HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wish everybody has a wonderful 2008. At least, there are few great astronomical events waiting for us. At least, January is favoured with 3 fantastic events.
Continue reading ‘Happy New Year 2008 - Amazing Events Are Waiting For Us’
Archive for the 'Comet' Category
Comet tail disconnected from 17/Holmes nucleus [by Thorsten Boeckel]
Comet 17P/Holmes gives us surprise again. The comet’s tail disconnected from the nucleus. It’s believed to be caused by gusts the solar wind which trigger magnetic storms around the comet. This phenomena is not rare, it happened on Comet Encke earlier this year.
Amateur astronomers are monitoring this comet each night. What about you? Since my last observation, the sky has been cloudy until now.
Below is the direct quote from SpaceWeather.com regarding the satellite of Holmes.
It seems like I haven’t found the best setting to image 17P/Holmes. I just got a very noisy (offset too high) image with no detail. Time to go to CloudyNights.com to ask the community why.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the comet last night. Although the clouds are still there, I could still easily spot it by its “nebulosity”. I found that the telescopic view (8″ LX90 2000mm) was more spectacular than the the binocular (Meade 9×63mm). If you had watched Armageddon, you would quickly recognize the comet as the asteroid in the movie. It looks so threatening to us but it’s not going to collide with us. So, NASA doesn’t have to send Bruce Willis to drill a hole there.
All right, good weather is gone again. Let’s hope the sky will clear soon.
WOOOooooHoooOO! It’s so wonderful that a heavy downpour happened in the evening and most of the clouds are gone now. What’s the “star” tonight? Well, Comet 17P/Holmes is the “star” for the whole week and the next whole week. I’m watching it now. Sure, my laptop and Meade LPI is going to record it down and show it to my fellow friends. They are just too busy with the upcoming SPM exam (the O’ level exam).
Comet Holmes 17P is getting bigger and bigger. At the same distance as of Jupiter, it’s now bigger than it. Imagine! It was at magnitude 2.3th measured by Dr.Clay on 28 Oct 2007. It was 255 arc seconds across on the same time. If you are interested in the photometry result, you may refer to COMET OUTBURST: Comet 17P Holmes More facts below…
Continue reading ‘Comet Bigger Than Our King Planet - 17P/Holmes’
Although I haven’t seen McNaught myself these days, the spectacular images around the webs pleased me very well. I have been collecting the best McNaught photos for my very own collection but sharing is always a better attitude. 
Enjoy!
New Addition!
Author: Kevin Crause
Location: Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
Date: 20 January 2007
Photo Details: Nikon D2X, 80mm lens, f/2.8, 20secs, ISO800
Description: This is probably the longest tail I have seen!
McNaught C2006/P1 continues brightenning and it’s now visible at daytime sky! Isn’t it really amazing? It’s now the brightest comet in 40 years and continue challenging the Ikeya-Seki in 1965 to be the brightest comet in centuries!
Go outside and stand in the shadow of a building so that the glare of the sun is blocked out. Make a fist and hold it at arm’s length. The comet is about one fist-width east of the sun. This is the instruction by SpaceWeather.com Beware of the sunlight, it will cause severe damage to your eyes if you stare at it with your naked eyes.
No astronomer is going to keep himself in front of the monitor when this super duper comet shows up. McNaught 2006/P1 is brightenned so rapidly as it nears the Sun. From what I see from the photos taken by amateur astronomer, the short exposure photos are really breathtaking! It’s short exposure! That means the our sights are quite similiar to the photos. Below is the skymap by Space Weather.
After I get the permission from the author of the photos, I will post them up here.
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