Anyone want to see some comets?

[Descartes]

Three comets have received quite a bit of notoriety in astronomical circles lately: LINEAR C/2002 T7, NEAT C/2001 Q4, and most recently C/2004 F4 Bradfield. I was able to get a glimpse of T7 and Bradfield an hour or so before twilight, so I thought I'd pass it on. They're absolutely spectacular to see, and it's certainly not something you'll encounter often in your lifetime.

You can look here to get a better idea of where Bradfield is, and it's looking amazing right now. If you're familiar with astronomy, you can use this map to find it. It's really easy to find with a pair of binoculars (I use a 12x60 then follow up with telescopes) after finding Alpha Andromadae.

If anyone is actually interested and wants some more information, let me know.

 

[Chaotic42]

Interesting. I wish I could go look, but the bright lights from New Orleans and Biloxi make it almost impossible to see any stars at all here.

 

[Bootprint]

We need some naked eye comets again, like the 2 back in the mid '90s.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Interesting. I wish I could go look, but the bright lights from New Orleans and Biloxi make it almost impossible to see any stars at all here.

Yeah, I have to drive about a half-hour outside of the city to view them. I also have to do this at 3:30AM to get there in time.

 

[luvya]

So how do I see the comet from Seattle area? What's the time and which direction should I be looking at?

 

[saxophonoia]

Originally posted by: Bootprint
We need some naked eye comets again, like the 2 back in the mid '90s.

Yeah I remember those.

 

[luvya]

Still need more info on how to look for the comets.