Comet C/2006 P1 McNaught

Had a really great view of it just after sunset tonight. It's past its best
but I wasn't able to go looking for it before.

http://www.yp-connect.net/~mmatti/_p...1_mcnaught.htm

The head of the comet was about magnitude 0 tonight, which compares with -2
a few days ago at perihelion. But I still got to see the curved tail with
its light and dark stripes. I dunno if all bright comets have them but this
one did. It was the first time I've seen a comet other than Halley in 1986.

For folks down under, it's awesome.

http://www.spaceweather.com


--Damon

Neil Gerace wrote:
Had a really great view of it just after sunset tonight. It's past its best
but I wasn't able to go looking for it before.

http://www.yp-connect.net/~mmatti/_p...1_mcnaught.htm

The head of the comet was about magnitude 0 tonight, which compares with -2
a few days ago at perihelion. But I still got to see the curved tail with
its light and dark stripes. I dunno if all bright comets have them but this
one did. It was the first time I've seen a comet other than Halley in 1986.


Thanks for that info! I didn't even know we had a bright one in the
vicinity. I'll look for it tonight.

Pat

On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:33:44 -0600, Pat Flannery wrote
(in article ):



Neil Gerace wrote:
Had a really great view of it just after sunset tonight. It's past its best
but I wasn't able to go looking for it before.

http://www.yp-connect.net/~mmatti/_p...1_mcnaught.htm

The head of the comet was about magnitude 0 tonight, which compares with -2
a few days ago at perihelion. But I still got to see the curved tail with
its light and dark stripes. I dunno if all bright comets have them but this
one did. It was the first time I've seen a comet other than Halley in 1986.


Thanks for that info! I didn't even know we had a bright one in the
vicinity. I'll look for it tonight.

Pat

At my latitude it was at its best last week but still too low on the horizon
as the sky darkened. Now it's already set by sunset. :-(

--
You can run on for a long time,
Sooner or later, God'll cut you down.
~Johnny Cash

Herb Schaltegger wrote:
At my latitude it was at its best last week but still too low on the horizon
as the sky darkened. Now it's already set by sunset. :-(



Unfortunately, same here... wait till you see these photos though!:
http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/C....rp600x350.jpg
http://www.space.com/images/070119_mcnaughts_pic_02.jpg
http://www.space.com/images/070119_m...t_lazlo_02.jpg
That third one is the tail coming over the horizon from Denver.
The view from SOHO was a knockout! Looked like a rocket going by:
http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/
If my little hand-driven orrery is correct, the other object with a
line through it is Mercury.

Pat

On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:33:44 -0600, Pat Flannery
wrote:

Thanks for that info! I didn't even know we had a bright one in the
vicinity. I'll look for it tonight.

I thought you were in North Dakota, Pat.

Too late. It's a Southern Hemisphere show now. Week before last, we
might have had a chance, but we had rotten weather (no clear view of
the horizon at sunset) the whole time.

Brian

Brian Thorn wrote:

I thought you were in North Dakota, Pat.

Too late. It's a Southern Hemisphere show now. Week before last, we
might have had a chance, but we had rotten weather (no clear view of
the horizon at sunset) the whole time.

Unfortunately, same here. I never even heard of this comet till today,
and we also have had cloudy weather.
Anyway, as far as North Dakota goes, we got a view of Hyakutake that
would knock your eyes out.
The nucleus came within around 1/2 Moon diameter of Polaris, with the
end of the tail clean back in the bowl of the Big Dipper.
(or in the bowels of Ursa Major, for the astronomy crew)... and you
could see it move throughout the night.
This was great... but it was also spooky to see the nucleus get that
near Polaris...because I kept thinking "bearing is dead on... elevation
is just a bit off." :-)
Prettiest one I ever saw was Comet West, which had a distinct light blue
color to its tail.
What's this one's path on the outboard leg from the Sun look like?

Pat

On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:14:15 -0600, Pat Flannery wrote
(in article ):

Anyway, as far as North Dakota goes, we got a view of Hyakutake that
would knock your eyes out.

I remember that one well - it was at its peak here right around the evening
after my son was born. :-)

--
You can run on for a long time,
Sooner or later, God'll cut you down.
~Johnny Cash

Herb Schaltegger wrote:


Anyway, as far as North Dakota goes, we got a view of Hyakutake that
would knock your eyes out.


I remember that one well - it was at its peak here right around the evening
after my son was born. :-)


Everyone said Hale-Bopp was better, but at least up here, Hyakutake was
better.

Pat

P.S. I take it he wore black PVC diapers? (that's a inside joke)

On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 23:33:17 -0600, Pat Flannery
wrote:

Everyone said Hale-Bopp was better, but at least up here, Hyakutake was
better.

....Up in the Great White North and it's Yankee cousins, Hayukantspelme
was more visible, while Hale-Bopp looked better below the Yankee Line
of Agression. Both as I pointed out on today's OMBlog, they both were
spectacular, but due to all this waste of a winter storm the skies
were consistently overcast, and any efforts to view C/2006 P1 were for
McNaught.

OM
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