Comet Coming

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/201...cid=maing-grid7|uk|dl10|sec1_lnk2&pLid=161006

 

Thanks Zig

 

Heard about this one yesterday so emailed Mr Kandy to let him know so he could have a Google to try and find out some more about it and then while watching the Sky at Night last evening it got a mention at the end of the prog.I wish we had one of those super duper overly big telescopes because what could be seen with them last night was fantastic and we now realise just what we miss in the night sky

 

Should be a good under clear skies, don't worry if you miss it though, another one is coming at the end if the year! Comet Ison - should be much larger and brighter!

 

Am I missing something Zigs? Looks like its in Pisces which I can't see, in the evening/morning sky at this time of the year, can I?

Isn't Ison going to be at very low angle though, so when it is at its brightest it will be too close to the Sun to be able to see it? I hope not though ...

Star / Comet sky charts (need to set up your location though ):
http://www.heavens-above.com/comet.aspx

 

It's not in the greatest position to be honest, from what I can tell looking at the star charts, it's going to be very low down in the sky, the tail should (if predictions hold up) cover a large part of the sky.

I've been lucky to see 4 comets, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, a faint fuzzy in my telescope a few years ago which I can't remember and Comet Holmes when it unexpectedly had an outburst and became a naked eye comet.

Hale-Bopp (taken on good old film so excuse the poor quality!)



Comet Holmes ( combination of several photos taken through my telescope and then 'stacked' to bring out more detail).



Astronomy is another of my hobbies!

 

Nice one, I remember Hale bop, I was working in the middle of nowhere in Cornwall, very clear skies.

 

Its a bit overcast here, but if it clears up later I might have a drive up to the hills. Absolutely no point trying to see any space related thing from Redcar, on account of the whole of Teesside being one big mass of light pollution.

 

I think its early morning viewing C1? as I think Pisces will be over the horizon in the evening. But I can't get my head around it, so hopefully someone else can tell me!

I'll go and have a look on Cloudy Nights forum, probably some good info there.

 

OK, I know squat, clearly!

This from Cloudy Nights, itself from EarthSky.org

"Around March 12 and 13.
Moonlight will interfere with the darkness of the night sky, but there should be some wonderful photo opportunities as the young moon returns to the same part of the sky as the comet.

By March 12, the comet will be considerably higher in the sky and will set around 75 minutes after sun.

Throughout March 2013.
The comet could be visible in the Northern Hemisphere evening sky low in the west after sunset.

At this time, the comet might have a bright dust tail, and perhaps visible to the unaided eye or binoculars."

Tonight will be only 2 degrees above horizon at start of night time, tomorrow 4 degrees, then one more degree each day until 10 degrees on 15th ... that's still very low in the sky unless you shin up a mountain and look down a valley!

 

Whens it open and in which town