Comet McNaught..viewing around Melbourne

[astro_nutt]

:D Hi everyone...
I live in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne, so last night I went searching for a reasonable spot with a clear view to South-West. The best I've found is at Mt Ridley at the corner of Parkside Rise and Charteris Drive just off Mt Ridley road, Melways Edition number 34, map 386, K 1.
Parking is a bit scarce and there are houses around you under construction, but you are about 200 metres up..
If anyone else has a place to view from around Melboune please post it!!:thumbsup:
Cheers!

[erick]

There are people headed for Mt Cooper - apparently the highest spot in metro Melbourne (Melway 19 G1). Usually easy parking in Prospect Hill Drive. I think the view to the SW there is quite clear - however over some miles of Melbourne suburbia.

I'm going scouting the eastern side of the Bay today for likely sites.

For pre-sunrise later in the week, I can view from a few local parks, though it has to rise over some low hills. :)

[OneOfOne]

I am in Bentleigh so we were thinking of driving to Brighton Beach or somewhere like that. I recall getting a good view to the horizon from the end of North Road, and there is a bit of parking there. Maybe along the Beach Rd would be good too?

[erick]

I've settled on Mordialloc. Should be a clear view directly across the water and there is lots of interesting foreground for composing photos. I can see sunshine out my window (though it was cloudy and smokey this morning) and the breeze seems to be slight. Cross fingers!! Three hours to go :P

[OneOfOne]

I went to Brighton last night around 8:30. There was plenty of parking available and lots of places to set up. If you want to take photos there isn't much in the way of "foreground" but I wasn't taking any shots anyway. The comet was clearly visible but very difficult to find something to block out the sun, no buildings around there. Once the sun set I was able to find it easily. Some low cloud blocked it out before it set but it was visible for a quarter of an hour or so. I had a couple of people have a look through binoculars, I set my 11x70s on a tripod on a path.

I will be there again tonight if the weather is clear. I managed to find the comet around 4 on Sunday. It took a while as I need to find a spot where the roof of the house shielded me but the trees did not fill the rest of the sky. I said to my wife "I found it!" Then she asked where it was, to which I had to say "I have lost if again and I cant remember where it was!" It took me half an hour to find it again.

Tonight should be good with it being much higher. I must admit it is a bit of a buzz being able to see a comet in the middle of the afternoon. I wonder if they will have anything on the final "feel good article" they always have at the end of the news?

[Smokey]

Does anyone know what the view is like from Mt Macedon? I found this site which looks like it may have potential.http://home.iprimus.com.au/foo7/chwest.html I,ll go for a drive up there today and check it out.
Bonus is that it is only 15 min up the road :)

[Daniel]

Any suggestions for viewing in Eastern Melbourne? Looking over the entire city doesn't sound ideal.

Daniel

[erick]

It's looking hopeless today on current conditions. If we could see through the bushfire smoke that has rolled in overnight, I think we'd see heavy cloud cover. Weather man just said cloud should clear - keep those fingers crossed.:prey:

[astro_nutt]

Hi daniel...I don't know of many places around East Melbourne..maybe head for the bayside???
I checked for the weather around Melbourne today..morning fog with smoke haze clearing...increaseing sunshine...ESE wind about 4 kph in the afternoon. Sattlelite picture shows cloud clearing from the west of the state as far as Adelaide..so..fingers crossed!!
BTW...Great story OneOfOne!

[astrocoast]

Hi all - thanks for all the updates. Looks like bayside will be the go.

I headed west last yesterday eveing hoping to get a glimpse as I knew of some higher places (west being along the western highway out near Myrniong) but the cloud cover came in at sunset, plus i don't think I had a great view of the horizon. :sadeyes:

Will be Bayside tonight and hopefully the weather will be good to us - it's all very exciting.:thumbsup:

May even get to meet other IceInSpacers there :hi:

[Ashpool]

I am surprised no one has mentioned this but the best view would have to be Mt Dandenong! It faces West and should have a great view....except for the smoke haze grrrr...!

Melway 52 E12

[xstream]

Another great view for you guys of the western horizon, is from Westfields Doncaster Shoppingtown.

[janoskiss]

Trouble with eastern Melbourne locations is that the skyglow from the city is right where you don't want it so you need to go that much farther out of the city heading east. Or head south towards the coast. Tonight it's going to be hazy from the smoke, but tomorrow could be okay. Fingers crossed.

[ballaratdragons]

Don't bother driving further west either!!!!!!

Here is the sunset 10 minutes ago and 7 minutes ago!!!!

All buried in bushfire smoke!

[Smokey]

Its the same here. Smoked out. :(
:( :(

[ballaratdragons]

Yep, it sure is smokie, Smokey :rofl:

[erick]

That's luxury, Ken. Our Melbourne sun "set" several degrees above the horizon - after observing it directly through binoculars on and of for about 20 minutes since it was so well "filtered", it just slowly sank from view into a thick layer of bushfire smoke and, with it sank our hopes of seeing any sign of the comet. Venus was even a struggle. :sadeyes:

[OneOfOne]

they say the smoke in Melbourne is supposed to clear today (Tuesday) so I might be able to see it tonight. We didn't bother to drive to Brighton yesterday with all the smoke. The great thing about setting up in Brighton is you are south of the city and the sun sets opposite Werribbee or thereabouts. No city glow, and you can always fill in time watching the ferry heading for Tassie around that time!

[astrocoast]

Travelled to Brighton last night (Monday) in hope of seeing the elusive McNaught but due to smoke haze was out of luck. :sadeyes:

Set up my binos on the tripod and hoped (and kept on hoping) but to no avail. Even poor Venus was struggling to shine through. There were a few people there hoping to catch a glimpse and people that had heard something on the news. One person did ask if the comet had "flown over us yet", so I explained where it should be and perhaps the next night (being tonight) may be better.

Supposed to be a late change coming to Melbourne - what this means, who knows. I'll be there again tonight (weather permitting). :)

Cheers all
Martin

[janoskiss]

acc. to the good people at the BOM, there is no "change" coming tonight, just "unstable air" that may or may not produce some showers or thunderstorms. Not looking good for the haze atm, with northeasterlies expected to persist. I'll try to post more up to date info later this afternoon.

[ballaratdragons]

We are surrounded by thunderclouds :(

[cattikins]

Awesome veiwing from Arthurs Seat, Dromana, if you don't mind the drive from Melbourne, unrestricted veiws to western skies from lookouts at various points up the hill.
I'll be at brighton tonight tho, hoping to see something smoke-free!

[OneOfOne]

Hmm, I know we need the rain, but do we have to get it right NOW? The sky in Melbourne is clearing at the moment, I have tried a couple of times but I still can't find it with the binoculars.

[cattikins]

It IS starting to look suspiciously cloudy.......
Have been trying with the binoculars all day but to no avail :(

[astrocoast]

Have just checked the BOM site (and looked out the office window). cloud building up - satellite image on BOM site shows increasing cloud.

It aint over yet :prey: .
Am hoping the gods above us will be kind :bowdown:

Martin

[erick]

Did anyone in Melbourne have a sucessful viewing Tuesday night? I was bayside and a strategically placed thick bank of cloud hid the comet, I'm sure. I could see the sun's location, I could see Venus, but I couldn't see the comet. I was convinced I had blue sky in the right location, but nothing - I scanned carefully with 12x60s. On Sunday, I picked it up quickly in the 12x60s though it was close to the Sun. So why not today - must have been behind the cloud.

[Finn]

I tried again last night from my spot in Kingsbury, near bundoora, and there were some strategically placed thunderclouds but with a lot of gaps. The main problem was what seemed to be a fire with a lot of smoke in the direction of Essendon (I think) which produced a thick band of smoke right on the horizon. Fate seems to think that I'm not going to see this thing. I'll be trying agin from the same location tonight.

[janoskiss]

Just caught Venus as it was disappearing behind clouds. No comet.

[astrocoast]

I was at Brighton last night - thick band of cloud but with little breaks in it - I got a glimpse , and i mean glimpse of the comet in a tiny break of the cloud.

I got quite excited but the clouds soon covered everything. :mad2: Venus was showing but again, the cloud cover soon covered her up. I stayed for about 3/4 hour after sunset but figured the comet would have been too low to the horizon and the cloud band ws quite thick along the horizon.

[Daniel]

Howdy folks,

Anyone know of any sky cams around Melbourne? I'm getting frustrated getting all my gear together, driving to a site only to find the West is clouded over.

Regards,

Daniel

[astro_nutt]

Hi daniel..
I don't know of any skycams around Melbourne..I just use the satellite images available from www.eldersweather.com.au
Yeah..I know it's frustrating...but it's still possilbe to view albiet not as bright as before!!!
Cheers!

[Daniel]

Cheers Astro,

There should be a law against cloud and haze when comets are around.

D

[Daniel]

Here's a site with Melb sky cams
http://homepages.picknowl.com.au/stargazer/weatherlinksvic.htm

D

[danielsun]

Yes, i agree and :welcome: Daniel.

By the way, cool name!:thumbsup:

[astro_nutt]

I agree Daniel..BTW good job finding the skycams/weather site for Melbourne!!

[janoskiss]

Welcome Daniel! Thanks for that useful link. :)

[mojo]

The first link, http://webcam.omni.net.au has been "Temporarily Undergoing Maintenance" for months. Which is a shame, they used to have great views of Melbourne to every direction.

[andrew]

I went up to Maryborough in central Victoria on Tuesday evening only to see a completely clouded sky :( I've only seen McNaught once, last Sunday evening, nothing since then.

But isn't this comet meant to be visible for the rest of January?? Is there still hope?!?! :(

[erick]

Yes, patience is required - and it's going to be spectacular in the night sky - I can just feel it! But it was also nice to see it in the daylight hours last Sunday evening - a real excitement to see something other than the sun and the moon in daylight!

[andrew]

It really was a great sight, and hopefully the show isn't over. I've just done some promising reading:

Source: Wikipedia

Source: Scoop.co.nz

:D:D

[erick]

Had a meeting to attend last night. I took the binoculars just on 'spec and kept glancing out the window in case the sky cleared a little. My wife says I "obsessed" with this comet. Huh??

[rasc88]

Hi There,

I am from Hong Kong and I am going on a business trip next week to Melbourne. (Jan 25th to 26th, maybe I can extend to 27th). So I have the unique chance to see McNaught. :rofl:

May I ask some questions: :help:

1) What might be a good spot for viewing that is in "taxi distance" from downtown area. Or do I need to rent a car and go somewhere in the outskirts? Or are there any gatherings of astro fans where I can join?

2) How is the visibility (city light, haze, weather)? Does it make sense to bring my camera? I never took a photo of a comet. What lense do you recommend (I have a fullframe Digicam and several lenses, such as 50mm/F1.4, 24-105/f4.0 and a 100-400/f4.0-5.6)?

3) When is the best time to spot it? I have no clue when sunset is (19:45?).

4) Last but not least: How is it fading away? Still visible with naked eye?

Cheers from HK

[erick]

Hi rasc88

We wish we could clearly answer your questions, BUT we've hardly seen it yet due to the cloud and rain. And if the cloud and rain clears, we could always have thick bushfire smoke roll in over the city (which was the problem last Monday night).

But let me give you my answers (others may have other views)

1. I'd recommend that you take a taxi down to Brighton Beach on the Eastern side of Port Philip Bay. That won't be too far. Ask the driver to take you along the roads by the Bay until you see a spot that you like. The WSW view here is out over the water. I haven't heard of any organised gatherings.

2. Yes bring camera - you'll need a tripod or a way to rest the camera for a few second exposures. Out over the bay, the extra light of the city won't be a very bad problem - but it's a typical city situation - just no direct lights in the line of sight. From the photos I've seen, a wide angle lens might be needed!! 50mm would capture a lot of the tail. 200mm should capture the body of the comet itself?

3. We are on Australian Eastern Daylight Time so sunset is around 8:40pm. I think best viewing will be from about 9:00pm-10:00pm? I haven't checked the charts lately

4. We have no direct evidence (remember - the smoke, the clouds, the rain :sadeyes: ) - but, at the moment, it's reportedly just getting beter each night to the naked eye.

Have a great visit and tell us how you went.

Eric :)

[toc]

Rent a car, and keep driving up to Queensland :lol:

[erick]

Having just sat in the car in a nearby park, binoculars at the ready, but having to swish the wipers every few minutes, I think I have to agree.

But tomorrow night will be SPECTACULAR! :thumbsup:



It had better be! :help:

[rasc88]

Hi erick,

thanks for your reply. I think I'll bring my 24-105/f4.0 and my 50/f1.4 and a light tripod.


Smoke sounds not good. The pollution and haze from China keeps me from star gazing since we moved to Hongkong 4 years ago - I did not expect such problem in Melbourne. But of course - its summer and its dry and hot - sure you must have fires.

Anyhow - Are there any areas around Melbourne where I could escape the smoke and haze (if no clouds and rain)? How about south towards Phillip Island or West to Great Ocean Road? I mean, I can rent a car...

Cheers from HK

[erick]

The bushfire smoke is generally coming from the east and northeast. Best if you go west from Melbourne out to Ballarat or beyond if Melbourne is smoked out and if there are no fires in the west. Ballarat is around an hour's drive from the western outskirts. You really need to get to the western side of the Bay, at least.

But if you get that adventurous, I suggest you get in touch when you are here and we'll see what we can arrange.

Eric

[OneOfOne]

The cloud in Melbourne is clearing at the moment (Monday 22 @ 1:13). Maybe tonight it might be clear? If it looks promising, I will be going to my previous Brighton location "at the end of North Rd". Anyone else venturing down this way?

I haven't seen a cracker since the previous weekend, missed all the best of it. Is it visible in 11x70's after sunset?

[janoskiss]

Gonna have to go have a look at this alleged comet tonight... :confuse3:

[Finn]

The skies the clearest I've seen it in a few weeks. I may get to see this thing afterall. Those that have seen it, when is the best time for viewing? Straight after the sun goes down, or does it hang around for half an hour or so afterwards? It would help if I looked at a chart or two.

Here's hoping!!!

Finn

[Starkler]

I just checked out its position . Best viewing should be between 9.30-10 ish.

[Smokey]

So far its looking good.
No clouds.:thumbsup:
No smoke.:thumbsup:
Lets keep our fingers crossed:prey:

[OneOfOne]

I just looked outside, sky is clear at about 4pm Monday 22. Looks like I might head to Brighton Beach later tonight for a little while. At least you don't have to look over the city to see it....

Fingers crossed guys! Satellite photo looks promising too.

[rat156]

Hi All,

Our first real opportunity to see this thing in Melbourne.

I've scoped out a decent site on the West of the city.

It's a new estate called "The Rise" Melways 202 B2, just past the water tower in Tarneit. The estate has made roads and a clear view until you reach the mountains, which you'd have to go over to clear.

I'll be setting up around 7.30 to 8.00 pm.

Undecided weather I'll track or not, so I'll have the scope and a tripod as well.

Cheers
Stuart

[crystal_stars]

The sky looks clear, the weather radar image looks good, so it looks like I'll be heading out to try and find this comet tonight. Being in the suburbs with no clear view to the horizon I'll probably drive to the bay. Brighton beach would be the easiest for me to get t straight down North Rd, might see some of you there.


C.

[EzyStyles]

looks really promising right now in Melb! should I:

a) go down to brighton beach and view/image the comet?
b) setup my telescope for deepsky stuff?

:shrug:

btw, anyone have any skycharts where McNaught will be for Melbourne skies tonight?

[mojo]

The deepsky stuff has been there for 15 billion years Eric :)

[astro_nutt]

Hi Eric...
"view the comet!..view the comet!!"..pack a picnic..relax, enjoy and have dinner by the beach!!..
As for me...I'm heading out to Mt Ridley this evening..setting up by around 8-ish...and if the traffic on Mt Ridley isn't too much..might do some Deep Sky stuff as well..but it does look VERY promising..one can only try..hope to see some of you there tonight!!
Cheers!!

[EzyStyles]

you have a point Terry :P Off to Brighton tonight! :) Astro_Nutt where is Mt Ridley ?

[janoskiss]

Eric, the S&T southern chart should be good enough. I cannot find where I got it from but here it is anyway.

[mojo]

http://www.austskyandtel.com.au/Comet_McNaught.htm

Us Melbournians are sounding pretty desperate :)

[EzyStyles]

you rock Steve! cheers mate.

[astro_nutt]

Here's Comet McNaught's position for the next few nights
22/01...20 43.25 -42 44.2
23/01...20 46.54 -44 14.9
24/01...20 49.70 -45 35.9

[EzyStyles]

i still havent seen it :P. I tried last week at home but the clouds and my neighbours roof were in the way.

[astro_nutt]

Good one steve!!

[EzyStyles]

now im hesitating to bring my EQ6 + ED80.... or just the 350d with zoom lense.... ...... . . ..

[rat156]

Eric, bring the lot, you can always leave it in the car and just use the Canon.

Cheers
Stuart

[danielsun]

Thanks Steve!! Sky's clear and i have got the camera ready and can't wait to finally see it!!!!!:)

[erick]

Just came out from afternoon meetings. Squinting in the sunlight!! What's that blue stuff???

Hey! Party's on tonight!! Woo Hoo! Melbourne wins finally!

I'm stuck with a commitment tonight so have to go to a local park rather than my preferred bayside - hope I can find a clear view around the trees!

[EzyStyles]

2 screenshots from StarryNight for Melbourne tonight :P

1) 7:47pm
2) 9:00pm

You can probably do a rough guess at the position where the sun sets from the 7:47pm screenshot and estimate where it will be from the 9pm screenshot.

[andrew]

Thanks for the charts :) Here we gooooo, at last not a cloud to be seen :) Hopefully it's still quite bright for us, have a great night viewing everyone :)

[astrocoast]

Thanks for the charts Eric. Will be heading bayside this evening - let's get a view of this baby :)

Martin

[danielsun]

Is any one driving out to any good viewing locations to see the comet in Melb tonight?

[astrocoast]

Hey daniel
I'm heading to Brighton Beach - top of North road - usually good viewing from there.

cheers
Martin

[danielsun]

Sounds good Martin I'll be leaving Taylors lakes in about 20 min.
See you there.:)

[andys]

Awesome! Skies are very clear here, it's just dipping behind some trees. I fell off a chair trying to get a photo!

[Dave47tuc]

I have seen the comet for the first time with lots of friends and family in the street and all I can say is WOW.:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:

[The FishMan]

Where I expected it to be. It was not. I went back home with my 'tail' between my legs. I decided to try again looking in my back yard. It magically appeared an arm's length to the left of where I thought it would be. It is Fantastic!

[Finn]

For those that live in Melbourne, I've solved the conspiracy. It's actually real. Went to my normal spot in Kingsbury, and tonight I wasn't the only one there. Moon was up. Spotted venus pretty much straight away. Spent around 10mins setting up my simple bushmaster telescope, got the the finder scope matched up with the main barrel, and then centred it on the moon. My nine year old daughter was amazed at all the shadows and moutains that you could see on the moon. "Daddy! The moon has rocks on it!" Around 10 mins after that, 9:15 or there abouts. Geoff (the other guy) was pointed out the region of the sky it should be, and there it was. "There it is!", I exclaim. "Where!?" he says. "Above the power pole with the light on it". "Oh. There it is. Wow!!!"

It took a few minutes to point it out to my daughter. "It has a curly tail" she says.

Would have loved to try and spot it in daylight hours last Sunday, but I'm glad I can finally say I've seen it. Would love to see it where there is no light pollution, but don't have the time to drive out of the city far enough.

Well worth the wait.

[Smokey]

Saw this from my backyard here in Romsey.
WOW:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:
What an awesome sight.
I went and got all the neighbours out to see it and they were stunned.
It took me till about 9:30 to find it but as it got darker there is no way you could miss it. I had a mate who was at Crown Casino and he phoned me to say how impressed he was with it from there.
:D

[toc]

Yes - We had a pretty good view from my backyard in the northern suburbs :D

My wife thought it was a joke, ('you are out here for that?') but she is very hard to impress :rofl::rofl::rofl:

http://upload.pbase.com/timothyo/image/73399722/large.jpg

[EzyStyles]

Just came back from Brighton beach. I was further down from North Rd section. Took heaps of pics and what a sight! here's just one of them :)

[astro_nutt]

The view from Mt Ridley was superb to say the least!!!..first appearence was at 9.17pm..a lot brighter than expected..quite a few cars pulled up to see...using a 40mm EP on my 10" F4.9 dob showed the head to be quite bright with the structure of the tails akin to a satin veil..beautiful!!!
At 9.30 it looked awesome..so hopefully tomorrow a chance to view from another site should be rewarding.
Cheers!
P.S.Great photo eric!!

[astrocoast]

Finally :) :)

Just got back from Brighton Beach - had been there since sunset - WOW! What a sight. How about the tail on that thing:) It was great to finally see it - been waiting all week for the weather to clear.

Tomorrow I think I'll head home to Daylesford and see this in dark skies to see how it looks.

[mojo]

Yes Virginia, there is a comet! For a while there, I thought the Perth boys were just making it up. :) Simply stunning.

That was the strangest thing to see in the night sky. It's looks somewhat fake. Like when I first saw Saturn through a scope and thought, that can't be real.

Went to the beach to see it. I felt like John Dobson with people walking past and me saying, did you see the comet? Every person was, oooh wow look at that. Except for one guy that was walking past with his head down and I say, did you see the comet as I point to it and he says, "oh yeah", puts his head back down and keeps walking... That guy is really hard to impress!!! :P

What a fantastic night! Amazing.

[Daniel]

The Melbourne curse is lifted.

Took the scope to a hilltop in the outer east with my partner and a mate and drew a crowd before we'd finished setting up (though one noo-nah only wanted to tell us not to park on the nature strip).

The sun going down, waiting, scanning, waiting, scanning, then 'hello', my first real comet. Truely beautiful.

Mate Brett got some shots - will post them if it's OK with him.

Maybe living in Melbourne doesn't suck after all.

[ballaratdragons]

YAHHOOOO!!!!

I finally got to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me, Cheryl and my boys and daughter, one of the guys from work with his wife and his 80 year old Dad (first time in his life he has seen thru a telescope!)

We were all Blown Away!!!!!! Incredible! :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:

Even if I never see it again it has burnt itself into my memory forever!

Photos don't compare with standing out there looking at it. We also checked it out in the 12", the ED80, 2 pair of Knockies, and a small refractor.

I took a heap of pics but only one worked and it is terrible, so I'll just ogle everyone elses pics:lol:

The best Astronomical Phenomenon I have ever seen!!! Man, I'm excited :D

You have permission to laugh at my photo, I do :lol:

[danielsun]

I also just got back from Brighton beach and happened to bump into Trevor (one of one) and his lovely wife Catherine (spelling?) and had a great night and with all the excitement locked the keys in the car DOHHHHH!!!!!!! :doh: But it didnt matter because I SEEN THE COMET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES IT"S ACTUALY REAL!!!!! and what a sight! It was unbeleiveable!! :scared: I've taken some pics so i'll go through them and post them with the rest i suppose.

[Starkler]

I drove a bit out of town to my usual semi-dark haunt with my 10" and two pair of binos, and in the end the best optical aid was the old mark 1 eyeball ;)

:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:

By about 10pm the sky had darkened enough to see a bit more of the tail as shown in Ezys photo above.

I had seen a few other comets, but this one looked better naked eye than any of the others looked through a scope or with binos.
:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:

It is certainly an occasion to be long remembered :)

[ballaratdragons]

I agree Geoff, good old eyeballs are the best!

It was nice seeing the Nucleus up close, but just can't beat that widefield eye image :thumbsup:

[Tamtarn]

We were able to see McNaught from our backyard from about 9.20 until about 10.40.

IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :jump::jump::jump::jump::jump:

A sight we will never forget.

Took a couple of pics with the small digital.........not in the class of everone else's great shots. But at least we have a keepsake of the moment.

22537

The images through the 12" Dob ............... AMAZING :clap::clap:

[danielsun]

Here's one of the pics. I'm still buzzing !!
Yes, i'll never forget the awsome sight it was.

[janoskiss]

Just back from McNaughting and bit of DSO observing down on Lang Lang beach. Wow! My first ever comet too!! It is huge! Naked eye tail 15-20 degrees long with breakups visible! And I was worried I won't be able to find it. :lol:

[Starkler]

I had a non-astronomy inclined friend ring me at about 10pm telling me about the comet that "he saw tonight", and asked me if I knew about it :lol:

[OneOfOne]

Danielsun and I set up originally just south of the park at the end of North Rd in Brighton, but the foreshore lights were a big pain so I wandered further north and found a large grassed area 20 metres further north. It was great because the trees allowed you to block out the lights completely and get the best view of the comet. My wife, Kathryn, thought it was exciting and had a great time explaining to everyone some of the details (she loves having a handful of buzzwords!)

So, astrocoast and EzyStyles or anyone else at Brighton where were you? Did you find a spot without those annoying lights too? When we were leaving around 10:30 there was a large group of people in the carpark, was that another bunch of IceInSpacers? I noticed a couple of people had tripods.

I will be there again tonight from about 8:30 - 9:00 until around 10:30 or so weather permitting. I have mentioned it to a few people from work who live nearby, plus my wife was going to mention it to several of her nearby friends as well....so it may have enough people to have a mini IceInSpace camp!

[crystal_stars]

:2thumbs: WOW! :eyepop: I finally saw it. I went to Brighton Beach, and those light were definitely annoying. So instead of staying near the foreshore ended up stayed with the car in the carpark, so we were a bit behind the lights. I dragged my mum and brother along, I told them "you can't miss this!" And we were sitting in the car with it pointing south-west. My mum and I both spotted it at the same time, started yelling "There it is!" and jumped out of the car quicker than thought possile.

I am now vey glad to say I have seen my first comet.:clap: :clap: :clap: And what a beauty! :cool:

If tonight is clear again, I was thinking of heading up to a lookout I know in the Dandenong Ranges that should have a pretty clear view to the south west. I haven't been there for awhile, so I might go and check it out today, just in case I'm wrong.


C.:)

[astro_nutt]

I'm going for another view tonight also..but I might try a double-whammy...view McNaught and do a little DSO from a spot I know just outside the Kalkallo Cemetery..

[erick]

I'm happy and satisfied. Melbourne is happy and mostly satisfied.

Up late, hard to sleep - so excited - slide film into the lab - to be picked up soon. Cross fingers something came out well.

Not the best viewing location - I had a commitment I had to work around - I would have prefered bayside or >100km west.

Report and images (perhaps) to come. :)

[janoskiss]

btw, I could still see the top of the huge arching tail over the horizon at 12:40am!

[astrocoast]

Hey OneofOne
was south of the car park on the grassy areas - I moved about 3 times becuase of the lights. First time I was at the first seated area, but there is al ight right there, so moved back to the grasss area - then moved further south and used some trees to shield some light.

Even with the annoying lighting - it was a spectacular sight.

Not sure which group in the car park you were mentioning, but as I went back to my car, with tripod over my shoulder, I did see a group, but they were just a bunch of kids hangin' around.

Anyway, am hoping to get there again tonight - weather permitting, and right now it's looking like there's a bit of cloud cover. :mad2: Let's see how we go - i could do with a double whammy of McNaught - and no, I don't want fries with that :whistle:

[mojo]

ah well. It just wasn't to be in Melbourne tonight. Soooo glad we at least got one clear night last night.
Did anybody manage to get the angle on the clouds tonight?

[Starkler]

I went for a drive a bit further out of town tonight, near LangLang.
I got about 10-15 min of decent comet viewing before the cloud swallowed it up.
It did seem less visible compared to last night, probably because of the higher and brighter moon.

[mojo]

From the few minutes of it that we managed to see, it's a lot dimmer than last night. But that might be due to the 'misty' cloud between the thick black clouds, as well. :shrug:

Not too disappointed though. I still have last night's viewing burnt into my brain :D

[erick]

In the south east we had no cloud problem. I was busy with a meeting, but at the close, I set up my binoculars for all to observe. Naked-eye visible, no problem - everyone could see it - but probably fainter than last night (but last night I was viewing it almost directly over the CBD lights, so it is hard to compare).

I had several super excited people who didn't know about it and the usual "Is it going to hit us?" questions.

I observed on and off from 9:30 to 10:30 without a cloud problem.

Interestingly, when I turned the binoculars (12x) on the crescent moon, the "Oooohs" and "Aaaahs" from the viewers were even louder! :)

[ballaratdragons]

I have looking at it all night on & off.

Still easy to see at the moment but the nucleus has gone below the horizon.

Was a bit of hazy cloud earlier but looks terrific now. Yes, it does seem a tad fainter than last night, but the moon is a tad brighter too.

[Tamtarn]

Here's my best shot from tonight.....Nothing outstanding but due to the fact that it was taken with my little Cybershot I'm pleased with the result :)

22599

This was taken at home looking across the valley. Wasn't as bright tonight but still clearly in view for about an hour then faded a bit due to light cloud cover.

Barb

[astro_nutt]

A nice writeup in today's paper...even though it will fade from naked eye viewing ..it'll still prove a spectacular sight through the eyepiece on a dark night..plenty to offer yet!!..BTW..nice shot Barb!
Cheers!

[erick]

Thought I'd try my backyard tonight - and no camera - just drink in the view using my 20x80s - have only used 11x60s to date.

Didn't take too long to pick it up using the 11x60s - but my yard is heavily treed so I had to find the magic spots where I could set up the binoculars and watch the comet sink between the trees. After about 40 minutes, the clouds rolled in and spoiled the show - but it was wonderful watching the first several degrees of the tail become visible as the sky darkened.

Well, I think that is it for me for a while - except early morning - I think I will be out on the first clear early morning (Friday??) to see it in a completely different "light".

[rasc88]

Hi there!

So here I am in Melbourne for two nights with my bino and my camera and my tripod to see the comet (and make some business) - and frankly speaking I am very suprised how chilly it is (After KL and Singapore). Brrr... :sadeyes:

Anyhow, I see no smoke or haze and I hope the clouds would dissappear during the day - so where best to go from downtown (Collins Street) to see the comet? Erick recommended Brighton beach. Would that be still OK under current conditions or should I rent a car and go somewhere else in the outskirts? Or is there a high spot with some nice foreground (but little light pollution) so I can make some nice pictures? I only was once in Melbourne for some days, so I have little clue about the outskirts and surrounding area.

Cheers

Ralf from Hong Kong

[erick]

Ralf, no promises now, but the weather forecast is for a lovely few days - therefore tonight (Thursday) and tomorrow night (Friday) might be superb viewing.

Tonight I'm busy so cannot get out myself.

Check this thread to understand the conditions down beside Port Philip Bay (eg. Brighton Beach):-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=16759

Here is a photograph from Brighton beach (thanks to danielsun):-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22627&d=1169630037

There are plenty of opportunities around Melbourne - you'll need to search through some of the threads here and look at the images to get ideas.

However, Friday night, I'm tempted to head for dark skies - a place called Snake Valley, about 2 hrs drive west from the city. This is, however, subject to wife's permission!! After comet, you'll also get some good southern sky viewing - though we are starting to get some moonlight. Ralf, send me a private message with a contact phone number, if you are interested.

Hey Ken, any chance of using the clubroom Friday night?

Eric :)

[OneOfOne]

I think I will be heading to Brighton Beach tonight (Thursday) around 9:30 or so. If you get there, you will see a playground right at the car park at the end of North Rd. I will be about 20 metres north (toward the city) around behind some trees...you are welcome to say hi!

I also expect to be there on Friday night if you are not busy.

[EzyStyles]

welcome to IIS Raf. I'm from Hong Kong also :) The best place to go is Brighton beach from where you are. I was there Monday and last night. Although last night was disappointing, I will be going down there tonight again and maybe tomorrow :P

[Dave47tuc]

I have been lucky with 3 nights of clear skies from home and looking clear tonight. Moon is getting brighter:D so the comet will seem fainter.

I even had a quick viewing session on the local footy oval. Lots of happy people, that where rapt to see the Comet.;) I should have charged a buck or two:P

[astro_nutt]

Most of the patrons in my workplace had a peek outside tonight and were amazed..even though it's faint!..I'm pretty sure scope and bino sales were up a bit during all this!!..not much longer and it'll be too faint to see naked eye...but it should prove to be spectacular against a dark sky in any case!

[mojo]

We went out towards Ballarat tonight. I have no idea where we ended up now. Somewhere near a Lavender farm. We never saw the lavender but we saw the signs (Ken?).
Excellent views from a gravel dead-end road in the middle of nowhere. I forgot just how bright stars are in the country. Must get out there more. :D

[erick]

That's why I joined SVAA, Terry. I just gotta have - DARK SKIES!