Hot Comet (McNaught)

Palomar · 2007-01-04 07:54:53

Interesting. This critter will pass Sol by only 0.17 AU (much closer than Mercury), might "flare" in brightness.

Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) is plunging toward the Sun. It won't hit, but at closest approach on Jan. 13th it will be only 0.17 AU away--much closer than Mercury (0.38 AU). When the hot comet emerges later this month it could be brighter than a 1st-magnitude star. Or not. No one knows what will happen.
Meanwhile, you can see the comet with your own eyes

Photo

"This morning (Jan. 3rd) the comet was faintly visible to the naked eye before sunrise at an altitude of 4 degrees (the sun was 10 degrees below the horizon)," reports photographer Haakon Dahle of Fjellhamar, Norway. "The photo," he says, "resembles the view through binoculars."

Sky Map

3D orbit

Soon, the comet will be too close to the Sun to see--unless you're SOHO.

Nope. Last time I checked, I'm not SOHO.

From Jan. 11th to 15th, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory will monitor the comet-Sun encounter using its onboard coronagraph. A date of note is Jan. 14th when Comet McNaught passes less than a degree from the planet Mercury. Join SOHO for a ringside seat.

[All info courtesy Spaceweather.com]

--Cindy

cIclops · 2007-01-15 04:31:50

Norwegian View, Credit: TSFOTO

cIclops · 2007-01-15 09:58:35

View from onboard one of the new STEREO satellites

Comet McNaught - A First Light Present for STEREO

Palomar · 2007-01-18 08:27:25

Hi cIclops: Yes, saw the "first light/STEREO" photo elsewhere. Terrific. The photo from Norway is gorgeous.

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/mcna … rause2.jpg

Comet McNaught is a hit. Photo was taken from Mossel Bay, South America. Someone from Argentina wrote (spacweather.com) that it's spectacular from there; many people observing it. No longer viewable from the northern hemisphere at all.

A real beauty. Magnitude is currently estimated at -3. It brightened as predicted, upon getting close to the Sun.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2007-01-19 10:02:43

experienced astronomers have never seen anything like it--a sweeping fan of comet dust visible to the unaided eye despite city lights and twilight.

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/mcna … ewman2.jpg

The tail curves so much and stretches so far that it actually leads all the way back to the northern hemisphere where streamers can be seen glowing faintly in the western sky after sundown. On Jan. 18th, Mila Zinkova took this picture from a beach near San Francisco:

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/mcna … nkova1.jpg

:shock:

This marks the third night in a row that observers have spotted the comet's tail in northern skies. Dan Laszlo of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society saw it on Jan. 17th and offers this advice: "Find the darkest sky you can and look west between one and two hours after sunset. A site where you can see zodiacal light would be best."

Wow! We're currently having rainy weather, so my chances of seeing this alone aren't good.

Our friends in the southern hemisphere are getting a real treat. Wish I could see Comet McNaught in all its glory with my own eyes.

Photos & info from spaceweather.com

Palomar · 2007-01-30 08:58:01

CIRCUMPOLAR COMET: Comet McNaught is now a circumpolar object over New Zealand--"we can see the comet all night long," says Minoru Yoneto of Queenstown, NZ, who took advantage of the extra observing time to make a spectacular 5-minute exposure of the comet, the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds.

http://www.spaceweather.com/images2007/ … _south.gif

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gall … page20.php

All that courtesy spaceweather.com

Marsman · 2007-02-01 00:12:30

Yes, this was an awesome sight. I live in Melbourne Australia and last week went out to see this comet from my front door. I was looking straight into a street light and yet could see it as clear as day. I have never seen anything like it (despite my ameteur telescope efforts lol) and it was beautiful. I missed Halley's Comet 20 odd years ago, and this was much better. Made me think of what an asteroid must look like before it hits a planet like ours too. Now if I can only find Mars....

Palomar · 2007-02-01 07:39:32

Yes, this was an awesome sight. I live in Melbourne Australia and last week went out to see this comet from my front door. I was looking straight into a street light and yet could see it as clear as day. I have never seen anything like it (despite my ameteur telescope efforts lol) and it was beautiful. I missed Halley's Comet 20 odd years ago, and this was much better. Made me think of what an asteroid must look like before it hits a planet like ours too. Now if I can only find Mars....

Ooooooo, I sure do envy you! Never got to see it when it was visible from the northern hemisphere: It was too dim then, and we've had clouds/rain.

Can enjoy the photos, though. Tons of pics from the s. hemisphere have submitted to spaceweather.com.

Palomar · 2007-02-12 15:54:55

OH NO! :shock:

Look what's happened to Comet McNaught:

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/mcnaugh...b07/Cooper1.jpg

It's STUCK!

Photo from New Zealand.

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2007-01-04 07:54:53

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#2 2007-01-15 04:31:50

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#3 2007-01-15 09:58:35

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#4 2007-01-18 08:27:25

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#5 2007-01-19 10:02:43

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#6 2007-01-30 08:58:01

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#7 2007-02-01 00:12:30

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#8 2007-02-01 07:39:32

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

#9 2007-02-12 15:54:55

Re: Hot Comet (McNaught)

Board footer