[meteorite-list] 'New Year's Comet' Lovejoy Reaches Its Peak: Watch for It

From: Mark Langenfeld <lmlangenfeld_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2015 22:14:41 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <970807377.13354166.1420686881752.JavaMail.zimbra_at_tds.net>

-9 degrees F (much colder wind chill) here in Wisconsin, but the seeing is good. I had no difficulty finding and appreciating the comet in 7x50s tonight. Once located, it proved to be a fairly easy naked-eye object as well (at least prior to moonrise). Well worth a few shivers!




----- Original Message -----
From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks via Meteorite-list" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
To: "Ron Baalke" <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>
Cc: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2015 7:29:33 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] 'New Year's Comet' Lovejoy Reaches Its Peak: Watch for It

If you have not seen it yet, go outside and take a look. It is quite
easy to find. Under my NELM 5.5 skies, I was able to spot it in under
two minutes using a 15x70mm binocular. The coma is easily visible
right where the finder charts said it would be. It forms the third
point of a triangle extending from Orion on one point and the Hyades
on the other point.

This one resembles a large nebula with an extended diffuse glow with
distinct brightening in one area.

Clear dark skies!

MikeG

PS - I didn't even wait to get dark adapted - it was that easy to see.

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On 1/7/15, Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com> wrote:
>
>
> http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/new-years-comet-lovejoy-reaches-its-peak-watch-it-n281561
>
> 'New Year's Comet' Lovejoy Reaches Its Peak: Watch for It
> By Alan Boyle
> NBC News
> January 7, 2015
>
> It's prime time for Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2), this month's "It" comet:
> Wednesday night marks the comet's closest approach to Earth, at a distance
> of 44 million miles (70 million kilometers), and heralds the start of
> the best season for viewing. But you have to know where to look.
>
> "If you can find Orion shining high in the southeast after dinnertime,
> you'll be looking in the right direction to track down Comet Lovejoy,"
> Sky & Telescope senior editor Kelly Beatty said in a news release. Sky
> & Telescope's finder charts should help you spot the comet during the
> next couple of weeks, when it's theoretically bright enough to be seen
> with the naked eye.
>
> "Theoretically" is the operative word, because you'll have a better chance
> of seeing the fuzzball if you're equipped with binoculars or a telescope.
>
> [Chart]
> This chart shows the view looking southeast during mid-January at about
> 8 p.m. local time. Look to the upper right of the distinctive constellation
>
> Orion to locate Comet Lovejoy. Binoculars will help.
>
> Photographs reveal a greenish glow to the comet's coma, due to the presence
>
> of diatomic carbon and cyanogen. There's a faint tail as well, but you're
> unlikely to see that kind of detail with the naked eye.
>
> The comet was discovered last August by Australian amateur astronomer
> Terry Lovejoy, who has discovered four earlier comets (some of which also
> came to the public's attention as "Comet Lovejoy.") For days, skywatchers
> have been posting pictures to Facebook pages and SpaceWeather.com's comet
> gallery. AmazingSky.com's Alan Dyer ranks among the most vigilant
> comet-watchers.
>
> For more about the prime-time comet, check out the updated viewing guides
> from Space.com, EarthSky.org and Sky & Telescope. Virtual Telescope Project
>
> 2.0 is planning an online viewing party at 2 p.m. ET Jan. 11.
>
> If you're hunting for Comet Lovejoy on Wednesday night, take a look at
> Jupiter and the moon as well. They should be rising over the eastern horizon
>
> around 8 p.m. local time. "As the evening wears on, both the moon and
> Jupiter will appear to ascend in the sky, side by side," Space.com's Joe
> Rao writes.
>
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Received on Wed 07 Jan 2015 10:14:41 PM PST