Comet McNaught (2006/P1) - discussions - Page 30

fringe_dweller · #**581** 02-02-2007, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grinz

Yes it is amazing - they did a grand job. I will find it most useful for the talk I talked myself into giving next week for our club

just say something about subcomets and headless tails and that about covers it

h0ughy (David) · #**582** 02-02-2007, 07:38 AM

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mkyoneto/star/mcnaught.htm this link has a wonderful set of images from the outset until just recently. simply amazing!

xstream (John) · #**583** 02-02-2007, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0ughy

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mkyoneto/star/mcnaught.htm this link has a wonderful set of images from the outset until just recently. simply amazing!

Those images of the Comet and Aurora are absolutely stunning!

Grinz · #**584** 02-02-2007, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0ughy

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mkyoneto/star/mcnaught.htm this link has a wonderful set of images from the outset until just recently. simply amazing!

Yes came across them on Spaceweather.com. Fabulous stuff. Also love his shots of the comet also showing the LMC, SMC. 47Tuc & the Southern Milky Way.

I was waiting for someone to get those shots, his were the first I saw and they are also technically marvellous. Like the one where it clearly shows the comet with the circumpolar stars.

His pictures and those of Gordon Garradd (& some others among you here who have done some exceptional things) belong on posters, don't you think?

Beetlejuice · #**585** 02-02-2007, 11:20 PM

Hi All, new to this forum, have been following it with great interest since mid Jan but never registered so thought it was about time I did. I am in Perth WA and have been watching McNaught for a few weeks now. It all started with Halley and have been hooked ever since. Tried imaging on Jan 20th but very poor results allthough I got a reasonable shot of the crescent moon and venus after sunset. Has anyone seen the photo from a Perth beach taken on Australia day with fireworks, lightning and the comet all in the same image? Can't be sure if it is real or a photoshop job??? If anyone would like I can put a copy on for you. Meanwhile happy comet hunting.

cometcatcher (Kevin) · #**586** 02-02-2007, 11:29 PM

Hi Beetlejuice and welcome to the forum!

My first comet was Halley also and have been adicted to comets after that.

The picture you mention has been posted here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...=16333&page=30

It is my opinion that it is a montage. You can read the reasons in that thread. I've been doing photo retouching on the computer now for about 13 years and can usually spot a "photoshop" job.

Beetlejuice · #**587** 02-02-2007, 11:45 PM

Thanks for the welcome Cometcatcher, the link you have mentioned shows nothing about the Perth image and the thread is dated around the 6th of Jan whereas the image should be from around the 26th Jan. Have you given me the correct link or am I missing something

Darrell

cometcatcher (Kevin) · #**588** 02-02-2007, 11:52 PM

You have to go to page 30 post #593.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...&postcount=593

iceman (Mike) · #**589** 03-02-2007, 06:57 AM

It seems spaceweather has given up on McNaught already?

fringe_dweller · #**590** 04-02-2007, 02:46 AM

Hi Mike, I saw spaceweather's remarking on the absence of P1 images, and they surmised wisely, it was to do with the bright moon mostly - but now that text is gone, but they've followed smaller comets than P1 currently is still, in fact when they reached a similar brightness and visual tail length, there is much celebration, from memory

I think the NH have been terrific sports about it, and have shown great interest in seeing it by proxy over the internet, the first great comet of modern widespread broadband/homecomputer era? - anyway what Terry (cometguy) said earlier was spot on, about it being overdue, it is certainly our turn, in fact waaay overdue, to get a far southern spectacular comet - they were like 3 or 4 'best views of the' great comets ahead of us already, and they know it

i think many of them enjoyed their half of the show - they saw an easy daylight comet, that *alone* is top shelf quality stuff!!, and its tail wrapped ect.

BTW Sunday night 4th /Monday morning, the 5th february, marks the beginning of the comet's head/coma becoming visually circumpolar/allnighter for latitudes about 35 south, and further south it already is of course - not that its much above the horizon, initially.

pioneerVicki · #**591** 05-02-2007, 09:16 PM

Anyone know how the comet compared with the Great Comet of 1910? (And I don't mean Halleys.) Some are calling it the 'Comet of the Century'. It has been good; but this is only 2007.

glenc (Glen) · #**592** 06-02-2007, 07:27 AM

Saw McNaught again last night. It seemed to be fainter than 47 Tuc but that could have been due to its low altitude and Casino's light pollution. The tail was visible with the naked eye and was at least 4 degrees long. Looked at it with 7x50s and 20x80s too. The double star JC25 was in the tail.

OneOfOne (Trevor) · #**593** 06-02-2007, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pioneerVicki

Anyone know how the comet compared with the Great Comet of 1910? (And I don't mean Halleys.) Some are calling it the 'Comet of the Century'. It has been good; but this is only 2007.

Actually, at the moment it is not only the "Comet of the Century", but also the "Comet of the Millenium"...woo hoo! How smooth is that! But as you say, it is only 2007...sort of like January 1 is always the hotest, coldest, wetest and driest day of the year, until the next day!

Neil Dwiar · #**594** 07-02-2007, 10:46 PM

Have been on holidays at Goolwa the last week, and appart from one night where the clouds spoilt the view, found the comet each night. Gradually faded and once I knew where to look, could find it each night. Looks a lot different from when I first sighted it back in Jan. Tail then was long and thin, and as it's got further away it has fanned out rather spectacularly. only been using 10 x 50 binoculars,but the view has been fine. Have to upgrade the bino's, while the view of the heavens has been gteat, I'm sure with an upgrade it can only get better.

Goolwa for those who are not from Sth Aust. is about 80 klms to the south of adelaide near Victor Harbor.

fringe_dweller · #**595** 08-02-2007, 05:14 PM

just a note, when making estimations of a comets brightness, care should be taken to to try to use objects/stars at around the same elevation as the comet's head/coma, (atmospheric extinction) evry degree of elevation makes a big diff of course.
also dont use variables or stars with a BV value over (+) 0.5 (altho you can use up to 1.00 in a pinch i spose - the higher the BV the more towards red - ie Antares is B-V + 1.86, comets heads tend to be green/blue of course

Starkler (Geoff) · #**596** 08-02-2007, 05:26 PM

No clouds and no moon until 10pm , I might go mcNaughting again

Beetlejuice · #**597** 08-02-2007, 09:26 PM

Checked it out in Perth last night before the moon came up but could only just make it out with the naked eye, cool in my 12 x 50's tho'

Any thoughts if we will get a brightening??
Darrell

Starkler (Geoff) · #**598** 08-02-2007, 11:11 PM

I had a look tonight and it certainly looks very different to a few weeks ago.

Much fainter and somewhat difficult naked eye, requires a dark site to see now. The tail fans out over about a 35 degree arc, and about 3 degrees of it was visible.
Best view was in the 15x70 binos.

jodee · #**599** 11-02-2007, 10:53 PM

Hey there people,lately i have been completely absorbed with wonder where comet mcnaught is heading?if anyone could explain where they think it is going i would be forever grateful.I dream very much that it is heading for earth,is this possible?Or do i just fear it.Kind reguards,jodee.

No,im not crazy!!I'm serious.

astroron (Ron) · #**600** 11-02-2007, 11:51 PM

there Jodee Comet P1 Mcnaught is on what is called an Hyperbolic orbit and is going away from the Sun/Earth at a great rate of knotts, and as such has no chance of hitting the Earth, It is on it's way possibly out of the Solar System never to return, so you have nothing to be concerned about.