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Re: (meteorobs) Hale/Bopp from John Bortle



-- [ From: Robert Lunsford * EMC.Ver #2.5.1 ] --

> February 16.42UT: Coma's magnitude (m1) = 1.5 with unaided eye, while
the
> nucleus appears like a 2.8 magnitude star imbedded within it. 7x50B
show a 7.5
> degree ion tail in p.a. 316 (NW) and a 5 degree long dust tail toward
the SW.
> 16-inch reflector @170x shows two subsidiary nuclei or mass ejections,
the
> first 9" from the primary nucleus in p.a.195 (S), the other 21" from
the
> nucleus in p.a. 225 (SW). These are at opposite edges of the bright
dust
> fountain coming off the primary nucleus. Comet followed telescopically
until 14
> minutes before sunrise.
> 
> J.Bortle
> 

I was out this morning observing the comet through my 16". I can verify
what Mr. Bortle is saying as the nucleus looked doubled and somewhat
"potato-shaped" at high magnifications. The south end had an intense
fountain of material creating the brightest portion of the dust tail.
The yellow color has faded somewhat to a "creamy off white". It was too
bright to estimate tail length but the naked eye magnitude of the coma
was estimated at +1.4.

Bob Lunsford