The Great Christmas Comet of 2011, 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) |
The Great Christmas Comet of 2011, 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) |
Guest_Sunspot_* |
Dec 2 2011, 09:59 PM
Post
#1
|
Guests |
http://sungrazer.nrl.navy.mil/index.php?p=.../birthday_comet
Possible very bright sungrazing comet coming mid December - Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) Information in the link above. |
|
|
Dec 23 2011, 12:35 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 |
From comet-ml post #19031 by David Seargent:
QUOTE Hi all,
At last, a clear morning here at Cowra. And the comet was glorious! tail was measured at 15 degrees, with the furthest portion dividing into a split main tail and a secondary emerging from the curving main one, giving the effect of a spreading triple tail. The main tail was judged to be about three quarters of a degree in width. By contrast, the coma was very inconspicuous. In the 25x100 binocular telescope, a very rough estimate gave just mag. 5. However, saying that the comet was fifth magnitude gives absolutely no impression of the spectacle! The head was simply lost against the intense tail. I had the strong impression that the central portion (in terms of length) of the tail was the brightest. The extremity was (not surprisingly) fainter, but the section closest the head was (more surprisingly!) fainter as well. At first, I thought that this was just the effect of lower elevation, however the impression continued as the comet rose higher, so I now think that it was at least partially real (although elevation no doubt contributed to some degree.) I recall that the same was true of Ikeya-Seki. In that instance, the brighter section was crossed by stria, however, I saw no evidence of stria in W3. Interestingly, with the naked eye, the tail seemed to wax and wane in intensity; an effect also noted in Ikeya-Seki. No doubt, this is simply due to waves in our atmosphere, but it nevertheless added to the spectacle. There is no doubt that this comet is included amongst the Great Comets of history. Not the "greatest of the Greats" like Ikeya-Seki, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp and McNaught, but certainly high on the list of the runners up! Once more, congratulations Terry on this historic find. Your skill and dedication has been well rewarded! David |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 31st October 2024 - 11:11 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |