I braved the clouds in the hope that I might be able to shoot through a suckerhole or two... no joy!! How did everyone else go? Is it too late, do you think?
Need a dark sky to see it now. Even then it will bee too hard to see in a few days.
I want to go out at least 1 more time and shoot it again... close up of course still working on my mounts back lash problem, but maybe getting closer... would have tested it last night but was getting eaten alive my mozzies... Didnt go out this morning, needed to catch up on some sleep and didn't want to walk around like a zombie again...
BTW those string of stars on the close-up, are stars, I have them on my images also..in a different position, DSS and Skymap Pro confirm they are just regular old stars... http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...e.php?a=106266
that feature you've picked up with the beading of the nucleus is not strictly a Kreutz Family trait, but my old mate Rod Austin in New Plymouth pointed out to me yesterday that the September 1882 comet was also known as, 'The String Of Pearls Comet,' for that same reason. The fracturing of that famous comet and its unusual geometery saw up to 8 mini comets shed from the main nucleus and fall by the wayside. These appeared several degrees to the left and below the coma as the comet backed away from the sun.
I don't think there will be too many reports from this side of the ditch until after New Years. A large mass of sub-tropical cloud has descended from off the Queensland coast, and the brilliant high that covered us for nearly ten days is acting as a blocker to the east of us ensuring the low will stick around for nearly a week. Seeing how it 3 times the size of NZ there will be nowhere to run to.
I've attached a montage of three shots from yesterday morning to show from the horizon up to Crux. The widest lense on the Canon 10D I'm using is only a 35mm, which is probably the equivalent to a standard lense. My mate Stephen Chadwick stitched them together for me. Not the greatest shot around but a good rendition of the visual impression I'll never forget.
Details: 35mm, f/4.5, 1 minute, ISO 800. Taken from the Tararua District west of Eketahuna (not to be confused with Etamoogah!).
Well, it was finally clear here this morning. I've attached a median of 8 x 20-30s photos (slightly cropped). The ISS can be see near the bottom. Taken with Canon 40D, 24-105 at 24mm f4, ISO1600. The tail is at least 27.5deg long!
First (and probably last) visual view from the 'burbs
So after a cloudy and stormy Christmas, I decided to have a go last night despite frequent bands of cloud coming across. Quite transparent skies in the breaks, for suburban Melbourne, LMC quite easy to unaided eye and good telescope views of DSOs. Thought I'd risk staying up even with the frequent clouds, and was rewarded with bigger breaks after 3:30.
In the 14x70 binoculars, I could see a pale vertical streak stretching over about 12deg., narrowest at the base, maybe a degree wide at it's brightest point jus north of a bright star cluster (guess S Normae cluster but had no chart at the time). No sign of a head or even brightening to the head end, though low altitude might have dimmed the lowest part. Much harder than I thought it would be but happy to see it at last! Will be interesting if the Milky Way is reducing contrast, or if the comet is just getting v faint / low surface brightness.
And it was visible to the naked eye ... just! The clouds were gone at 4am), and only with averted vision, there was the palest streak running straight up, maybe 7-10deg worth. Milky Way was only clear overhead, but there was no doubt I could see Comet Lovejoy, I repeated the observation a good number of times and checked the position of the streak with binos. The naked-eye portion was roughly the brightest bit in binos. At least a 9/10 for visual difficulty from my location, but am well happy to have seen it before it fades too much . I'll need darker skies to see it naked-eye from now on!
andy
Two images of Comet Lovejoy from Royal National Park
Christmas morning I travelled to Curra Moors in Royal National Park to look at Comet Lovejoy. Clear nights have been very rare where I live, so I just had to take advantage of the opening in the clouds:
It must be very rare that one can use a 14 mm lens to photograph a comet through fog in heavily light polluted skies, and still obtain a reasonable image.
Shame about the endless cloudy conditions. I think that by the time I can look at the comet again it will be diminutive.
Agreed, I had a look at both my close-ups and cannot see any condensed objects within the nucleus, only background stars..
No mate, your shot doesn't have the resolution whereas Rob's has. There's a very thin "spine" right up near the head of the comet, just behind the hood. In it are very, very small points of light that are stretched out along the spine, back towards the tail end of the head. You couldn't take any accurate astrometric reading off these, they're just too small. Rob McNaught spoke to Les (Dalrymple) about this and was complaining about how hard the readings off the head were. He can see the spine running back from the head of the comet. I'm waiting on an email from Gabriel Brammer at Paranal, to see if he was able to get a look at the head to see what was there. But hotmail has decided to take a holiday and I can't access my email!!!!.
"THOSE who stayed up late to watch for Santa on Saturday night were in for a treat as a new 'Christmas star' lit up the skies above the Riverina about 4am.
Wagga's two wise men, directors of the Wagga Observatory Dr Graeme White and Michael Maher, watched on from a location overlooking Borambola, south of Wagga, as Comet Lovejoy illuminated the morning twilight, much like the Christmas star observed at the birth of Christ.
Comet Lovejoy, a sungrazer that was discovered by Terry Lovejoy on Sunday, November 27, has made the trip around the sun and is now visible in the morning twilight, before it fades away in the sunlight.
"Terry Lovejoys's comet is the first sungrazer to be discovered from ground- based observations since the one that I discovered some 40 years ago," Dr White said."
This is a bit of a test that I've had ongoing for a few nights now.
Last night I finally got a chance to try it out.
Nothing new, I simply put my old SLR (film) 80-200mm lens
on to my QHY8 with an adaptor I made on the lathe.
Marc (multiweb) inspired me to try this, he consistently gets
lovely pinpoint stars at these FOVs , albeit with a QHY9 mono, similar
lenses and Ha Filter....but I was mainly after the FOV.
The stars are nice enough shapes 2 stops down from wide open.
The homemade GEM and worm tracked beautifully, all I needed was
for Mr Lovejoy's comet to climb high enough over my roof.....and
the clewds to co-operate.
This is 1hr and 10 mins exposure of part of the tail, stretching almost
to Alpha Cent.
No mate, your shot doesn't have the resolution whereas Rob's has. There's a very thin "spine" right up near the head of the comet, just behind the hood. In it are very, very small points of light that are stretched out along the spine, back towards the tail end of the head. You couldn't take any accurate astrometric reading off these, they're just too small. Rob McNaught spoke to Les (Dalrymple) about this and was complaining about how hard the readings off the head were. He can see the spine running back from the head of the comet. I'm waiting on an email from Gabriel Brammer at Paranal, to see if he was able to get a look at the head to see what was there. But hotmail has decided to take a holiday and I can't access my email!!!!.
Thanks for the info Carl, not sure I am seeing what your seeing then, any way of you being able to show the points you describe? I have seen something on Robs images that is different to mine, but they look more like an image artefact to me (could be wrong). All other points match well for known stars in the field. I am not doubting the objects but I would like to see what you are seeing, maybe there is something there.
Thanks for the info Carl, not sure I am seeing what your seeing then, any way of you being able to show the points you describe? I have seen something on Robs images that is different to mine, but they look more like an image artefact to me (could be wrong). All other points match well for known stars in the field. I am not doubting the objects but I would like to see what you are seeing, maybe there is something there.
Have a look at the image inset on Rob's pic. You'll see a bright star near the head of the comet on the lower part of the head and then to the upper right of there a very dim "star". Just above that, there's a very thin line running from near the front of the head going back to where the tail starts. In it, you'll see some very faint "blobs" that are aligned along that line. In the main pic, you can see the spine a bit more clearly.
That's why I'd like to see if the guys at Paranal can train a scope onto the head to see if there is something there. I hope there is