Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3

[h0ughy (David)]

OK tonights effort , 60 seconds iso 1600 through the ED80 on the c8 unguided with the canon 300d. 3.6 degrees when this was taken!!!! I will process the images in the morning or tomorrow night. this is just a tease I hope. yes its moved a bit from this morning

[fringe_dweller]

wow 60 secs, and really low on horizon?! (or was that ambient temp?) I see the cometography bug starting to bite deep here? onya Dave

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by fringe_dweller

wow 60 secs, and really low on horizon?! (or was that ambient temp?) I see the cometography bug starting to bite deep here? onya Dave

no that was exposure, the height was just above 12degrees from horizon I think. the temperature was cold, we had a small frost this morning

[fringe_dweller]

ahh yes I was referring to the '3.6 degrees' part of your post mate, np, thanks! great little set-up you have there too :-))

[fringe_dweller]

well seeing i am the designated driver? a couple of new piccies have cropped up in recent days
I love Mike Holloway's (USA) CCD mosiacs and he has done it again (see if i can beat spaceweather to the punch here?) contains fragments C B and G
http://www.fototime.com/45A75A52E4AA806/orig.jpg (340kb)
also John Drummond (NZ) posted a very nice one of component C yesterday http://tinyurl.com/owra5

[h0ughy (David)]

ok here is a precessed shot, the glows in the corners are the streetlights

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I printed up a finder chart this evening and went out to find my first comet. It sure is something special! Now I know where to look I think I can just make out component B without binoculars. Can't wait for it to brighten.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Hey wheres Kevin?

I'm here, sort of. The weather has been overcast for the last couple of weeks due to cyclones and what not. It's only just cleared.

Anyway, had my first look tonight since early April. Fragment C has really brightened and is easy in the 5.5 inch now. I think current estimates put it around mag 7.5. The nucleus looks kind of elongated. Maybe it's breaking up like the other fragments? Or maybe my eyes are blurry from all these headaches.

Tonight's piccy from a couple of hours ago. About 27 minutes worth of frames and motion through the 5.5 inch f3.6 SN.

This comet appears to be mostly dust. No plasma tail in the photo.

Congratulations Jjjnettie on your first comet!

[fringe_dweller]

H0ughy, looks good mate, I cant wait to have my own tracking setup one day

Watchout Jeannette - comets can be addictive! anyway glad to hear you had a great time with first comet, thats what its all about. congrats :-)))

WB Kevin!!! interesting, it does look elongated as you say.
27 min!! another great capture from you, hope your feeling better for the close approach mate.

[h0ughy (David)]

looking at Kevins shot and retracing the star trails, it looks as though it was a few hours after I shot mine. nice!

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

I think the best time to view the comet is now, considering the full moon at close approach will be a problem next month.

[h0ughy (David)]

Current comet magnitudes (April 23)
Comet Magnitude Trend Observable When visible
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (C) 7.5 bright 60 N to 50 S all night
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (B) 8.5 bright 60 N to 50 S all night
Pojmanski (2006 A1) 10 fade 60 N to 10 N all night
McNaught (2005 E2) 11 fade Poor elongation
73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (G) 12 bright 60 N to 30 S all night
LINEAR (2004 B1) 13? steady 45 N to 65 S morning
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 13 varies Poor elongation
LINEAR (2003 WT42) 13.5 steady 60 N to 10 S best evening
71P/Clark 14 ? bright 35 N to 85 S morning
41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak [14 bright 55 N to 30 S evening

http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/

[circumpolar (Matt)]

Originally Posted by cometcatcher

I'm here,

Glad to see you have some clear sky.... finally!

Oh, and before I forget....Thankyou for your relentless imaging of C/Pojmanski !!!

[Greg Bryant]

Houghy,

Too many comets are never enough (to paraphrase Roy & HG).

I hope that people here are getting out to try to observe Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. What we're seeing right now - the chance to observe multiple fragments - is such a special opportunity.

And for those with long memories, tonight is 20 years since Comet Halley was visible during a total lunar eclipse. I have fond recollections of that evening, observing with my parents and my brother from Mt Banks in the Blue Mountains (and a sleep in the car on the way home as the following morning I was playing in a marching band for the ANZAC Day March).

Cheers,

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by Greg Bryant

Houghy,

Too many comets are never enough (to paraphrase Roy & HG).

I hope that people here are getting out to try to observe Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. What we're seeing right now - the chance to observe multiple fragments - is such a special opportunity.

............

Cheers,

Greg, happy to send any images I have good bad or ugly .

I plan to get Scott Alder this weekend and image the fragments with Berts 300mm lens hope to get big image of them. hope it works.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Thankyou for your relentless imaging of C/Pojmanski

Thanks Circumpolar. Glad you enjoyed the Pojmanski pics.

And for those with long memories, tonight is 20 years since Comet Halley was visible during a total lunar eclipse. I have fond recollections of that evening,

Me too! Only I'm still annoyed at myself since I concentrated all my efforts on the eclipse instead of Halley's comet! What an idjit I was! I had a fine view of Halley through 7x50 binos with the tail stretching through the field. I didn't think to concentrate on the comet at the time of the eclipse.

Looking forward to the pics with the 300mm Houghy.

[meade expert]

Heres a pic taken 1.30am from Saddleback Mt NSW of 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 .(C component)

Taken through ED80 , Nikon D70 ,800 ISO 3 mins exposure.
Whole assembly piggybacked on a 10 inch LX200 Classic.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Good shot Joe.

[fringe_dweller]

Onya Joe, nicely caught

Just spent a bit of time tonight observing SW3 'C' tonight/am. First up with the 8.3" dob @ low power (~50X) from suburban backyard - and I am pretty impressed for an 8th mag comet, stood up well to the LP!.
Better than a gas comet of same mag would anyway methinks, been a while since we had a dusty one eh!
Moonlight shouldnt be so destructive for such a dusty number? not like those fragile shrinking violet gas ones
Saw the much talked about bright elongated central coma, that was very cool, I thought the dusty, slightly fan shaped tail extended at times to around maybe 25'? watched it (periodically) passed a nearby, similarly as bright as elongated inner coma, star, over a few hours.
Couldnt find fragment B for the life of me with telescope or handheld large binocs (20x80's) although burning a hole in the sky looking for it!!?? pretty damn sure looking in right spot too - could see mag 5.56 star Eta Coronae Borealis, naked eye nearby got me!, might have to wait for dark site that one.
Fragment C in the 20x80's (handheld) seemed much larger than in the 'scope, surprised me again - thought I saw a decent sized faint outer coma? edit:surprisingly large fuzzy ball ( inner coma wasnt apparent tho), and wider longer tail, around half a degree long in fact.
Checked out Jupe with the new parks ep's from 47tuc, seeing wasnt superb but I love that 7.5mm, man that rocks - sometimes barlowing bigger eps isnt good enough, got to have that genuine thing :-))) anyway great session, night!

[fringe_dweller]

wow - check out the recent VLT on fragment B (and its fragments)- WOOHOOO!
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-re.../pr-15-06.html
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-re...hot-15-06.html

EDIT: LOL should of known it would be on APOD - pays to always check them first