McNaught - how impressive compared to others?

Grinz · #1 20-01-2007, 11:41 PM

Hello all,

I have been glued to iceinspace for the past week or so - amazing to be able to share this amazing comet with so many other people who are also finding it difficult to use or invent superlatives to describe what we are seeing.

I was wondering whether those of you who have seen other very impressive great comets like West, Hale Bopp & Halley etc have any thoughts on how impressive/bright McNaught is compared to those others.

Thanks to the modern miracle of digital photography I can safely assume that McNaught has already become the most photographed comet in history. But where does it rank among the great comets? Many are saying it is the best comet since Ikeya-Seki (1965). Anyone here who remembers that one and who saw some of the others and who can tell us more?

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #2 20-01-2007, 11:46 PM

I haven't seen McNaughty yet, but going by the pics it looks better than when I saw Halleys! and I can't remember what Ikeya-Seki was like. Sorry.

mickoking · #3 20-01-2007, 11:47 PM

I only just this minute come in from observing McNaught and it is one impressive comet. Better than Hale Bopp and Halley

It certainly lives upto the hype, I can't stop talking about it and I'm not easily impressed

dcnicholls · #4 21-01-2007, 12:07 AM

McNaught is very fine. Finally saw it in a reasonably clear twilight sky tonight (some smoke, a fair bit of street light polution). Halley's was a complete flop, Bennett was good but not a patch on McNaught. I missed West. Hale-Bopp was bright but a bit gormless when visible here (Canberra). Ikeya-Seki remains the stand out event of my astronomical life, but McNaught is a very good second, with a far more beautiful tail. Possibly viewed in darker skies than tonight, it might creep closer to Ikeya Seki.

DN

firstlight (Tony) · #5 21-01-2007, 08:34 AM

I only saw Ikea-Seki as a 4 yo and know I dea what it was. That istill have the memory of it is testimony of what it was. Hyakutake in 1996 was my first comet I really tried to observe other than an half hearted attempt to see Halley in 1986.

Hyakutake was spectacular, Watched the tail rise in the NE long before the head, looked like a searchlight pointing into the sky. When it pass the meridian that night, there was at least 25 to 30 degrees of ion tail, with a disconnect easily visible. Next evening/morning I saw it close to the northern horizon through the pollution of Brissie before it dissappeared to the northern hemisphere.

Saw Halley in dark skies, but at the time when it was at its "best". Closest to the Earth maybe, but with the tail pointing away, it was a disappointment. Hale-Bopp was great because it was arround for so long, but we didn't get the best of it in the south.

SOHO in 1998 also holds a special space for me as I witnessed an outburst to mag 2 when it was somewhere near Canis Major, about 5 second of it before it was swallowed by the clouds.

Now we have McNaught... I'm going to have to have a hard loo at my top comets.

1 will still have to be Ikea-Seki as my most special
2 McNaught and Hyakutake, with McNaught getting the upper hand
3 Hale-Bopp
4 SOHO
5 Halley

Cheers
Tony

Grinz · #6 21-01-2007, 08:39 AM

WOW it seems this one really is special then if it compares well with Ikeya-Seki. I did not see that one and Halley certainly was a flop.

I am planning to get to darker skies tomorrow - darker than the urban skies of Cape Town anyway. It is mindblowing here lready (anyone who has not seen it in Cape Town must have been indoors the last few days during the hours after sunset!) but according to one of our club members who drove out to a really dark spot, it is out of this world (in more way than one!) from there with the wisps from the tail stretching out as far to the side as it is long.

BTW we were also treated to the occultation of Venus at the same time tonight. Awesome to see Venus pop out from behind the moon with the comet blazing closeby.

I am totally over-excited like a child who has just received a heap of gifts from Santa.

erick (Eric) · #7 21-01-2007, 11:34 AM

I was ten when my father woke me up before dawn to see Comet Ikeya-Seki. It was brilliant. But I was still too young and my memory has faded too much to compare. Amongst other things, it was memories of Comet Ikeya-Seki that led me, over the past 6-12 months to restart a connection with the night sky.

beren · #8 21-01-2007, 01:36 PM

I saw Comet Hyakutake from a great dark scenic spot in 96 and considered that as the best astronomical event I've seen but over the last week Comet McNaught has really challenged that

The arching tail is just phenomenal , what a sight

iceman (Mike) · #9 21-01-2007, 02:47 PM

I never saw any other "Great" comets, only LINEAR and NEAT in 2004.

McNaught is the BEST thing I have ever seen in my astronomical life.. Pictures later!

NJB (Noel) · #10 21-01-2007, 03:49 PM

I remember seeing Halley's Comet. It certainly wasn't anything special except for the weekend of 15/16 March 1986. I was camping with friends at the coast (somewhere north of Bateman's Bay in NSW, I think). I woke early (4 am maybe) and walked to the beach. I remember sitting on a sand dune, looking at an incredibly clear eastern sky just before sunrise, and seeing at about 40 degrees above the horizon this beautiful comet. Until now, that has been my quintessential image of a comet. I didn't rush back and wake my friends because I was under the impression it was going to be at its best in May or so of that year. I was told later it had brightened considerably at that point because of a solar flare, and it was never as picturesque later. Comet McNaught is supplanting that image for me. I just wish I could capture that long sweep of a dust tail with my lowly digital camera, but I think I need more than the maximum of 4 seconds it gives me.

Noel

dcnicholls · #11 21-01-2007, 10:16 PM

Tonight's view was defintiely more encouraging, due to darker clearer skies. Perhaps now 75% as good as Ikeya Seki. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

DN

Gas Giant (Andrew) · #12 21-01-2007, 10:34 PM

As a life-long Amateur Astronomy, seeing Comet McNaught from the hill at Lostoc has been a real fulfilment. What I saw of hale-Bop and Hyacatuke and several comets since have ben interesting, but here I don't think we saw them at their best.
This comet for us, however, has peaked beautifully and seeing that huge tail - it was the naked eye view that was most spectacular; a telescope was pointless; and that's something I can't say for any other comet 've seen.

Quite simply, after 30 years of Astronomy, I've finally seen a great comet at its greatest!

It's the kind of sight I hope to be able to describe to my as yet unborn grandchildren. It was fantastic!

Astroman (Andrew Wall) · #13 21-01-2007, 11:30 PM

I find it hard putting comets up for the competition of which one is best. They all hold a special place in my mind and each one has a different personality. Although some dont put on a bright show they can look quite spectacular in they're own way. I have a few I remember some I cannot remember the names of but have seen them, each one was great, including Halley.

Halley, was my first comet so holds a special place there.
Hyakutake was my first comet that I followed from 8 days after its finding, I found it in my 4.5" telescope, and found it each night for 8 more days then I lost it, I waited till its reappearence from the northern Hemisphere, and wasn't disapointed.

Hale-Bopp was good with nicely split Ion tail, Macholz Was very impressive with its green tinge, WM1 was the first comet I looked at through my 8" f7 telescope. there were a couple of others in there too, but cannot remember the names....

ving (David) · #14 22-01-2007, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman

I never saw any other "Great" comets, only LINEAR and NEAT in 2004.

McNaught is the BEST thing I have ever seen in my astronomical life.. Pictures later!

they are the only others i have seen too...

I cant tell you all how stoked i am to have been a part of this event. people will talk aobut this comet for decades

Grinz · #15 22-01-2007, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ving

I cant tell you all how stoked i am to have been a part of this event. people will talk aobut this comet for decades

I agree, Ving. In fact, I feel quite drained after watching this grand comet three nights in a row this weekend over Table Bay. Saturday brought a wonderful occultation of that beautiful crescent Venus as well, so it really was an abundance of riches. People (astronomers and non-astronomers alike) will certainly talk about McNaught for a long, long time.

Astroman, I really enjoyed your and other people's descriptions of the various comets that you have seen and what made them special.

astroron (Ron) · #16 23-01-2007, 12:10 AM

Up and till comet Mcnaught came along Hyakutake was my favourite comet followed this comet with a now departed friend from when it was a little fuzzy dot until it reached its full glory, It has some great memories for me

I to saw its tail shooting straight up from behind a hill way past Arcturus like a searchlight, then early on in the morning fill the frame of my bedroom window

Comet Mcnaught will go down in the history books as the comet of the decade, possibly the century.

Comet Halley was special because of its history,but was not visually spectacular, Hale-Bopp was great but as it was an evening comet for us in the Southern Hemisphere was past its best for us.
Soho, Neat, and Linear where good but are not in the same league as Mcnaught in my opinion

CometGuy · #17 23-01-2007, 09:13 PM

DN,

I asked the question to David Seargent 2 days ago about Ikeya-Seki compared to McNaught, and he mentioned he still rates Ikeya-Seki the most impressive comet he has seen because of the brilliant tail. David has seen all the comets since the early 60's.

The only comets at the same level I have seen that could compare with McNaught are Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake, this how I would sum-up:

1. Hyakutake - Fantastic gas tail, the detail in binoculars was amazing. Amazing with naked eye seen against a very dark sky.

2. Hale-Bopp - The coma and first section of the tail were brilliant (I saw the comet from the US when at its best). Very well located for viewing and absolutely spectacular in binoculars (problably the best comet I have seen through binoculars/telescope). However, tail was bright only for a 5-10 degrees (the rest was averted vision stuff).

3. McNaught - Had a brighter/larger tail than either of the 2 comets. More impact to the naked eye, especially with the beautiful vertical plume extending into the horizontal 'auroral' section. Impressive daylight visibility. The only con was that the coma was very low in the sky (although the negative magnitude made up a little for that). Can't wait to get out and see it again!

Terry