Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

Love joy and ison encounter at 4am 13/11/2013


Recommended Posts

Got up at 4am. First thing I noticed...hungry! So if you plan to view the comets get some food ready.

Lovely clear sky...started scanning with the 80mm bins above Leo and...

WOW. A big bright coma..love joy is magnificant. Better than Holmes..In the 10 inch dob it shows a bight core, large diffuse coma and yes a hint of a tail..

So on to Ison...tried a sweep but could not find it. I really need to get more familiar with the sw of Virgo!

Realised its VERY low..skimming above my east fence.

Using the dob and the 24 mm eyepiece I finally found it to the left of a triangle of stars. Much fainter than love joy but still nice. A core is visible and a coma and you can spot the thinner longer tail with averted vision or is it imagination!

Once I had its location it was then easy in the 80 mm bins with direct vision as a small fuzzy star..

Got the 50mm bins out. Love joy was obvious...and yes Ison is visible in the 50mm bins but you certainly would not pick it out as a comet unless you knew which blob it was!

Love joy moved over the hour I was out. A final look showed it had moved from one side of a star to the other side...now I know ison is travelling at 100,000 mph but what about Lovejoy?

So the dawn is breaking. Well worth getting up for..go on you know you want to...

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason

You would EASILY see Lovejoy...a bright obvious object...a bit like looking at a bright globular in binoculars...also it is really high up..almost felt like it was overhead by 5 am.

I think you will find ison hard but possible with a really good map and patience but its low....

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice report Mark - was out just after you,  before 5. Have seen Lovejoy a few times but not Ison before and it's not that great. I would not have found it in binoculars if i had not  seen it in the telescope. It is going to have to put on a late show

andrew!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well done Mark - I'm up for work at 6am every day - wish I just had that extra mental fortitude to get up an hour earlier - really want to catch Lovejoy - hopefully will have a better chance of Ison in December if it survives.

In the back of my mind theres a third comet possible as well - Enke?

Time to do some further research and pray to the clear sky Gods - last night was fantastic - first real hard frost of the winer in my part of the world.

With Panstarrs earlier in the year - 4 comets in one year would be some achievement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason

You would EASILY see Lovejoy...a bright obvious object...a bit like looking at a bright globular in binoculars...also it is really high up..almost felt like it was overhead by 5 am.

I think you will find ison hard but possible with a really good map and patience but its low....

Mark

Thanks Mark. I shall have to give it ago and try to spot it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all

Sounds like fun. Those early morning sessions are a bit tough.  Kinda screws up the entire day after but I am sure it is worth it.

I haven't gone out yet to view but seems that I must soon because with Lovejoy and Ison both out, it would be a shame not to see them.

a question

People are saying lovejoy is an easier object to see. Yet, it is further out and also dimmer.  So, how does that happen?

Is it due to size? Or because it is actually higher up in the sky than Ison?

Either way, December looks like it will be a great time to view.

I got my heavy duty army coat and clothes all ready and have prepared a small star party with some friends to go up north for a night or two out of the city.

If the sky remains clear tonight, I will try to go out but I do not think I will be doing the 4am wake up yet because I would like to see if ISON brightens more.

ahhh perihelion party!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep looking up

Thanks for your post. I think the brightness of a comet can vary greatly depending on its activity level. I am not an expert but I presume Lovejoy is more active despite its position.

I gather ison is starting to become more active in the last 24hrs so it might overtake Lovejoy.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spent a rather enjoyable early morning a few nights ago observing Lovejoy. Pretty good in the 10" dob, but also visible in the 10x50 viewfinder. Small bins should be able to see it. I still need to track ISON down, but S my horizon isn't very low at home, I'm looking for a good clear spell to decamp with the big bins for a look.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waiting for these to come out more.  Haven't had any clear nights lately but as soon as I do I will be out for these comets.

A question

If someone wants to observe a comet as it reaches the sun, is it possible to view it with a solar filer on a 150mm Newtonian? 

I think not. I believe that I do not have the capacity to block on the sun all the much.

But as with everything else. it is worth a try :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all

Sounds like fun. Those early morning sessions are a bit tough.  Kinda screws up the entire day after but I am sure it is worth it.

I haven't gone out yet to view but seems that I must soon because with Lovejoy and Ison both out, it would be a shame not to see them.

a question

People are saying lovejoy is an easier object to see. Yet, it is further out and also dimmer.  So, how does that happen?

Is it due to size? Or because it is actually higher up in the sky than Ison?

Either way, December looks like it will be a great time to view.

I got my heavy duty army coat and clothes all ready and have prepared a small star party with some friends to go up north for a night or two out of the city.

If the sky remains clear tonight, I will try to go out but I do not think I will be doing the 4am wake up yet because I would like to see if ISON brightens more.

ahhh perihelion party!!!

It wasn't dimmer pre-ISON outburst. ISON was mag 8 or so when I looked, and Lovejoy was mag 6.5 or brighter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I set the alarm for 4.30am and slept downstairs so as not to annoy the wife. Woke up at 3.30am and there was just enough cloud that you could see the brightest stars and nothing else. Went back in and set the alarm again. I had almost given up but at around 5.50 am went out anyway to a clear sky and Lovejoy was an easy big bright target even in the 10x50's. Thought I could detect a faint stubby tale?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was up at 4:30 to have a look from Bradley Stoke tump (quite scared on my own lol). As said by others, Lovejoy is very easy to find. If only they could all be that high in the sky eh! The sky was far from ideal though, it was cloudless but reflecting so much street light. Surely it would be a naked eye object in a dark sky. I had no luck at all with Ison though but I really can't blame the comet. The sky quality was so poor towards the horizon that I could only just make out Spica! I will be trying again :)

Now after that early start I have to find the energy to take the kids bowling. Wish me luck ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well yes, that moon doesn't help things does it?! And it's just going to get further in the way in the next week.

Bish, that's very good of you to sleep downstairs so not to disturb the wife! Mine is so used to my night-owl to'ing and fro'ing she rarely notices anymore ha ha! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well yes, that moon doesn't help things does it?! And it's just going to get further in the way in the next week.

Bish, that's very good of you to sleep downstairs so not to disturb the wife! Mine is so used to my night-owl to'ing and fro'ing she rarely notices anymore ha ha! :)

If I'm honest it's partly for my own sake too. Getting out of a sleeping bag in the living room (next to the dog) is much easier than getting out of a nice warm bed at 4.30am. Not sure I would have made it out of bed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems everyone is enjoying themselves.

Glad to hear it.

I finally got a break tonight in Beijing's ozone layed yuck by a strong dose of winds most of today. I am going to stay up tonight and go out in an hour or so to find Lovejoy and hit jupiter whilst i gaze.

Comets are very curious objects.  It always leaves me to wonder how many of them actually exist.

Does anyone support the idea that comets are responsible for bringing water/life to earth?

To me, this makes sense.

Clear Skies

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just came in from an hour or so session. Too much lunar interference. With Lovejoy so low in the east right now I had no chance to confirm that what I saw was in fact Lovejoy.

Perhaps it was but I will have to go back out later to check this out. I do not know if i will make it.  See how I feel in an hour.

I knew the moon was going to mess this night up so I didn't even take out my Newtonian.  I guess we have to wait until the first week of December to have a moonless night.  That works for me.. It is just after perihelion. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.