Out doors in a clear sky near you now....Panstarrs and 3949

[mjpfc]

Ladies and Gents,

            If you get a little clear sky before you retire...

I have just been outside looking at the three planets currently across the sky, and my nightly

ogle at Panstarrs which is now approaching Xi Uma.

On looking at it this evening, not only is it still looking good at around Mag 8.5? It is also

(Through my 8" Newtonian) in the Same 20mm lens FOV as galaxy NGC 3949 at mag 11.

It looks really stunning if you have a little time in your schedules folks, I strongly advise

all to take a butchers at it.

Clear skies,       Mick

[Scosmico]

Hi Mick

It was lovely to see them both in the same field of view.

I now understand why Charles Messier, who was a Comet hunter, wanted to list all those fuzzy objects.

I found the comet by using, the not so precise, S@N guide. So I was not so sure if what I saw was the NGC 3949 or the NGC 4096. Also I could not find Stellarium as a precise tool for comet location. Please let me know if you got a good source for the comet path.

Initially, I was unable to tell you which one was the comet or the galaxy. One object had a nucleus for sure, so I took that as the comet.

I used a 12" dob with a 16mm and quite unstable atmosphere.

Clear skies

Saulo

[mjpfc]

Hello Saulo,

                I usually find them with the star charts at the CometChasing part of skyhound.com

If you just type in Skyhound the web will show you the link to the Comet chasing page.

They have a list of brighter Comets and when you click on each one it takes you to a .pdf star chart for the comet track that month.

For the DSOs I have stellarium, but when I am out I tend to rely on books, mainly Uranometria 2000.0 as I have no go-to (or any motor drive

of any sort) and star-hop my way around the place. Uranometria is a wonderful tool for me, with stars down to nearly 10th mag and DSOs

down to magnitudes that some massive amateur scopes would struggle getting near.

Funnily enough I only Observed 3949 for the 1st time last year, and the 2nd time I ever see it it's got a Comet gliding along beside it (Line of

site speaking obviously, I'm not some amateur astrologer).

Slies looking ok so far today too and I can have a lie-in tomorrow, looks like a late one...

Regards, Mick

[Scosmico]

Thanks Mick

[kerrylewis]

I found it last night using Luminos. It was very close to a star. Through the finder I thought that it was a brightened head plus a tail! Through the scope it was clear that it was the comet plus star!

[andrew63]

Yes also saw it last night close to 9 mag star and could hardly separate them.  Noticeably brighter now and will be very close to Xi tonight.

Comet C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS) Position - Sky Map and Tracker

andrew

[mjpfc]

Morning Kerry, Morning Andrew

                  I had the same experience last night, I thought we had another exploding Comet on our hands until I realised that it was

close enough to the star to look as if it were part of it.  I also had Xi in the feild of View with the large but faint ngc 3877 just next to it.

The track charts say K1 will pass underneath Xi and I,m wondering if it will go in front of the galaxy. The rate it is moving it may have

gone past by tinight but I will get out there as soon as poss this evening to have a look. After that it has 60 Uma and then NGC 3726

in its path. This Little Comet must be an imager's idea of heaven.

Clear enough this morning, hope it holds through another night, 

Good hunting       Mick.

[kerrylewis]

Hello Mick

According to Luminos it passes close to but not in front of 3877 but in daylight. Later around midnight it is shown as about halfway between 3877 and 3811

I was quite excited seeing the finder view! I thought that it has brightened dramatically

Kerry