[NatureNS] Re: Another view of Comet McNaught

From: "Terri Crane" <terri.crane@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <866968.97372.qm@web51803.mail.yahoo.com> <64EC12C2-9AEC-441E-AC9C-83EF000CB72F@glinx.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 20:43:58 -0400
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

of it was solid cloud, west of it was a narrow strip of o
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0020_01C735C1.37FAEBE0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="Windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Thanks Sherman for the aleart on the comet McNaught. We had spectacular =
views of it this evening, ~1704hrs - 1739hrs.=20

WOW! =20

With Alexanders enthusiasim (my 8yr old Son) the teacher will probable =
have to sit on him tomorrow to calm him down.

As already noted by others i echo the tail was more impressive without =
aids than with either Bio's or telescope. At arms lenth it measured 4"+, =
I could only imagine what it would look like if it was visable in a =
darker part of the sky later through the night.

Tom K
Canso

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Sherman Williams=20
  To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 2:17 AM
  Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Another view of Comet McNaught


  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. ) enjoying the comet through my 10X50 =
binoculars, I managed a couple quick digital photos from which I'll =
choose and post one later on.  =20


  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 open, clear sky, running around to the North =
Mountain. Some cloud remained overhead.=20


  Noting the time and the nice clear strip in the west, my next move was =
clear;  I headed for a location where I knew I could use the opening for =
a possible view of the comet (Middle Dyke Road, running north from New =
Minas, crossing the Valley dykelands just beyond the Gesner Momument and =
Chipman Corner). By 5 p.m. I  had turned off into a farm road looking =
westward, overlooking flat dykeland.  I had a great view of the open =
strip of sky and it looked like it was perfectly positioned. Relative to =
the Sun's setting position, McNaught had to pass through the opening (if =
more cloud didn't get there first). =20


  Appear it did!   Comet McNaught popped out from under the upper cloud =
layer at 5:11.  From then, until about 5:25, the path for the next 143 =
million kilometres to the westward, between me and C/2006 P1, was =
unobstructed .  What luck! What a sight!   My immediate impression was =
that its brightness had increased over last evening's view, especially =
the intensity of the comet head. Its brightness was a little reminiscent =
of seeing Mercury under similar circumstances, except the comet seemed =
brighter, but that may be my mind playing subjective tricks (seeing such =
a bright comet in the evening twilight is much more rare than seeing =
Mercury). It is bright, for sure. Imagine the sight if this were in a =
dark sky! . =20


  At 5:17 I took my eyes away from the binoculars and noted that the =
comet and some of its tail was easily visible naked-eye. Reluctant to =
take my eyes away from the binoculars,  I  would break away to hastily =
take a few shots with the camera I had set up on the tripod. All too =
quickly, about 5:25, the comet began to drop into the wispy fringe of =
lower cloud. At 5:32 McNaught's light  become indistinguishable from the =
billows of cloud that moved up around it.


  P.S. This morning there was a reasonable clear opening above the =
eastern horizon, every bit as opportunistic as this evening.  From a =
location near Windsor, I began a careful search from about 7:20 a.m. =
until sunrise, without success. Catching the comet in the morning is a =
greater challenge.


  Sherman=20


  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 afternoon =
(January 10) revealing  Comet McNaught in the evening 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 =
17:33 when it vanished behind a cloud layer near the horizon. It was =
easily a naked-eye object, the head of the comet being even brighter =
than yesterday as it approaches perihelion less than two days from now, =
and less than half of Mercury=92s distance from the Sun.  The coma has =
changed in appearance from 24 hours ago, becoming more pointed with a =
blazing =93nucleus=94 at its tip; not surprising as it is being blasted =
by solar radiation more than 30 times more intense than at Earth=92s =
location.

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

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

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

  After Earth=92s rotation raised the horizon clouds to cover the comet, =
I could see its head for another minute, a bright spot penetrating the =
dark cloud. A magnitude estimate is difficult given the atmospheric =
extinction at that low altitude, the lack of any nearby reference =
objects of known magnitude, and the bright twilight, but it 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 =
been rushing almost straight at Earth as it vaults over the north pole =
of the Sun. Over the next few days the comet will plunge southward as it =
passes perihelion and starts its long journey back out away from the =
Sun. That journey will take essentially forever, because with an orbital =
eccentricity of 1.000011 and passing well clear of any planets as it =
recedes, the Great Comet of 2007 will be on its way to interstellar =
space, never to return.

  Roy
------=_NextPart_000_0020_01C735C1.37FAEBE0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="Windows-1252"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dwindows-1252">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1561" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY=20
style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
k