wow! ive seen everything now lol - easy naked np from my light/moon saturated backyard 5d above my local horizon in a gap between trees - easy still around the +2.5 mag mark, naked eye. in binocs orange red in colour, just like reports and photos with, the brighter cc embedded the dimmer outer disc ball about 10 - 20 arcseconds in total size at a guess, in my 8x56 binocs - slightly bigger in the 20x80 binocs
observed clearly and well for nearly an hour
did look a little like a round red planetary nebulae, like some have described it
man we have had some weird comets in recent years - SW3/ great comet/ 2 naked eye comets at same time more than a few times, all sorts, makes the previous decades seem tame!
I just found comet Holmes, after searching the sky and waiting for clouds to clear below Cassiopia. We had thunderstorms all around us!!! After a beautiful sunset, with clear skies on either side of the sky, but very dark storm clouds rolled in .... then rain ... then clouds started leaving around 7:30, and at about 8:05, I found comet Holmes!!!
Wow, what a trip!! The last comet I saw was comet Hyakutake in early 1997 from Modesto, California. We watched comet Hyakutake for several days.
I'm using my old Bushnell binoculars, 12x50. I can just barely make out the faint comet Holmes with my naked eye, but with the binoculars I can see a large fuzzy ball, very obviously a comet!! I showed my neighbor the comet and he found it. My little boy, 10 years old, also got to see the comet. He could see the comet much better than I can with his naked eyes.
I'm glad that I didn't give up!! I worked graveyard Sunday night, and have been up all day with no sleep. It has been a challenge to stay up all day. I was tempted to go to bed, like I usually do, before dark, and sleep all the way through until Tuesday. I would have missed the comet for sure ....
FYI if anyone saw spots in the coma last night they were due to background stars.....i stayed up watching a program about comets and the moon on Austar last night, had my scope all set-up, then by the time the comet come up there was a storm raging up in Armidale somewhere and i got pummelled by very fast low flying cloud from that direction, i managed to get about 30x 30 second images as i couldnt locate a guidestar in the radial guider so i kept the exposures short, the low cloud was moving really fast above the treetops and i didnt feel the slightest breeze at ground level!!
The comet is now about 20' dia according to some reports, according to estimates from people on comets-ml the coma dia will spread to 50' by the end of november!!
Cheers!
Great shot Gary, shows its large size there.
It was evident in my binoculars this morning, sky was actually worse then on Sunday morning in Newcastle, a southerly had come through bringing in moisture, leaving the sky hazy and bright in the moonlight, but was still easy to see, has grown bigger and more diffuse
Scott
Thanks Scott, last night the transparancy was good. Looks good so far today though s little more hazy..
By the way your latest closeup is real nice!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cookie8
Great shot Gary! It was high even for your latitude! I might have to get up earlier to see it at its highest. Is 2am the best time?
Thanks Cookie8, yeah I would say about 2am - 2.30am would be about the best time slot..
cheers
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Boy
Wow what a great shot Gary, gives a really nice perspective.
cheers Andrew!
When I comet is naked eye it seems to get me rather excited these days..
Kearn is down in S.A and has a pic to prove it Neil. It would be very low for you but..
cheers everyone
Thanks Gary
According to Star Atlas Pro, tomorrow morning as seen from Newcastle the comet will transit (be at its highest) at 2:15 am. Bad weather is forecast after that so might make the effort to get up again tomorrow morning.
Scott
no worries Mike, happy hunting mate, you should get it easy
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_K
Sorry Kearn, I'll need a Stat Dec with that - you know what they say, there's lies, damn lies, and digital photography... Or is that statistics?
Nice shot though - glad you can see it, even if it is low!
-
Thanks Rob - I was thinkin it wasnt very convincing lookin proof after all that wheres that damn airbrush button again
i have to make a correction the southernmost shot i have seen was from dave herald of canberra at 35.1 S or so, last w/e! those feisty canberreans are always tough competition with me at this shared lat.!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjjnettie
Well it is a once in a lifetime event that needed to be photographed for posterity.
So long as you didn't enjoy taking the photo, and you feel guilty afterwards it's all good.
very true! i just laid back and thought pure clean thoughts of the flag/country JJ Im glad i got something last night, lookin at the weather for next few days!!
I haven't been on for a while, anyone know if Holmes is visible from Adelaide?
sure is Neil, you need a pretty fine true dead northern horizon, as i think it around 4d from true horizon, good thing is, being as far away as it is, it appears to move very slowly thru constellations position wise - last week when the weather was good, it was about an easy object to see as you could possibly get! i was very surprised how well it could be seen.
check out the 'assassin from the north' - this is bright comet/event weather it is dry and clear for months, and then BANG right on cue you get one of these monsters - every single time without fail! makes a grown man cry, and i dont want to cry anymore (sounds like a song) - they should call this the 'crying game' not astronomy
Yep I was just going to mention the bad news re cloud satellite, I will set my alarm still but have a feeling I will be going right back to bed after confirming its cloudy
Scott
WooHoo!! Finally got to see it. Wow what a wierd looking comet. I took off to my favorite northern horizon viewing spot at 9:30 tonight and by 10:00 it was wall to wall clouds. Headed home in disgust. Popped the head outside at 11:15 and it was as clear as a bell. Fantastic transparency now!
First cab of the rank for tonight. This is one of the later captures as the comet was heading towards the Meridian.
11/4sec shots @ f/2.0 @ ISO1600. 135mm lens and Canon 300D. Dark subtracted and aligned in Images Plus, slight contrast adjustment in PS to deal with moon pollution. The image was aligned on the comet so there is a slight misalignment with the stars in the image.
Nice shot Paul! glad the clouds have parted just in time...
didn`t that cloud band move in quickly last night...got up 1.30am but way too much low cloud.
Good to hear that a tail is developing , maybe by the time the moon is out of the way we might be rewarded with a glimpse!
cheers
Unfortunately, I got out early last night, 9.30pm, to get a bit of "sky study" done while waiting for the comet. The comet was supposed to rise just after 9.30, but as there are trees and a slight hill behind me, I figured it would be midnight before I could see anything.
So, I found some constellations, Pleides sisters, and worked on some parts of the sky that I didn't know....and of course, after a fairly clear day, around 10pm, clouds were drifting in the from the SE. At midnight, clouds almost fully covered the sky! I mean seriously....RAIN, OR NICK OFF!!!!!!!! (Yes, I wanted to use another word instead of "nick").
Oh well, there's always tonight!
Keep those photos coming! They might be the only view I get of this comet the way things are going!!
Wondering
wheres that damn airbrush button again 
makes a grown man cry, and i dont want to cry anymore (sounds like a song) - they should call this the 'crying game' not astronomy
![[1ponders]'s Avatar](../vbiis/customavatars/avatar45_9.gif){kind=avatar}
Wow what a wierd looking comet. I took off to my favorite northern horizon viewing spot at 9:30 tonight and by 10:00 it was wall to wall clouds. Headed home in disgust. Popped the head outside at 11:15 and it was as clear as a bell. Fantastic transparency now!
I mean seriously....RAIN, OR NICK OFF!!!!!!!! (Yes, I wanted to use another word instead of "nick"). 
