Friday, January 12, 2007

Comet Ncnaught C2006/P1

*Updated*
A new comet has arrived on the Scene !
Currently diving towards the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, it is set to become extremely bright in our west/South Western sky starting this Sunday in the twilight.
The diagram (in the Weblink below) shows its approximate position, soon after sunset.
For a Detailed explanation & the Map, go to the discoverers homepage: http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~rmn/C2006P1.htm
Its current Magnitude is estimated at -3, which is 1/2 as bright as the very bright planet Venus.
Just how bright it will be once it swings round the sun (inside the orbit of Mercury) over the next few days is uncertain, but it should certainly be good !
As you can see from the map the comet will continue to rise in the sky as the days pass.
As it does so it will be seen in increasingly dark skies, however as each day goes by it will drop in brightness.
GAA will be holding a viewing session on Hindle Oval #2, due to its good western horizon & convenient location.
Viewing will be on Monday night the 15th from Sunset (6:55 pm).
Bring Binoculars, camera & Tripod & a camp chair if you have them.
Lets hope the weather is clear on the night,with the forecast being for "chance of a thunderstorm" (no surprises there !)
A gold coin donation to GAA on the night is appreciated.
In the words of the Immortal Big Kev "I'm Excited, how about you"
Update:
Well .... what a sight ! I have recently returned from the IISAC 2007 http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=16686 in the northern Hunter valley NSW.
This Comet had to be seen to be believed, there are not enough adjectives in the English Language to describe the sheer Awe of this experience.
I have attached some of my Humble shots of the comet here.

I think sales of DSLR cameras to the Astronomical community will be on the rise after this comet & the wonderful photos captured by these cameras capable of long exposure shots.
http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught_page17.php

4 Comments:

At 7:35 AM, Blogger mark_smith said...

Got my First view of the comet Wednesday night here in the UK. The head of the comet was really bright while the tail was huge. Hope you get to see the comet.

 
At 9:02 PM, Blogger NT Stargazer said...

Thanks mark I sure hope I do too !
Unfortunatly I am in the tropics & it is our wet season.
Luckily I am heading south next week so I am sure to get at look at the comet of my lifetime.

 
At 5:47 PM, Anonymous Gwen Shoesmith said...

Have seen comet for the last 2 nights southwest sky at Wallaroo. (West coast of Yorke Peninsula, South Aust)@ approx. 9.30pm..
An awesome sight. Have gathered extra numbers of people each night to experience the sight.

 
At 9:28 AM, Blogger NT Stargazer said...

Good on you Gwen, this is truly a GREAT comet. I will be posting my pictures taken from the hunter valley SW here shortly.

 

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