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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Science and Technology => Topic started by: blobrana on October 25, 2007, 12:11:26 AM

Title: Naked eye comet
Post by: blobrana on October 25, 2007, 12:11:26 AM

The 17th magnitude comet  17P/Holmes (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=17p&orb=1) currently in the constellation Perseus has rapidly brightened, becoming a  magnitude 3,  naked-eye object in the evening sky, according to astronomers in Japan, Persia and Europe.
A similar outburst lead to the comets discovery in  November 1892.

Ephemeris (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/0017P.html)

Read more (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17P/Holmes)

Perseus is near enough overhead just now... Take a look/photo quick...

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: blobrana on October 25, 2007, 12:30:10 AM

Image (http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5052/17pcomet102423h26mqp3.gif) (9kb, 655 x 459)

IMAGE (http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/6981/p9260003lu8.jpg) (271kb, 1024 x 768)

Find the extra star....

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: blobrana on October 25, 2007, 02:07:02 AM

Comet 17P/Holmes is showing impressive activity.  The comet  should have been at  magnitude +16,8; but it is currently at naked eye visibility.
Earlier yesterday, observers noted an abrupt increase in brightness of  the comet,  with it rising suddenly to magnitude +7, and a few hours later becoming  visible to the naked eye with a  magnitude estimated at +4. 0.
Seiichi Yoshida, a  Japanese observer announce at 13:40 UT  that the comet was visible to the  naked eye  from downtown Yokohama with a magnitude that he estimate at +3.5.
At 15:30 UT, Yoshida announced that the comet was at magnitude +3 and should reach  magnitude +2 in the next hour.
The comet is located in the constellation of Perseus, just beside Lambda Persei.

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: JaXanim on October 26, 2007, 11:45:39 AM

Magnitude 2.4 on Thursday 25 October.
Link: Meade DSI Forum (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Meade_DSI/message/54751)

Nice new image: Here - ensure page is dated 26 October 2007 (http://www.spaceweather.com/)

JaX

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: blobrana on October 27, 2007, 02:17:13 AM

Hum,
i just got an news alert email that 3  wise men from the East  had been spotted...

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: Agafaster on November 12, 2007, 02:21:59 PM

Ha!

I've seen this comet - I pointed me 10x50 Russian 'nocs at it, and was suitably impressed - just a fuzzy patch to the left of northern perseus, and south of casseiopeia, but quite a tight constrained fuzziness. took a couple of pics from my Practika MTL5B and a 200mm Telephoto. dunno if they'll come out - or even if the camera still works !

also -is mars in Gemini at the mo ? slap bang in the middle of the constellation, and red, so I guessed it must be. very clear skies last night even for the Black country !

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: Agafaster on November 17, 2007, 08:05:31 AM

Yes, its mars (yeah yeah, I know - replying to own post !), deduced by the enormous mars pic on the latest copy of Astronomy Now. comes to conjunction (IIRC) on Christmas Eve.

Showed my mum the comet and mars last night - the skies over the East Mids are a lot clearer than the Black Country ! :-(

Title: Re: Naked eye comet
Post by: A4000_Mad on November 20, 2007, 09:47:34 PM

We've only got cloud down south at the moment. So when the sky clears where do I look and at what time? i.e. North East at 1AM at an angle of 45 degrees.

(No point telling me to look to the left of northern perseus, and south of casseiopeia etc :oops:)

EDIT - Star date 221107. 20:30  - I just saw something out there... some THING!! It was orange and was north north east at an angle of 30 degrees :-D