[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

(meteorobs) Clear skies!



Guys -

Well, I finally got a sky!  While everybody else went to our local astronomy
meeting, I went out observing ;)  My meteor report will be forthcoming as soon
as I decode my tape...  I was actually surprised that I saw as many as I did.  I
always figured February was fairly dead.  By the way, Bob, made good use of
those charts last night!

No power.  No heat.  Managed to stay warm with long johns and 3 pair of woolly
track pants, multiple pullovers, parka, a handful of blankets, and one of those
heavy silver survival sheets wrapped over me.  It was -21C, a little crisp...
But actually, quite enjoyable for several hours!  Cranked up the local country
radio station, and wiggled my toes in time...

Also.... saw the comet!  First time since last year.  I was surprised at how
completely different it looked in binos and a scope.  In 7x35 binos, it looks
positively chubby.  It seems to go from head to very fat tail, without a gradual
tapering.  In morning twilight, I could see about 2 degree tail length, and
about 3/4 degree tail width.  I estimated the overall naked eye mag in morning
twilight between Rasalhague's 2.1 and Epsilon Cyg's 2.5.  I just took off my
glasses to fuzz both stars and the comet.  

George wrote: 
>I would like to note that I cannot for the life of me get a magnitude anywhere
near the mid 1.5's that I've been >reading in some reports. I can understand the
possibility of longer tails...such as those 15 deg long reports >if they came
from very dark skies with good eyeballs doing the looking. No splitting or
anything exotic >appearing.  

Mid 1.5's?  Nope, I don't see that either.  

Also looked at it in a friend's small refractor, which was already set up.  It
was actually very interesting.  The nucleus is extremely stellar.  There was a
bright fan-shaped jet coming out from the nucleus, on one side only.  The tail
seemed to have 2 parts, with a darker area between the tail parts close to the
nucleus.    It looked very different in binos vs. even a small scope.  Took
photos too, just camera and tripod for this morning...

And... my gear's all ready to go for tonight again if the weather holds....

- Cathy
  Great White North