Brightening Comet

Awauphi

Awauphi

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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

BRIGHTENING COMET: Comet McNaught is plunging toward the sun and brightening dramatically. It is now visible to the unaided eye both at sunset and at dawn. Amateur photographers have found that they can take pictures of the comet using off-the-shelf digital cameras with exposure times less than a second. Estimated visual magnitude: between 0 and -1.

To see Comet McNaught, a clear view of the horizon is essential. In the morning, go outside and face east. The comet emerges just ahead of the rising sun. In the evening, face the other way--west. The comet pops out of the western twilight as soon as the sun sets. Binoculars reveal a pretty, gaseous tail.

Northern observers are favored. The long, dark mornings and evenings of Canada, Scandinavia and Alaska are ideal for viewing this comet so close to the Sun. But the comet has been sighted in other places, too, as far south as Kansas in the United States and Italy in Europe.

got this via email from spaceweather.com
Happy Stargazing! :)
 
Bright comet set to enter Aussie skies

Bright comet set to enter Aussie skies

Bright comet set to enter Aussie skies
Sunday Jan 14 18:28 AEDT

The brightest comet in Australia's skies for more than 40 years will appear from Monday, astronomers say.

Dr James Biggs, director of the Perth Observatory, said the McNaught Comet is currently at its closest approach around the Sun and will become visible to West Australians from Monday for about a week.

"It should be easy to locate. Find a vantage point with an unobstructed view and look low on the horizon near where the Sun has set, in the direction of south-west, around 9pm (WDT)," Dr Biggs said.

The 10km wide comet was discovered by Australian astronomer Rob McNaught at Siding Spring Observatory, in NSW, in August 2006.

Dr Biggs said it was 12 per cent brighter than the sighting in 1995 of the Hale-Bopp Comet but still 25 times fainter than 1965's Ikeya-Seki Comet.

"But we don't get to see its true brightness because it's close to the Sun and obscured by twilight," he said.

Northern Hemisphere observers have reported the tail of dust cloud following the comet is especially impressive when viewed through binoculars.

The tail is created when the Sun's radiation turns ice on the comet's outer surface to water vapour, releasing dust particles.

Observers are reminded, because of the comet's closeness to the Sun, never to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or through an optical instrument.

©AAP 2007
 
I always look directly into the sun. I'm not blind yet. ;)
 
that was neat to see comet that bright in the horizon
i like comets when they are not threat to earth i think they are pretty in the sky with streaking tails
 
We saw it! We have just got home after seeing a comet. We went to the beach so we can see it better which it took us about 15 minutes to drive to. There was so many people there too looking at the comet. It came not long after the sunset and it was like a bright star with a long tail. Its great feeling to see it and am glad to see it. :)
 
yay good to hear u got to see it.. i didnt see it cuz of cloudy and rains since last week.. grrr i am so mad.. lol.. oh well.. :( its still partly cloudy.. so maybe will see it tonite.. i hope
 
I'm always wary of comets being visible in the sky. Not because of the potential of it striking earth, but because of the potential of it birthing Heavens Gate like groups or making them taking the final exit.

Richard
 
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