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
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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. |
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Dec 26 2011, 09:28 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 |
From comet-ml post #19117 by Rob Kaufman:
QUOTE Nice report Jim. I too observed it this morning, starting earlier at 1:30am (UT+11) with a fair bit of the fainter tail showing. I had also observed it on the 24th (23rd UT) and this morning it was considerably fainter, and longer. I could imagine that now, combined with interference from the Milky Way, it might be difficult to see in light-polluted skies. Nonetheless, I found it quite impressive still from my very dark sky site. Gone are the 'ribbon' structures and the ion tail evident on the 24th, and the tail (naked-eye, binoculars & photographic) shows no structure. The tail appeared fairly bright for the first 10-deg or so, but naked eye the exact position of the head was difficult to make out as the tail narrowed down to nothing. Not so with binoculars or photographically. As the tail fanned out the surface brightness diminished although it was quite clear as far as the top Pointer, a distance of 28-deg. Naked-eye I could make it out faintly to halfway between the top Pointer & the Southern Cross, about 33-deg. Nothing could be seen there with binoculars - in fact even the section adjacent to the Pointers was difficult to make out with binoculars. Photography seems to show some faint hints of dust extending to adjacent to the Cross (perhaps 38-deg) but I need to check some reference images to see if it's just fortuitously aligned bright patches. Was it John Bortle who predicted the comet would expand & dim to became a huge 'ghost'? Because that's the impression I got. The comet would still be a striking sight away from the Milky Way, but even in amongst it I found the sight of this great ghost transfixing, a true wonder! He also posted this image: |
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