Comet or not?

duncan · #1 10-06-2007, 10:57 PM

G,day all,
While waiting for Jupiter to get above the trees in my backyard tonight i decided to have a bit of a scan along the Milky Way. Started just below the Pointers and just kept working eastwards. criss crossing the path of the Milky Way up,down,up,down. Got within about 20 degrees of Jupiter (draw a line from Jupiter to South Celest Pole) and here is a fuzzy ball that could not be resolved even at 364x in a twelve inch. Nice bright centre and plenty of Coma. Can anyone identify it for me? Was looking at 10pm.
Wonderful seeing conditions tonight but a tad on the cold side.
Also got to see quite a few galaxies, in Leo mainly but a few others as well.
At least the best part of old Milky is visible earlier now, get to bed before 2am LOL.
Cheers.
Ps. The Whitsundays was great!

h0ughy (David) · #2 10-06-2007, 11:37 PM

could be this?

duncan · #3 10-06-2007, 11:52 PM

Can't be Houghy. East of cross and southern edge of Milky way.

astroron (Ron) · #4 10-06-2007, 11:56 PM

Comet Mcnought is around the SCP, other than that from Jupiter there are some globular clusters M62 comes to mind but it is only 8degs away from Jupiter.
Globular cluster IC4499 a 10 mag globular is only about 4 degs from the SCP.
RA =15:01:39 DEC-18:15'04"

duncan · #5 11-06-2007, 12:27 AM

Well i'm fogged in now so it will have to wait till tomorrow night. Whatever it is it was nearly five fists at arms length from Jupiter at 10pm in a line towards the sth pole.I figured about mag 8. I don't know i'll wait till tomorrow night.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #6 11-06-2007, 12:48 AM

Take your pick Duncan. Ther's a heap of stuff along that path between Joop and the SCP.

duncan · #7 11-06-2007, 12:55 AM

Hi Ken,
I was so sure it was a comet i even told the missus i'd just seen a dirty snowball. She was wondering what the hell i was on about,LOL.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #8 11-06-2007, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan

Hi Ken,
I was so sure it was a comet i even told the missus i'd just seen a dirty snowball. She was wondering what the hell i was on about,LOL.

AHHHH!!! That's what you saw!!!

A dirty snowball

Duncan, there's so much stuff up there that it's not all mapped. Could be anything from a small Globular to a distant Galaxy. I tend to find clusters of Galaxies everywhere I image in very long deep exposures now.

Mark it on a sky map if you can, and then we can do a search for you

duncan · #9 11-06-2007, 01:06 AM

Thanks Ken. I'll try to find it again tonight and map it for you. Like i said i could not resolve any stars at all in it. And it was round not oblong.

Ps I need a bloody camera,LOL

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #10 11-06-2007, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan

Thanks Ken. I'll try to find it again tonight and map it for you. Like i said i could not resolve any stars at all in it. And it was round not oblong.

Ps I need a bloody camera,LOL

Lots of round Galaxies up there! Planetary Nebulas too. Even a couple of Asteroids in there.

Here's that same area with a legend so you can see what all the marks mean

CometGuy · #11 16-06-2007, 10:58 PM

Duncan,

Only just come across your post! As others said there a lots of possibilities (Galaxies and fainter globulars). 5 fists at arm length is problably closer to 40 degrees from Jupiter. A pity you didn't get a good position, oh well

Terry