganna place in the photo section, and tomorrow i will definately take the MAKSUTOV for a try...

First comet i have seen, and it really was love at first sight !

sheeny (Al) · #**264** 15-01-2007, 10:05 PM

Finally saw it tonight.

I had no joy last night due to clouds and smoke, and none today during a frustrating couple of hours this afternoon - just wasn't able to see either comet or Venus during daylight. There was some visible haze, but I expect that was worse than I thought it was, becasue I can usually find Venus during the day when it's this bright.

So tonight we headed out to Blue Hill again, all up there were 7 of us. Still we struggled to find it or Venus until after the sun went down. It was quite a few minutes after the sun went down when we were able to spot Venus, from there I simply swept across and down in about the direction I expected from Glen's finder chart (memorised from this afternoon

) and picked up the comet!

There was still quite a bit of smoke haze for us but once found it was easily seen in the binoculars and soon bright enough to see with the naked eye even though it was already in the red smoke haze. Both 7x50s and 20x80s worked well. As it neared the horizon it quite quickly dimmed due to the smoke haze - it was barely visible in binoculars just before it hit the horizon.

Even though less than ideal conditions, I'm still pleased I saw it!

Al.

Lee · #**265** 15-01-2007, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maksutover

First comet i have seen, and it really was love at first sight !

I can see comet chasing in my future now! Must get started on the observatory!

Neil Dwiar · #**266** 15-01-2007, 10:28 PM

Took my 2 grandsons to have a look at a comet, not a lot of interest until they had their first glimse, from then on it was "Awsome" We had a great view from Wynn Vale in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. Also lucky enough to have a chap with a 6" telescope for them to look through.

Rodstar (Rod) · #**267** 15-01-2007, 10:33 PM

Finally saw it tonight as well. Iceman, Icemanswife, Icemansoffspring, Rodstar and Rodstarsoffspring went down to the Entrance and saw Comet McNaught as a very bright object 15-20 degrees above the horizon (there being distant hills occupying 5 degrees of that).

At first we had major cloud issues.....but that all dissipated quickly and the views were spectacular. Mike had his camera and large binos. I brought my ED80, which gave some nice views with the 22mm Panoptic, a very clear 45 degree tail. The core appeared very bright.

In all the comet was visible to us for less than 30 minutes. As it moved nearer to the horizon (and as the sky became darker), the tail appeared slightly more pronounced.

The background sky was still very dusky. I find it hard to imagine just how bright this comet would be under a dark sky, quite astonishing really.

It was nice to have some interest from others milling around. Mike helped a few people find it in the sky, and I had the opportunity to show a few people through the scope. The kids liked it too, although it is always hard to keep their interest for too long!

Lee · #**268** 15-01-2007, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil Dwiar

Also lucky enough to have a chap with a 6" telescope for them to look through.

There was a fellow there where I went with a 3" wobble-tronic (Nat Geog Special) - better views through my 10x50's! I can see now how people get disillusioned with those scopes....

fringe_dweller · #**269** 15-01-2007, 10:58 PM

wow *insert gibbering gurgling happiness noises here* - best view through the 20x80s exactly like tornadoes first shot from tonight - made a drawing exactly the same, with spinnaker-like sail on the eastern pointing slightly curved tail - watched it for 45 min all the way to the horizon even thru muck at horizon tail and all! yikes! - superb conditions - popped out brightly almost instantly into view soon as suns limb dissappeared below horizon - sedgwick method with binocs using venus would hazard a guess at -4 no problems - pics to follow

gaa_ian (Ian) · #**270** 15-01-2007, 11:03 PM

Glad your getting the good skies Kearn
Northern Australia is a no go zone for astronomy ATM

I think i will have to wait till IIS Astrocamp to see it on Thursday

centauri · #**271** 15-01-2007, 11:05 PM

Bloody monsoon low has kept cloud above us for the past few days and tonight was not any better, whats worse is all this buildup and not a lightning bolt around to photograph AND no rain

I am now praying to the sky god to clear it up for tomorrow night

I think i will just go outside and make the hole in the brick wall bigger by belting my head against it!

Enjoy the views you lucky so and so's.

allan27 · #**272** 15-01-2007, 11:09 PM

Just signed up today after a friend told me the McNaught was due.

Got a scope for Xmas.. nothing fancy, but looking forward to taking it to Maslin Beach tomorrow night...... did see comet for a while with binocs ... between trees from our backyard in McLaren Vale.

Hoping for clear skies tomorrow... group of friends going to beach for fish & chips and great sunset.......

MrB (Simon) · #**273** 15-01-2007, 11:34 PM

Woohoo!

Got down to the beach a while after sunset, carpark was full of cars 50+ easy. Of that 50, 45 would have left dissappointed. Clouds were thick on the horizon and patchy everywhere else. Most people were looking in the wrong direction. After a few mins I glimpsed Venus for about 2 secs but I now knew where to look.
A few mins later I got a gap in the cloud and got a great view thru 7x50's for 30secs or so before the clouds covered it up again. Very nice curved tail.
A few mins later and it appeared again for 15secs or so, easily naked eye.
Photo's impossible due to cloud and very gusty breeze.
Looking forward to tomorrow night, hope the weather clears up.

astroron (Ron) · #**274** 15-01-2007, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AstroJunk

Don't worry about the hills - as soon as the sun is hidden by your favourite mountain, it pops into view just above and to the right (well, it did for me!).

Clouds on the other hand - be VERY worried

The hill is 20degs and the clouds are 180degs

erick (Eric) · #**275** 15-01-2007, 11:56 PM

The outcome of my evening is a photograph I can show my grandchildren and say "I promise that behind that bushfire smoke is a spectacular naked-eye daylight comet - honest!"

There's always tomorrow, I hope.

NJB (Noel) · #**276** 16-01-2007, 12:03 AM

Hmmmm..... It seems this comet has gone from being a northern hemisphere object to a southern Australian one!

I wouldn't mind all the cloud so much if it would rain, but cloud and no rain is useless.

What good is the brightest comet in 30 or 40 years if you can't see it. <darn, where's a smilie for "frustrated"?> Oh well, at least there's SOHO to watch, though it will soon be gone from there too....

Noel

rogerg (Roger) · #**277** 16-01-2007, 12:23 AM

Just got back from photographing it here in the Hills of Perth. Good views on and off, the wind had died down by sunset. Photographed it until about 8:50 when it went too low in to the denser part of cloud.

I was the only one at my vantage point, but when I walked back to the car park I saw lots of disapointed people who were still looking for it. Little did they know they wouldn't even be able to see it from where they were, it was further south than they could see, they just needed to walk 100m around the hill so they could see WSW not W - WNW. I felt very disapointed for them, but not much I could do.

I will post some pics soon hopefully in the other thread.

gaa_ian (Ian) · #**278** 16-01-2007, 12:28 AM

Know how you feel Centuri, so when does the next plane for Perth leave ?

gaa_ian (Ian) · #**279** 16-01-2007, 12:30 AM

Thanks for you AS&T article Greg, it has been a great handout to let people know what to expect with the comet !

MrB (Simon) · #**280** 16-01-2007, 12:34 AM

Thats freaky Roger, just been at your website thru a google search for 'Perth star party', when I saw your post after refreshing this thread.