Great comet views from York tonight

Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to observe
the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos and the naked
eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW of York.

It was a spectacular sight in the binos, about 18 degrees to the right of
Venus, and maybe one degree lower. The nucleus was bright and clearly
diffuse, with the coma surrounding it and forming a prominent tail about 15
degrees to the right of vertical. I would estimate the magnitude was
similar to that of Jupiter, given the nearby Venus as a comparison. The
tail was clear even with the naked eye and as the sky darkened it grew even
more obvious. The clouds finally won after 5pm, but I was happy, if not
frozen in the gusty cold wind. A fellow York AS member phoned me to say he
had some video footage taken from the middele of York (from a 5th floor
building), so we may add an image to the York AS web site tomorrow.

Hope others had similar good fortune with the clouds tonight.


Very best wishes and clear, dark skies.

--

Paul B, York, UK.

York Astronomical Society
www.yorkastro.co.uk
Please buy from the YAS web shop and help YAS raise funds

Paul Buglass wrote:
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to
observe the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos
and the naked eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW
of York.
It was a spectacular sight in the binos, about 18 degrees to the
right of Venus, and maybe one degree lower. The nucleus was bright
and clearly diffuse, with the coma surrounding it and forming a
prominent tail about 15 degrees to the right of vertical. I would
estimate the magnitude was similar to that of Jupiter, given the
nearby Venus as a comparison. The tail was clear even with the naked
eye and as the sky darkened it grew even more obvious. The clouds
finally won after 5pm, but I was happy, if not frozen in the gusty
cold wind. A fellow York AS member phoned me to say he had some
video footage taken from the middele of York (from a 5th floor
building), so we may add an image to the York AS web site tomorrow.
Hope others had similar good fortune with the clouds tonight.


Very best wishes and clear, dark skies.

Excellent views from St Albans as well and I agree with your estimate of the
magnitude being similar to that of Jupiter. As you say binoculars turned it
into a spectacular site as the full extent of the tail could be seen.

Alan

"Alan Gardiner" wrote in message
...


Paul Buglass wrote:
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to
observe the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos
and the naked eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW
of York. snip

Excellent views from St Albans as well and I agree with your estimate of
the magnitude being similar to that of Jupiter. As you say binoculars
turned it into a spectacular site as the full extent of the tail could be
seen.

I had a nice view from Irton - Scarborough too!

Kev

(Hi to LDAS guys!)

I had a nice view from Irton - Scarborough too!

Kev

(Hi to LDAS guys!)

Hi Kev, I didnt. Tried from around 445pm to 515pm from my Stevenage
garden. Sky in west pretty clear, but at the elevation of Venus some thin
patchy cloud. May have caught a glimpse of the nucleus in 7x42 bins in
between the patches just above the rooftops, but not certain. May have
more luck if its clear tomorrow morning.
Phil Bishop

"Paul Buglass" wrote in
message ...
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to
observe the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos and
the naked eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW of York.


Hope others had similar good fortune with the clouds tonight.


I was able to show quite a few colleagues the comet from the office in
Liverpool this afternoon. It was first visible at about 4.40,and easily
viewable for about 10 minutes. No imaging, and no optical assistance
unfortunately, but it was a stunning view - much appreciated by all.

Had a phone call @5pm to say McNaught was easily visible, goin upstairs,
standing on a chair peeking out of the top window I managed to see it for
two minutes with a wonderful tail, just before it went behind a rooftop.
Excellent!

Andy Lawes
East Sussex AS
www.esas.org.uk


"Paul Buglass" wrote in
message ...
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to
observe the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos and
the naked eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW of York.

It was a spectacular sight in the binos, about 18 degrees to the right of
Venus, and maybe one degree lower. The nucleus was bright and clearly
diffuse, with the coma surrounding it and forming a prominent tail about
15 degrees to the right of vertical. I would estimate the magnitude was
similar to that of Jupiter, given the nearby Venus as a comparison. The
tail was clear even with the naked eye and as the sky darkened it grew
even more obvious. The clouds finally won after 5pm, but I was happy, if
not frozen in the gusty cold wind. A fellow York AS member phoned me to
say he had some video footage taken from the middele of York (from a 5th
floor building), so we may add an image to the York AS web site tomorrow.

Hope others had similar good fortune with the clouds tonight.


Very best wishes and clear, dark skies.

--

Paul B, York, UK.

York Astronomical Society
www.yorkastro.co.uk
Please buy from the YAS web shop and help YAS raise funds

Very good in East London too, from 51 deg 36 North, disappeared into Epping
Forest at about 1702, but the seeing was a bit wobbly, so the wheeze of
superimposing pics won't work. I could have done with a few more minutes
though.
"Urban Spaceman" wrote in message
news:45a54b9a.0@entanet...
Had a phone call @5pm to say McNaught was easily visible, goin upstairs,
standing on a chair peeking out of the top window I managed to see it for
two minutes with a wonderful tail, just before it went behind a rooftop.
Excellent!

Andy Lawes
East Sussex AS
www.esas.org.uk


"Paul Buglass" wrote in
message ...
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to
observe the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos
and
the naked eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW of
York.

It was a spectacular sight in the binos, about 18 degrees to the right
of
Venus, and maybe one degree lower. The nucleus was bright and clearly
diffuse, with the coma surrounding it and forming a prominent tail about
15 degrees to the right of vertical. I would estimate the magnitude was
similar to that of Jupiter, given the nearby Venus as a comparison. The
tail was clear even with the naked eye and as the sky darkened it grew
even more obvious. The clouds finally won after 5pm, but I was happy,
if
not frozen in the gusty cold wind. A fellow York AS member phoned me to
say he had some video footage taken from the middele of York (from a 5th
floor building), so we may add an image to the York AS web site
tomorrow.

Hope others had similar good fortune with the clouds tonight.


Very best wishes and clear, dark skies.

--

Paul B, York, UK.

York Astronomical Society
www.yorkastro.co.uk
Please buy from the YAS web shop and help YAS raise funds

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:30:09 -0000, "Mark Dunn"
wrote:

Very good in East London too, from 51 deg 36 North, disappeared into Epping
Forest at about 1702, but the seeing was a bit wobbly, so the wheeze of
superimposing pics won't work. I could have done with a few more minutes
though.


Even Greater Manchester succeeded tonight in spite of a troublesome
line of cumulo-nimbus skirting the horizon. There was enough clarity
and good transparency for an excellent view from 16.30 to 16.50 when
the clouds finally won.
Yes, comparisons with Venus brought to mind Jupiter, so I imagine
around -2 wouldn't be far off. A lovely tail in 10x50 bins. Small, but
perfectly formed - gave the impression of being a LONG way away,
delicate, vulnerable as it approaches the enormous gravity of the Sun.

Paul
Leigh
Lancs

In article , Paul Buglass
writes
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to observe
the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos and the naked
eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW of York.

Was in situ at a village called Ridgeway on the Derbyshire and South
Yorks. border at 4.15 but clouds beat us and we gave up after half an
hour... the wind chill was not nice... weather forecast is not
favourable for the next three days but Sunday and Monday offer a better
hope but will it be too late by then ?

Clear skies...
--
Wendy Tinley

http://www.theigloo.co.uk/

"Wendy Tinley" wrote in message
...
In article , Paul Buglass
writes
Hi All,

The clouds co-operated (for once) this afternoon, and I was able to
observe
the comet from 4:40pm until just after 5pm with 10 x 50 binos and the
naked
eye from a convenient railway bridge, about 10 miles SW of York.

Was in situ at a village called Ridgeway on the Derbyshire and South
Yorks. border at 4.15 but clouds beat us and we gave up after half an
hour... the wind chill was not nice... weather forecast is not
favourable for the next three days but Sunday and Monday offer a better
hope but will it be too late by then ?
Same here. About 20 miles north of the Epping observer in Essex, but a
lovely band of cloud running across the western horizon, stayed in place
till well after dark, and then gradually spread east to cover the sky. I
had been hoping that the run of awful weather might have a little gap
tonight... :-(

Best Wishes