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comet news
Jan. 10th, 2007 10:23 amposted to SfEPLine:
Now and for a few remaining days for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, a bright comet is visible in the western sky for a short while after sunset. Here is what the British Astronomical Association
has to say about it today:
"... this comet is now a spectacular object in the early evening twilight. Denis Buczynski reports that he saw the comet tonight from a site north of Inverness. In the evening twilight he estimated that the comet was as bright as Jupiter and a tail of several degrees was visible with the naked eye. [To help gauge size: the Sun and the full Moon are half a degree across.]
"Over the next few nights the comet will be best seen in the evening sky. You will need a clear western horizon and should start looking as soon as the Sun sets [but see below]. The comet should be obvious at an azimuth of around 240 degrees [WSW] and the tail will be pointing almost straight up from the horizon. The comet is also visible in the morning sky at an azimuth of around 110 degrees around 30 mins before sunrise but circumstances are not as good as in the evening.
"By perihelion on January 12th the comet could be brighter than Venus. It has been seen through gaps in the cloud, so make an effort even if the weather prospects look poor. This is a rare opportunity to see a very bright comet."
I've not looked for it yet, but it's a more or less cloudless afternoon here in sunny N Yorkshire, so I'll be up on a vantage spot soon after the Sun sets at 4.05 pm; but despite what the BAA says, the Sky & Telescope article at http://skytonight.com/observing/home/5089276.html suggests looking 20--40 minutes after sunset (no later, otherwise you risk the comet having set). Don't expect a huge tail spanning the sky; but bright comets are unusual, and you don't have the chance to see many in a lifetime.
Binoculars or a birding telescope are likely to give you the best views.
Now and for a few remaining days for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, a bright comet is visible in the western sky for a short while after sunset. Here is what the British Astronomical Association
has to say about it today:
"... this comet is now a spectacular object in the early evening twilight. Denis Buczynski reports that he saw the comet tonight from a site north of Inverness. In the evening twilight he estimated that the comet was as bright as Jupiter and a tail of several degrees was visible with the naked eye. [To help gauge size: the Sun and the full Moon are half a degree across.]
"Over the next few nights the comet will be best seen in the evening sky. You will need a clear western horizon and should start looking as soon as the Sun sets [but see below]. The comet should be obvious at an azimuth of around 240 degrees [WSW] and the tail will be pointing almost straight up from the horizon. The comet is also visible in the morning sky at an azimuth of around 110 degrees around 30 mins before sunrise but circumstances are not as good as in the evening.
"By perihelion on January 12th the comet could be brighter than Venus. It has been seen through gaps in the cloud, so make an effort even if the weather prospects look poor. This is a rare opportunity to see a very bright comet."
I've not looked for it yet, but it's a more or less cloudless afternoon here in sunny N Yorkshire, so I'll be up on a vantage spot soon after the Sun sets at 4.05 pm; but despite what the BAA says, the Sky & Telescope article at http://skytonight.com/observing/home/5089276.html suggests looking 20--40 minutes after sunset (no later, otherwise you risk the comet having set). Don't expect a huge tail spanning the sky; but bright comets are unusual, and you don't have the chance to see many in a lifetime.
Binoculars or a birding telescope are likely to give you the best views.
