(meteorobs) Comet Machholz

David Stine david at exposquare.com
Mon Dec 27 11:50:28 EST 2004


Eric,

This comet has been the talk of all comet lists, so it isn't that it
hasn't been being talked about.  It has been naked eye for at least a
week or more and it is in the sky in the evenings about 15 degrees west
of Orion's belt.  It is a beautiful comet, and is sporting several
tails.  Binoculars show the comet even under urban skies and on Jan. 7-9
it will pass a few degrees to the west of the Pleiades.  It isn't talked
about at this list that much because this is a meteor list.  You might
check comets-ml at yahoogroups.com

David Stine

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org
[mailto:meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org] On Behalf Of Eric Bynum
Sent: Monday, December 27, 2004 10:32 AM
To: meteorobs at meteorobs.org
Subject: (meteorobs) Comet Machholz

Dear meteorobs.org colleagues:
       In the latest meteor outlook for December, it is stated that full

moon occurred on 12/26.    This fact is the only reason that I am aware
of 
that could explain the lack of attention being given to the presence of
this 
comet in the vicinity of Orion.   I recall seeing an amateur
astronomer's 
photo taken from Austria showing a bluish gas tail & an orange to yellow

dust tail emanating from the comet's head.   I believe that this photo
was 
available from a link at http://www.msn.com/; unfortunately, I do not 
remember the date on which that hypertext link appeared.   Now that the
moon 
is waning, perhaps Machholz will be visible in the southeastern sky at 
northern latitudes after local sunset.   (At the time that the
photograph 
from Austria was taken, this phenomenon was described as being of fourth

magnitude.)

Eric Bynum, Independence, MO, USA
Bynum_9 at hotmail.com


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