[NatureNS] Re: Another view of Comet McNaught

References: <866968.97372.qm@web51803.mail.yahoo.com>
From: Sherman Williams <sherm@glinx.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 02:17:04 -0400
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January 10, 2007: Once again I had the good fortune of having yet =20
another good view of Comet McNaught. Although I spent most of the =20
observing time (5:11 to 5:32 p.m. ) enjoying the comet through my =20
10X50 binoculars, I managed a couple quick digital photos from which =20
I'll choose and post one later on.

Between 4:00 and 4:45 I had been in New Minas doing an errand; at =20
that time the area was receiving a heavy snow flurry from heavy dark =20
clouds all around especially to the south. Then abruptly the flurries =20=

abated and the north side of the Valley and especially westward, =20
cloud began to lift away, allowing the setting Sun to appear. The =20
cloud's dividing line literally was the solar disk. East and south of =20=

it was solid cloud, west of it was a narrow strip of open, clear sky, =20=

running around to the North Mountain. Some cloud remained overhead.

Noting the time and the nice clear strip in the west, my next move =20
was clear;  I headed for a location where I knew I could use the =20
opening for a possible view of the comet (Middle Dyke Road, running =20
north from New Minas, crossing the Valley dykelands just beyond the =20
Gesner Momument and Chipman Corner). By 5 p.m. I  had turned off into =20=

a farm road looking westward, overlooking flat dykeland.  I had a =20
great view of the open strip of sky and it looked like it was =20
perfectly positioned. Relative to the Sun's setting position, =20
McNaught had to pass through the opening (if more cloud didn't get =20
there first).

Appear it did!   Comet McNaught popped out from under the upper cloud =20=

layer at 5:11.  =46rom then, until about 5:25, the path for the next =20
143 million kilometres to the westward, between me and C/2006 P1, was =20=

unobstructed .  What luck! What a sight!   My immediate impression =20
was that its brightness had increased over last evening's view, =20
especially the intensity of the comet head. Its brightness was a =20
little reminiscent of seeing Mercury under similar circumstances, =20
except the comet seemed brighter, but that may be my mind playing =20
subjective tricks (seeing such a bright comet in the evening twilight =20=

is much more rare than seeing Mercury). It is bright, for sure. =20
Imagine the sight if this were in a dark sky! .

At 5:17 I took my eyes away from the binoculars and noted that the =20
comet and some of its tail was easily visible naked-eye. Reluctant to =20=

take my eyes away from the binoculars,  I  would break away to =20
hastily take a few shots with the camera I had set up on the tripod. =20
All too quickly, about 5:25, the comet began to drop into the wispy =20
fringe of lower cloud. At 5:32 McNaught's light  become =20
indistinguishable from the billows of cloud that moved up around it.

P.S. This morning there was a reasonable clear opening above the =20
eastern horizon, every bit as opportunistic as this evening.  =46rom a =20=

location near Windsor, I began a careful search from about 7:20 a.m. =20
until sunrise, without success. Catching the comet in the morning is =20
a greater challenge.

Sherman

Sherman Williams
sherm@glinx.com
website:  http://www.glinx.com/~sherm


On 10-Jan-07, at 8:49 PM, Roy Bishop wrote:
The clouds parted low in the WSW sky over Avonport late this =20
afternoon (January 10) revealing  Comet McNaught in the evening =20
twilight for a third time (previously on January 7 and 9).

I watched the comet from when it dropped into view at 17:23 until =20
17:33 when it vanished behind a cloud layer near the horizon. It was =20
easily a naked-eye object, the head of the comet being even brighter =20
than yesterday as it approaches perihelion less than two days from =20
now, and less than half of Mercury=92s distance from the Sun.  The coma =20=

has changed in appearance from 24 hours ago, becoming more pointed =20
with a blazing =93nucleus=94 at its tip; not surprising as it is being =20=

blasted by solar radiation more than 30 times more intense than at =20
Earth=92s location.

Against the twilight sky the tail is still a narrow fan with well-=20
defined edges. I looked for structure within the tail (15 x 45 IS =20
binoculars), but it appeared quite uniform in brightness, other than =20
fading gradually to blend into the twilight about 0.5-degree from the =20=

head.

Twice while I was watching flocks of ducks in silhouette flew past =20
the comet.

( I also saw several ducks fly through my binocular field in =20
silhouette against the sky. It was a neat sight with a comet in the =20
background. )

After Earth=92s rotation raised the horizon clouds to cover the comet, =20=

I could see its head for another minute, a bright spot penetrating =20
the dark cloud. A magnitude estimate is difficult given the =20
atmospheric extinction at that low altitude, the lack of any nearby =20
reference objects of known magnitude, and the bright twilight, but it =20=

must have been at least -1 if not -2.

There is an orbit animation for Comet McNaught at:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?name=3Dc/2006+P1

The animation shows that during the past several days the comet has =20
been rushing almost straight at Earth as it vaults over the north =20
pole of the Sun. Over the next few days the comet will plunge =20
southward as it passes perihelion and starts its long journey back =20
out away from the Sun. That journey will take essentially forever, =20
because with an orbital eccentricity of 1.000011 and passing well =20
clear of any planets as it recedes, the Great Comet of 2007 will be =20
on its way to interstellar space, never to return.

Roy=

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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">January 10, =
2007: Once again I had the good fortune of having yet another good view =
of Comet McNaught. Although I spent most of the observing time (5:11 to =
5:32 p.m. )=A0enjoying the comet through my 10X50 binoculars, I managed =
a couple quick digital photos from which I'll choose and post one later =
on.=A0 =A0</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Between 4:00 and 4:45 I had been in New Minas doing =
an errand; at that time the area was receiving a heavy snow flurry from =
heavy dark clouds all around especially to the south. Then abruptly the =
flurries abated and the north side of the Valley and especially =
westward, cloud began to lift away, allowing the setting Sun to appear. =
The cloud's dividing line literally was the solar disk. East and south =
of it was solid cloud, west of it was a narrow strip of o