Upcoming Comets?

[Azimuth (Ash)]

Hi All,

I'm new here and hoping for some advice.

Having missed out on Comet Lovejoy I'm keen to observe the next spectacular comet that comes along.

Do you have any handy 'comet tracking' links or resources that show upcoming comets and their visibility from Victoria?

Thanks for your help!
-Ash

[Rob_K]

Hi Ash - probably the best place for current comet news is here (click "South" link at top to get visibility from southern latitudes):
http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html

Comet ephemerides are available here:
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau...ets/index.html

Skyhound has finder charts for some of the brighter comets here:
http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/

Cheers -

[Liz]

Ash, to IIS.

Oh, shame you didnt see Comet Lovejoy. It was a magnificent comet, and the best I have seen for > 10 years.

Hopefully another will come along in the next 5 yrs.

Keep an eye on the site here, any decent comet will get a mention, in the observing section normally.

Rob is one of our big comet men, so the links are great.

[Outbackmanyep]

Originally Posted by Liz

Ash, to IIS.

Oh, shame you didnt see Comet Lovejoy. It was a magnificent comet, and the best I have seen for > 10 years.

Come on Liz, surely P1 McNaught would have been a better sight than W3!
With all these really bright comets available to us Southerners recently it's hard to pick sometimes!!!!!!!!

[Rob_K]

Originally Posted by Outbackmanyep

Come on Liz, surely P1 McNaught would have been a better sight than W3!
With all these really bright comets available to us Southerners recently it's hard to pick sometimes!!!!!!!!

Ouch OBMY, better duck for cover - I seem to remember Liz saying she missed seeing McNaught, badly timed for the Wet up there!

Cheers -

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Just put an order in to Rob McNaught and Terry Lovejoy.

They are the Comet men.

Tell them what Magnitude, tail shape, length etc you want and see if they can fill your order

Yeah, we need more spectacular comets

[Liz]

Originally Posted by Outbackmanyep

Come on Liz, surely P1 McNaught would have been a better sight than W3!
With all these really bright comets available to us Southerners recently it's hard to pick sometimes!!!!!!!!

... yes, bloody non stop cloud/rain so no McNaught for us.

[Azimuth (Ash)]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm finding the links a bit hard to understand but I will work at it.

Maybe the best strategy is head to a relatively dark site early in the morning during new moons and see whatever is out there.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by Rob_K

Skyhound has finder charts for some of the brighter comets here:
http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/

Cheers -

This is a good and easy one to use Ash.

No viewable comets around at the moment (not sure re the newly found Comet Bruenjes) but hopefully soon.

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Liz

This is a good and easy one to use Ash.

No viewable comets around at the moment (not sure re the newly found Comet Bruenjes) but hopefully soon.

CdC has C/2012 C2 (Bruenjes) at mag in the mid 8s, transiting at around 17:00 and setting at around 22:00 (times for Sydney)

[Rob_K]

Originally Posted by mithrandir

CdC has C/2012 C2 (Bruenjes) at mag in the mid 8s, transiting at around 17:00 and setting at around 22:00 (times for Sydney)

Bruenjes is a difficult target, a very diffuse comet currently being reported in the mag 11s total, and nuclear magnitude in the 15s to 16s. It's tough because of its diffuseness. Very low in the WNW after evening twilight in southern Australia and getting lower & fainter. I imaged it a few nights ago and it just registered as a faint glow. Outbackmanyep observed it in a 10" reflector and made it mag 11.8, visible in averted vision.

Cheers -

[Liz]

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by Rob_K

I imaged it a few nights ago and it just registered as a faint glow. Outbackmanyep observed it in a 10" reflector and made it mag 11.8, visible in averted vision.

Cheers -

A glow is a glow Rob, and another one for the list.

Welll done to OBMY for getting it visually.