OT: Comet Holmes is visible

[Assimilator1]

Originally posted by: Wiz
Maybe it's easier if the sky in the image is black & the stars are white?

Look at this picture - holmes2.gif

Cool! ,now I need to print it off so I can hold it up to the sky

Btw we have really bad light polution around here ,will I still be able to see it? (if I ever could?)

 

[Wiz]

Maybe with binoculars.
The more light the harder it is, and it's moving away from us.

 

[Spacehead]

If you can see some of the stars that make up Cassiopeia(the big "W") then you should be able to see it... if not naked eye then with binoculars. Notice that the comet is moving closer to the brightest star in Perseus, so that should help you find it easier over the next few days.

In case you didn't know... on these charts Wiz & i are showing, the larger the dot on the chart= the brighter the star in the sky.


Interesting tidbit:

GIANT COMET: University of Hawaii astronomers have measured the diameter of Comet 17P/Holmes: 1.4 million kilometers. This makes the exploding comet bigger than the sun and now the largest object in the solar system. Not surprisingly, the comet is visible to the naked eye; with only a backyard telescope you can watch its gigantic debris cloud expand from night to night. Nov. 19th is an especially good night to look: Comet Holmes will glide by Mirfak, the brightest star in the constellation Perseus, and appear to swallow it. Visit http://spaceweather.com for a sky map and images.

(Note: The sun remains by far the most massive object in the solar system. Comet 17P/Holmes' diaphanous atmosphere of dust and gas, which is what the astronomers measured, contains less mass than a typical asteroid. In spite of its great size, Comet Holmes is a lightweight that won't be deflecting the orbits of planets or causing any other such catastrophes.)

 

[Coquito]

Thanks guys. It's on the other side of the house, but I should be able to spot it if I stand on the corner of the block.

 

[Wiz]

Wow - last I looked it was 700,000 miles diameter, now it's 870,000 Miles diameter.
The weather report here says rain up until Monday, then clearing.
Maybe I can get the telescope out one more time before it goes away.

 

[Assimilator1]

That's insanely large!:Q

I'll try looking in a few mins ,if I can remember the star configuration (probably not).

 

[Spacehead]

Originally posted by: Assimilator1
I'll try looking in a few mins ,if I can remember the star configuration (probably not).

Good luck Assim... cloudy here the next several days at least.


Assim, Coquito & anyone else mildly interested in stargazing... get yourself a planisphere. They're cheap(~ $10) & easy to use. Get one for the correct Latitude where you live.
You don't need to become an expert but learning a few of the major constellations can come in handy.

 

[Ken g6]

I just went out and looked at it. It's pretty easy to find with binoculars, much easier than I expected! But it's nearly straight overhead, so I couldn't quite point my telescope at it (the legs got in the way). Maybe I can catch it earlier in the evening tomorrow.

By the way, Cassiopeia is past its highest point at this time of night, so it looks more like an M. If you can see all of those stars, just to the right, you can see three stars in a little arc downward, with the central one brightest. There's a fuzzy area below it, and that's the comet.

Here's what I saw from Colorado, looking almost due north, and showing as few stars as possible. The comet, below the star labeled Mirfak, is obviously not that bright; but it's almost that bright through binoculars!

 

[Assimilator1]

SH
Cool little device ,thanks for the info

 

[Wiz]

so it looks more like an M

So what if you turn around 180 degrees?

Sounds like you have a tripod mounted scope Ken, that's one reason I really like the Dob.
Looking straight up is one of the easiest things to do with it.

I can sit by it and view, kids can walk right up to it and look through the eyepiece without touching the scope. 8 inch mirror collects a lot of light yet it's small enough I can carry the whole thing around as one if need be, or take the tube off the base and carry in two trips (one if I have an assistant).

I've owned several refractors, so I know what you mean about the mount getting in the way. There's never any practical way to view above a certain angle.
I was tempted to get a big 5 or 6 inch refractor, Meade has nice scopes that size, but the mounting is so very limiting.
I'd like to have a bigger light bucket, but anything larger I'd have to switch to something like the Meade 10" F10 LX200 GPS. Actually bigger than 10" would be nicer - though it does start to get pretty expensive. They are easier to maneuver than the Dob, and have nice computerized controls.

Half the fun is finding objects yourself, but I know having a computerized scope would be cool. Maybe something with a great CCD and remote control, connect it up to my projector and do some stargazing from my recliner...
Oh yeah, when it's not cloudy & raining.

 

[petrusbroder]

Lol, that sounds really like arm chair astronomy ...
BTW Wiz, what refractor would you get if you wanted to use 1 000 US$? I am considering ... links are appreciated, looking around in Sweden has given me some ideas but I'd like some more opinions. :Q

 

[Wiz]

I like this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...Item&item=180181960033

Right now it'a about $1000 US.
New these go for more money, and with only 4 hours left it may well move higher in price.

I have used a scope like this in my front yard with a street light and viewed nebula and saw them in color.

For now my old 8 inch Dobsonian will have to do...

Adding GPS would be cool - but it really drives up the price.

Edit: I remember the one I used in my front yard was actually a 13 inch.
It had been the scope owned by and made for one of the design engineers at Meade, so it was pretty nice. This was nearly 20 years ago, so please forgive my memory

 

[Spacehead]

Originally posted by: Wiz
I like this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...Item&item=180181960033

Technically that was a Schmidt-Cassegrain, not a refractor

Still cloudy here the last week or so & no signs of it changing for the better any time soon



Yet another killer APOD pic of Holmes

Holmes photo gallery at Spaceweather

 

[Spacehead]

Hubble peers into Holmes interior

Anyone seen this thing lately? The other night it was clear finally but it was a full moon. Holmes was barely visible in my binoculars. Now it's been cloudy again the last few nights.

 

[Wiz]

Technically that was a Schmidt-Cassegrain, not a refractor

Yes, but it's the telescope I prefer.
However my pocketbook prefers a used 8 inch Meade Dobsonian. Still the Dob did a great job with this comet, hopefully a sight my kids will remember. I know I will.