Lat night I managed to view and image the comet despite the cloud bank. Looks like its going to do the same tonight. Even if I never see the comet again I had perfectly clear nights on the 19th (visual) and 20th (imaging). I am a happy chappy
Can someone please give me an estimate of the current magnitude. Has it noticeably been fading over the last few days? Is it expected to dim rapidly over the coming days?
Well, was a great day today, 'till the clouds started rolling in!
Hopefully It'll clear up some.
My B+W film photo's from the 20'th look alright thru the slide viewer, can anyone in Perth with a decent neg. scanner give me a hand and scan 'em for me?
What an absolutely glorious sight! Memories of 1965 come flooding back. I was 20 then, on board a cargo ship, the Port New Plymouth, crossing the Pacific heading for Panama, comet Ikeya-Seki stretched out across the sky beside Corvus the Crow. I still have my copy of Nortons Star Atlas with the comets path pencilled in. I was completing a deck apprenticeship, studying navigation. Knew all the stars for navigation but wasn't much interested in anything else in the night sky, but Ikeya-Seki changed all that! Tonight, after an agonising week waiting for cloud and smoke to go away, there was that magical sight again! Inspirational, emotional, made me feel 20 again! And to think that most people are sitting watching TV oblivious to the beauty and wonder of the night sky outside!
Thank you Kaoru Ikeya, thank you Tsutomu Seki, good on ya Rob McNaught!
Chris
On 612 ABC local radio this morning, during the Astronomy segment with a prominent Astronomer, we were informed that Comet McNaught is no longer of interest. Nothing to see, move along to the next thing.
I don't know about you guys, but I reckon that this Comet's Grande Finale is truely special.
Needless to say I rang up the station and politely explained that they were talking codwallop and McNaught is still a naked eye object that is well worth taking the time to see.
I don't think they believed me.
But I couldn't let them get away with it.
Good on you Nettie
Interestingly I just heard on the National ABC Radio news (10pm CST) a big plug for Comet Mcnaught, explaining that it has just become visible in VIC after the rains have cleared the smoke & the clouds have dispersed.
On a side note did anyone out west read the sunday times and the full page spread of photo's??? some where amazing how about the one from southern chile that was truly spectacular oh how i wish i was a bit further south hahahaha
amazing! the most incredible astronomical sight I have ever seen.
bright core visible through 10x 50mm binos. tail easily 40 deg long by 25 deg wide with naked eye.
dark sky site on coast near Inverloch Vic.
can't wait for tomorrow night.
clear skies!
Maybe I should ask this question elswhere (the mods could move if inappropriate here)...
For the moment I am in awe at the sight of McNaught, but while I was looking at that spectacular tail, I was just wondering: but does anyone have information yet on if and when McNaught will result in (I expect spectacular!?) meteor shower? Can't find one of those animations that show the comet's orbit in relation to the Earth's - but maybe one of you have seen/read something?
The naked eye tail of Comet McNaught was 33 degrees high last night. The main part curved around to the left of alpha and beta Gru. Another part of it was visible between iota Phe and beta Scl. It is like a steam train puffing out smoke as it goes.
Finally the clouds cleared here in Melbourne. Went down to the beach and at about 9.30 pm there it was. Beautiful sight. Came back home an realised that I could see it clearly from my front yard. Brilliant.
Great going JJJ, I think the media have been pretty slack on this event. The only mention that I have seen or heard is a one minute segment about 2 weeks ago.
