Comet Jacques coming around

[Davey-T]

Finally got some clear sky last night to image the little blighter, appeared to be some nebulosity in the original FITS file but disappeared in processing.

Posting it here as not worth starting another thread in imaging section

Dave

[John]

That's a nice image Dave - I love the way the comet is set against that little sprinkle of stars

Comets like this do us all a favour I think in that we re-discover parts of the sky that we may not have seen for a while as we watch the comets progress though them.

A supernova in a familiar galaxy achieves something similar - re-visiting and re-examining often reveals things we had hitherto overlooked

[cotterless45]

Managed a quick draw between the clouds last night,

Nick.

[mjpfc]

Out again last night and caughht it approaching the Cepheus-Cygnus border.

Around Mag 7 and still moving at a clip - still around a 3rd of a degree per hour.

The 1st check found it just "in the way" of an 8th mag star which just shone through the halo, and the

final check before coming indoors found it doing the same to an 11th mag star (1 of twins at the location) nearly

0.34 degrees away.

Apart from looking at the Comet at the beginning and end of each session I have been deep sky

object hunting around the Constellations it has been in.

Perseus

Casseopia

Cephius last night....

Standby Cygnus

That way I have has some good sessions and still been near enough to check on E2 without having

to go berserk moving the scope round in the equatorial every time.

It has worked very well with the Comet shifting constellations every few nights....nice

Mick

[Special K]

Has anyone seen a benefit in using a #8 or #12 colored filter on Jacques' tail? I've been reading that these can enhance some features as well as an Orange #21, but maybe they only help with the brighter ones.

[Special K]

Got a brief chance to use said filters, and no positive effect from my gear!  Other than the Orange #21 made the already dim comet almost imperceptible.  I believe these are intended for brighter comets to sharpen up the coma and tail. 

[alan potts]

I think that is a very nice image Dave, it looks so remote.

Alan

[Unicronicus]

Got another viewing in tonight, pretty much on its way towards Deneb, can't quite remember the HIP star it is passing now... Also had spectacular views of the Saturn nebula just off the arm of Aquarius (heading towards Sagitta), the Garnet star and the moon. Then MR. 8 oktas comes wading in and ruins our fun!

[mjpfc]

Is it my sky, or are the edges of the comet becoming more diffuse and blending into the Background ?

Granted, that background is getting brighter as it gets nearer to the line of the Milky way, but I think the Comet

is changing too, and seems to have dropped below mag 7?

Mick.

[mjpfc]

We've Got a bright sky here tonight with some wispy thin cloud and spreading contrails boosting the moonlight

from the south.

     I took 30 minutes to catch a glimpse of Jacques just now (even though it is pretty near to Sadr) and could barely

see it at all.  I put some more magnitude on it just to darken the background sky and the view improved a little but

is still a featureless blob tonight beside a 9th mag star.

    The moon is still only halfway across the sky so I cannot see the view improving any time soon, and I am beginning

to see shadow "looms" of streetlamps so ground level must be moist.  Also the light show at the Bestival on Newport

down will start soon so I'm in for the night.  Nice bottle of Crabbies I think.

Clear skies          Mick

[mjpfc]

Out again Last night before the moon got highnenough to affect the seeing.

JACQUES is now getting faily faint at around 8.8-9, but sill a discreet little ball of fuzz, just

approaching (and not far away from) Albireo.  I watched it move over an hour or so, and

it's angle now has slowed it's journey across the sky from "Cresta Run" to BMX uphill.

I thinkl it should be clipping the Coathanger at around 3am on the 20th so if it still around mag-9

it should make good observing and a cracking piccie.

Clear skies,  Mick

[andrew63]

Thanks for the info Mick. I remember Comet Garradd around this same region a couple of years back. 

APOD: 2011 September 9 - Comet Garradd and the Coat Hanger

andrew

[Special K]

Well done for persevering, Mick. Thanks for heads up on the Coathanger. Nice and easy to find, anyway, which will be needed as it sounds like its dimming right down.

[Davey-T]

Had a quick look through the 10" SCT two nights ago, still pretty easy to find, with a GOTO 

Dave

[mjpfc]

Just got back in from looking through a clear gap in the clouds.

It is only around half a degree from Albireo at present but it took me 20 minutes to find the blighter.

There may be a contrast issue here (with the background milky-way) but the apparent drop in brightness in

just two nights is very marked. The comet looked around mag 10 this evening and was hard to pick out between

a two of a line of 3, 9th mag stars and a smattering of fainter ones.

At the rate it has seemed to dim lately I cannot see it being visible in my 8" for too much longer.......

Swansong at the Coathanger ?    I hope so

Mick.

[Ptarmigan]

It is only around half a degree from Albireo at present but it took me 20 minutes to find the blighter

, , ,

.I cannot see it being visible in my 8" for too much longer.

Thanks for your interesting report,

I was out chasing the clouds about the same time.

It has been a few days since I went looking for this one in my 10x50 bino !

And, shock horror,, I couldnt find it any more !!

I thought at first that the nelm of about 4.5 might have been the problem, but , !

Your report of its decline explains why

It was a good/interesting one while it lasted

[mdstuart]

I could see it on Saturday with 10 x 50 bins from the black mountains..it was closing in on Albeiro! about mag 8.5 would be my guess...

[Coco]

Finally got some clear sky last night to image the little blighter, appeared to be some nebulosity in the original FITS file but disappeared in processing.

Posting it here as not worth starting another thread in imaging section

Dave

C-2014-Jacques-31-8-14.jpg

Looks great, how did you stack it, I tried last night but after the stack is was a faint fuzz  

[Davey-T]

Looks great, how did you stack it, I tried last night but after the stack is was a faint fuzz

Just two images stacked in Maxim and mucked about in P'Shop, it's a lot fainter now.

Dave

[mjpfc]

It's faint, it's fuzzy and It's creeping down towards the western stars of the Coathanger CR 399,

Just had alook before the clouds closed in again, fior a few minutes there the sky near the zenith was not too

bad and Jacques looked about mag 9 and a beer mat. the edges are non too defined and are tending to peter out.

Another few hours should see it pass close to the end star. 

Thin cloud has spread across above the ground level mist, and looks like lightening towards eastern hants and sussex?

I think I will miss this flypast anyway, good luck all

Mick

[mjpfc]

Out again last night looking at C/2013 E2 Jacques just below the Coathanger.

I had a descently transparent sky last night but Jacques still looks below mag 10 now, and just a fuzzy

little patch.  It is now moving only very slowly across the line-of-sight and heading away into the dark.

I have just seen a photo in AN of the Comet passing NGC 896 in Casseopia in August (seems a good while ago)

Its a pity the tail was too faint to really make out visually as it is trailling behind for a huge distance in the photo.

Still, thems the breaks,       Bye Bye Jacques

I'll be making time, and arrangements for a suitable low horizon for Panstarrs and sliding spring/Mars next.

Clear skies,    Mick.