Comet Jacques coming around

[Mark at Beaufort]

I bought a 80mm f5 frac recently to use as a travel scope. I tested it last night and looked at Comet Jacques. Used the 21mm Ethos to find the Comet (very easy with 19x mag and over 5 degrees FOV) and then switched to the Pentax zoom.

As previously stated this Comet is quick and I thought that viewing the star embedded with the Comet was an interesting sight. I checked this morning and noted that the star was HIP15596

[stevend]

As previously stated this Comet is quick and I thought that viewing the star embedded with the Comet was an interesting sight. I checked this morning and noted that the star was HIP15596

Agreed. I used HIP 15596 / SAO 23967 (converted for my celestron database using Simbad) as my marker for finding Jacques last night.

[Davey-T]

Managed to image it last night at last, made the makings of an animated GIF but haven't had time to look at it yet as I had to go to work today 

Was going to use HIP 15596 but it's not in the Meade database for some reason.

Dave

[Special K]

I'm hoping for a second look tonight to make up for the clouds blocking that conjunction of Jupiter and Venus this morning.  Would be interesting to see how much it has shifted in 24 hours visually.  In real terms it has travelled about 2.1 million miles in the past 24 hours 

[Pete Presland]

hopefully get a look tomorrow morning and also a look at Jupiter and Venus while the are still close.

[andrew63]

It's quite clear but haze is moving in.  It's in a lovely binocular area for clusters. In the 10x50s  a couple of degrees across from a beautiful cluster, which i think is Pazmino's Cluster which i have not seen before.

andrew

[John]

It's quite clear but haze is moving in.  It's in a lovely binocular area for clusters. In the 10x50s  a couple of degrees across from a beautiful cluster, which i think is Pazmino's Cluster which i have not seen before.

Andrew

Thanks for ID'ing that cluster Andrew - it's rather lovely

I reckon Jacques is still a bit brighter than M27, the Dumbell Nebula tonight but they are not dissimilar through 10x50 binoculars - Jacques is a little larger though.

[Ptarmigan]

which i think is Pazmino's Cluster

I was out earlier this evening for another look at Jack and I noticed a nice cluster a little way off to one side, my Stellarium shows the stars but does not name them.

So I poured myself a drink ! and went looking in my 'library'

TUBA showed "Stock 23"

So I was happy with that, but before I went out for another look ( in the darker sky) I checked the forum and saw your post.

Oh, maybe I was mistaken or maybe there is another cluster nearby called Pazmino that I need to look for.

However a quick Google led me to Stock 23 = Pazmino's Cluster !

:) so all is well

[John]

I was out earlier this evening for another look at Jack and I noticed a nice cluster a little way off to one side, my Stellarium shows the stars but does not name them.

So I poured myself a drink ! and went looking in my 'library'

TUBA showed "Stock 23"

So I was happy with that, but before I went out for another look ( in the darker sky) I checked the forum and saw your post.

Oh, maybe I was mistaken or maybe there is another cluster nearby called Pazmino that I need to look for.

However a quick Google led me to Stock 23 = Pazmino's Cluster !

:) so all is well

Did you come across this in your Googling ?

http://www.nyskies.org/articles/pazmino/pazclus.htm

[Ptarmigan]

Did you come across this in your Googling ?

http://www.nyskies.org/articles/pazmino/pazclus.htm

Thanks John, no not yet ! but did find similar :

I came back to add http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2001JRASC..95..194M

It seems that Dr Jurgen Stock, onetime founder/director of Venezuala Observatory catalogued this in the 1950's but it was later re-discovered and popularised in S&T by Pazmino in 1977.

Off to read John's ref , , ,

Edit :

Yep, that seems to sum it up very well.

I propose we now call it  Lounge 1

:)

Edit 2 :

Argh! meanwhile its gorn all cloudy, drat !

[Pete Presland]

Comet Jacques seemed a little easier to find tonight, looked pretty good through the 200PDS.

[Special K]

Got first light with a new EP on the comet. The mild 38x 1.8 FOV seemed to suit the occasion.

[hobsey]

Went out with the 127mak last night, still no joy for me.

[Moonshane]

As it rose last night it was visible even in my 6x30 finder. The comet skyhound map is accurate

[Moonshane]

On 22/8 it should be in the same field of view as Epsilon cass in a wide field low power eyepiece

[Stu]

Found it very easily, and almost by accident last night. I'd been planning to look for it anyway, but was looking at the DC, and panning around for the Heart nebula and there it was, bold as brass :-)

Brighter than I expected, as described by others a brighter, concentrated core with a nice halo.

Definite movement too, over a period of an hour or so. Will try again tonight or tomorrow

[hobsey]

On 22/8 it should be in the same field of view as Epsilon cass in a wide field low power eyepiece

This is what I'm counting on to be able to find it easy enough.

[Mark at Beaufort]

I had a very good view of the Comet last night using the Skywatcher 150 PDS and the 8mm Ethos. As Stu stated above 'a concentrated core with a nice halo'

By the way thanks Ptarmigan for this link on the 'Stock objects' - I have been looking for a nice write up on this catalogue for a while - http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2001JRASC..95..194M

 

[bob-c]

i have been looking at this comet also for the last few weeks weather permiting.

it is geting brighter all the time.nice view last night, showing well now.

                                                                                                            bob.

[mjpfc]

...And it's certainly rocketing up towards Casseopia.

              Last night with A/V I thought there seemed to be two short, tapered, stubby projections from the halo/coma about 90 degrees apart

that dissappeared in direct vision. 

They may have been artifacts of the seeing on the night but could there be a suggestion of tails here?    

Has anyone else seen or imaged anything similar?

Mick

[hobsey]

I'm getting annoyed now that I can't see/find it.

May have to bring out the big gun tonight and unpack the c8.

[Stu]

I'm getting annoyed now that I can't see/find it.

May have to bring out the big gun tonight and unpack the c8.

What are your skies like Hobsey? Seemed pretty easy last night in the 4" but that was under mag 5+ skies. Should be easily doable in the 127 but I guess it does have a narrow fov

[hobsey]

Skies are good just a tad too much light pollution from guildford.

Once it gets higher it may clear the pollution.

[Moonshane]

http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2014_E2.pdf is really accurate. you should pick it up with any scope and widest field eyepiece assuming your skies are good enough to see M81 and M82 which I'd guess are about the same sort of brightness.

[John]

Yes, low power, wide field is the way with this. I've just picked it up with the ED102 / 31 Nagler combo again. It's around 4-5 degrees from the double cluster in Perseus at the moment.