Hi all,
Comet 2003 T4 (LINEAR) is looking nice at the moment. It's in the morning sky (in Sculptor) rising about 2.30am local time (from NZ) and has a nice photographic tail (at least 2 degrees long). It's definitely worth getting up and having a look / taking an image. The following are its positions for a few weeks -note that it's slowly fading:
LINEAR (C/2003 T4)
Date RA declination r delta mag Elong
---- -- ----------- - ----- --- -----
17 Apr 2005 5:40:20 23h18m51.91s -25 36' 08.4" 0.884 1.095 5.7 49.6
19 Apr 2005 5:40:20 23h32m11.00s -27 28' 30.4" 0.895 1.088 5.7 50.4
21 Apr 2005 5:40:20 23h46m09.65s -29 16' 11.9" 0.907 1.084 5.8 51.3
23 Apr 2005 5:40:20 0h00m45.48s -30 57' 59.0" 0.920 1.082 5.8 52.2
25 Apr 2005 5:40:20 0h15m54.84s -32 32' 42.4" 0.935 1.083 5.9 53.0
27 Apr 2005 5:40:20 0h31m32.83s -33 59' 21.0" 0.951 1.087 6.0 53.9
29 Apr 2005 5:40:20 0h47m33.36s -35 17' 05.4" 0.968 1.094 6.1 54.7
1 May 2005 5:40:20 1h03m49.33s -36 25' 20.7" 0.985 1.104 6.2 55.4
3 May 2005 5:40:20 1h20m12.95s -37 23' 48.7" 1.004 1.116 6.3 56.1
5 May 2005 5:40:20 1h36m36.08s -38 12' 27.3" 1.023 1.131 6.4 56.8
7 May 2005 5:40:20 1h52m50.72s -38 51' 30.4" 1.044 1.148 6.5 57.4
9 May 2005 5:40:20 2h08m49.35s -39 21' 25.7" 1.064 1.168 6.6 58.0
The following are two images I took this morning (in poor transparency) - the first through my 16" f4.5 Meade Newtonian and the other through a 70-200mm Sigma lens with a 1.4x telextender (200 x 1.4 x 1.6 = 448mm @ f4).
16" -
http://www.possumobservatory.co.nz/c...050416-web.jpg
or
http://tinyurl.com/7altt
Sigma lens -
http://www.possumobservatory.co.nz/c...050416-web.jpg
or
http://tinyurl.com/d9kbb
Get out there and enjoy the show before it's over!
Cheers.
John Drummond
Gisborne, New Zealand
E 178* 03', S 38* 40'
email:
john_drummond@xtra.co.nz
website:
http://www.possumobservatory.co.nz
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