Comet
In June 2010 we had agian the change to observe a bright comet; McNaught C/2009 R1.
The comets was only visible in the early morning so I had a observing window till the 14th june. Still I was able to make 7 observations of the comet with the 20” Newton before morning light disturbed the observations.
The thin tail in every picture north of the comet-head is the growing gas tail as the comet is closing in to the sun.
The second tail is the dust tail pointing close to west .
The comet is named after Robert H. McNaught and will close into the Sun in mid June at a 100 million miles distance.
The perihelion on the 2 july will bring the comet at a distance of 0,405 AE from Earth.
Drawings are made on printed starcharts, this gives my the possibility to draw the comet on the exact spot.
It provides also the size of the comet-head and size of the tail and the direction that the tail(s) are pointed.
Degree of condensation (DC) was varying between DC5 and DC6.
Every picture provides you with the N-E angle the estimated magnitude and moste imported the scale in arc minutes.
The estimated magnitude of the comet is made with the “Sidgwick” methode.
Magnitudes are derived from the Tycho/Hipparcos catalogs.
The time given with every picture is the UT time at the moment that I put a cross-mark where the core was of the comethead.
Stars are printed between magnitude 12 and 13.
PA Angle of the gas and dust tail
PA / Gas tail / Dust tail
8 june 260° 252°
9 june 290° 255°
10june 290° 265°
11june 295° 270°
12june 295° 270°
13june 287° 245°
14june 304° 260°
DC 5 / 6
NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft successfully flew past comet Hartley 2 at 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT) Thursday,
Nov. 4. Scientists say initial images from the flyby provide new information about the comet's volume and material spewing from its surface.
Images from the EPOXI mission reveal comet Hartley 2 to have 100 times less volume than comet Tempel 1, the first target of Deep Impact.
See the picture left of the nucleus of the comet Hartley. (NASA courtesy)
Finely again an bright comet that shows details in the eyepiece. for the whole year you can watch at Garradd in the constellation Hercules. Look for it in the early evening in the west. See star-chart for the comet position.
Every triangle shaped mark shows you where the comet is at 18h UT.
Between every triangle there's 3 days and the first one starts at September 24 and the last ends at January 19 2012.
Center comet:
Telescope:
Date en Time:
Pa angle of the tail:
(