Comet C/2009 K5 (McNaught)

[Liz]

Anybody checked out this comet lately?
IN our morning skies (hate getting outa bed early:sadeyes:) ... presently about mag 8.2 with a small tail.
http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/
Will .... may ... try in the morning ;)

[Rob_K]

It's a nice visual comet Liz - last saw it a couple of weeks ago but it was quite bright and very easy to see in my 4.5" scope. Look for the coma offset a little to one side, not really a 'tail'. :thumbsup:

Cheers -

[Liz]

Thanks Rob :) ... will give it a go tomorrow, if clear.

[Rob_K]

C/2009 R1 McNaught is another comet to look out for Liz, now rising in the east in early morning twilight. This is the one that's predicted to reach naked-eye brightness later in the year (when it will be a northern object). There's been a recent obs posted, putting it at mag 10.2, much brighter than the ephemeris prediction. Don't know, haven't seen it myself...:shrug:

Cheers -

[Liz]

Did have a go this am, but had left it too late, after taking for photos down the beach, of Jupiter and the Moon.
Might be a bit easier over the next 2 am, star hopping , to get to it.

[rider]

I have to go to work too early to get morning comets, but I had a go at comet Wild last night (in Virgo at the moment) - no real tail, 9.5 mag. and diffuse, but easily visible, with a fainter galaxy in the same E.P. field.

My first comet for the year. Wooohoo

[jjjnettie]

It's a effort, to be sure, getting up that early, especially now that the weather is turning cooler. :cold:
But, that said, I'll set the alarm for tomorrow. Being a binocular comet at least there's no setting up and I can go straight back to bed afterwards.:P
Thanks for the heads up Liz.
btw. you should be getting a little something in the mail today. I hope.
Episode 2 is arriving in my mailbox today.

[bojan]

Jeanette, why don't you try your new Tamron lens on it :poke:

[jjjnettie]

I'm not quite well enough yet to set up a mount.:( And I wouldn't be able to get long enough exposures with the camera just tripod mounted.
I'll be quite happy to just observe through the bino's at the moment.

[Liz]

Hmmm.... will give it a go too :thumbsup:




Good luck jjj!! I seem to be hopeless in fining comets, which is a shame cos I love them. :love:
Mailbox empty :sad:

[Liz]

Rider, how did you find Comet Wild - I have 2 charts, that give NGC 5493 near it, but NGC 5493 isnt even marked on my star charts, though still to check a couple more??

Ok ... have found a chart with stars 84 and 92, so know the general area.

[GrampianStars]

Object: NGC 5493
Galaxy, type S0, in Virgo
Right Ascension (2000.0): 14:11:29.4 (h:m:s)
Declination (2000.0): -05:02:38 (deg:m:s)
m_b: 12.4 (mag) , Faint m_v: 11.4 (mag) , SB: 12.3 (mag per square arcmin)
Dimension: 1.70 x 1.5 (arcmin) , PA: 120
http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2009_K5.gif
Chart for Comet C/2009 K5
NE sky in Cygnus (rapidly heading into Cepheus)

[bojan]

Liz,
you should use CdC (http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/download.html)

You have up to date elements of comets and asteroids and you name it at your fingertips also.. then you just print the chart you need, the way you need it.

[jjjnettie]

Well, I woke, got rugged up, got out the binos, dilly dallied over the finder chart, went outside............
wall to wall clouds
Back to bed.

[rider]

Hi Liz,
go to this site: http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and then click on the Finder chart at the top of 81/p wild.
we just go-to'ed to the nearby NGC object and navigated from there.

[Liz]

Thanks guys, will follow those leads.:)
Rider, you have Go-to, which is the magic word. ;)
Shame about the weather jjj .
I have the chart from cometchasing site, which was what I was using, but just werent many objectsto star hop from. :shrug:
Bojan, that site looks complicated, will have a play there.
Think I will have to be brave and get the Argo Navis going to lead me there. :help:

[bojan]

AN will cost you arm and leg... CdC + printed charts are free ;)

[mithrandir]

At least in FNQ you get some altitude. CdC tells me it culminates at about 8 deg. That's about 5 deg below my treeline.

[Liz]

Yes Andrew, Cygnus was looking mighty fine, and very visible the other morning. ;)

[rider]

After 2 years of star-hopping frustration I gave up and went to the dark side. (- After all, THEY have all the cookies)
I am in awe of anyone who can find comets without resorting to the more sordid types of electronic devices.