Why can't I see Comet Lovejoy?

[Astro Imp]

Hi, they are not rechargeable, but they are a cheaper brand, so that may be part of the problem.

The good news is I found a 12v, 4amp ac adapter for an old LCD TV that works with my telescope, so I'll give that a try tonight.

Just be careful that the polarity is correct, if not you will fry your electronics.

Good luck and enjoy.

[happy-kat]

Did you add the comet plugin to stellarium?

It has helped me each night to find it when I have tried in the cloud gaps.

[cuivenion]

Best of luck with the search, I've not had much of a chance to look for it yet, it's either cloudy or I'm working. Saw the ISS passover for the first time by naked eye between the clouds the other morning so I got my astro fix.

[kevinbright]

Just be careful that the polarity is correct, if not you will fry your electronics.

Good luck and enjoy.

Yes, I should have checked that but at 11:30 last night I didn't have the energy to do so, so I just plugged it in and hoped for the best... Luckily it didn't fry

[kevinbright]

Did you add the comet plugin to stellarium?

It has helped me each night to find it when I have tried in the cloud gaps.

I use Stellarim on my phone and I don't think the plugin works for a mobile device.

[kevinbright]

Best of luck with the search, I've not had much of a chance to look for it yet, it's either cloudy or I'm working. Saw the ISS passover for the first time by naked eye between the clouds the other morning so I got my astro fix.

I saw that twice so far... Really neat to watch it go over.

[happy-kat]

No the mobile version of the code does not support any plugins so I have it on my pc and familiarise where it is then go outside and find it with binoculars.

[DRT]

I don't think it works on the iOS version. I can't get it to load on my Macbook and some of the other functions don't work either.

[cuivenion]

Found it! Just to the west of the Pleiades, unless I'm confusing it with another fuzzy but I don't think there's anything like that in the immediate area. It looks like grey blob with a aharp point of light in the middle. I couldn't make out colour or a tail unfortunately.

I was dealing with a lot of light pollution as I was at the front of the house on the drive, as I noticed that part of the sky was clear when I got home from work. Found it in my 9x50 finderscope first then got the 130p out for a better look, which I managed to get before the clouds rolled back in. Hope you're having luck.

[ronl]

Here is were Lovejoy will be tonight.

Obviously that never worked

[ronl]

Try again http://www.universetoday.com/118069/how-to-find-and-make-the-most-of-comet-lovejoy/ hip hip

this will show you Lovejoy

[kevinbright]

Thanks everyone...  as an update, I took some of the tips form this and other forums regarding the mount and, specifically, the tripod and tried to stiffen it up.  I was having problems with the telescope shaking badly, even in only light winds.  I basically removed the rivets attaching the bottom portion of each leg and reattached them with epoxy.  I also filled the bottom portion of the legs with sand, and used a rubber stopper with some epoxy to keep the sand from escaping the steel tubes.  I also tightened all of the bolts/screws on the entire assembly and lowered the accessory tray about six inches.  

I also found an A/C adapter that I had laying around that is the right voltage and amps and has a compatible plug, so I can bypass the batteries.  I think the cold weather really hinders the performance of the batteries, especially the cheap brand.  I also think the batteries I have are from a defective batch, because they die very quickly and another one exploded inside my cabinet before I even used it.  

I didn't have a chance to try out my improvements, but hopefully tonight it will be clear.  I think I'll have better luck because my mount will be much more responsive.  Even with brand new batteries (although they were probably defective) the mount was extremely sluggish and slow.  It would take several minutes to slew 180 degrees.  Also, if I can actually get the SkyAlign working, I can use the RA and DEC coordinates to at least get me in the right area.  

Kevin

[kevinbright]

I'm beginning to think I was just not meant to see this damn comet, lol. After all of the stuff mentioned in the above post, I got the damn Bootloader Error on my handset.  I was going to contact Celestron and raise hell, because this is actually the second telescope I've had from them that has had this issue.  The first also had a problem with the set screw for the eyepiece, so when I got the Bootloader Error, I just returned it.  

This time, I just sucked it up and bought the damn cable and a USB adapter.  I got both for less than $20 from Amazon with free two-day shipping.  I hooked it all up last night and updated the firmware without any problems.  I don't understand why Celestron still sells these telescopes with handsets that are destined to eventually fail.  

Anyway, I got Stellarium working with the telescope, which is an added plus.  I also took everyone's advice and installed the comets plug-in, so now I have the GOTO set up on the computer and Lovejoy's position tracking in real time.  All I need now is clear skies, which don't look likely for the next few nights.  

[kevinbright]

By the way, I haven't had a chance to really try out the improvements I made to the mount, but I am really surprised at how much weight is added by just filling the bottom section of the legs.  Lifting the telescope now requires two hands.  I may be exaggerating, but it feels like the combined weight of the tripod, mount and OTA has almost doubled by adding the sand.  

[kevinbright]

Edit:

My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to try to calculate how much weight was added.  I'm not home so I couldn't measure, but I believe the bottom portions of the legs are about 24" long and I remember them being just shy of 1" in diameter.  Using V = 3.14*(r^2)*h:

V=3.14(0.5^2)*24, 

So the volume of one leg = 18.85, rounded to 19 cubic inches.  

19 * 3 legs = 57 cubic inches for the whole tripod. 

A google search told me that a cubic inch of sand weighs 1.7 ounces, so: 

19 cubic inches * 1.7 oz. = 96.9 oz. 

96.9 oz / 16 oz = 6 lbs.  

So I basically added 6 lbs. of weight, which isn't bad.  It's probably a little better than just adding a weight to the accessory tray, since it is lower to the ground and therefore, lowers the telescope's center of gravity.  

Alright, back to work now! 

[barkis]

Edit:

My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to try to calculate how much weight was added.  I'm not home so I couldn't measure, but I believe the bottom portions of the legs are about 24" long and I remember them being just shy of 1" in diameter.  Using V = 3.14*(r^2)*h:

V=3.14(0.5^2)*24, 

So the volume of one leg = 18.85, rounded to 19 cubic inches.  

19 * 3 legs = 57 cubic inches for the whole tripod. 

A google search told me that a cubic inch of sand weighs 1.7 ounces, so: 

19 cubic inches * 1.7 oz. = 96.9 oz. 

96.9 oz / 16 oz = 6 lbs.  

So I basically added 6 lbs. of weight, which isn't bad.  It's probably a little better than just adding a weight to the accessory tray, since it is lower to the ground and therefore, lowers the telescope's center of gravity.  

Alright, back to work now! 

Blimey, did you take a day off to do that calculation Kevin??          .

Ron.

[Geordie mc]

I've tried with some 25 by 80 binos. No luck so far. People are saying it is green. Is this true? I would think colour would be very subtle if it is. Is there any tail visible in binos? I think I'm looking for a small, feint grey blob so maybe I just have the wrong idea.

[DRT]

I've tried with some 25 by 80 binos. No luck so far. People are saying it is green. Is this true? I would think colour would be very subtle if it is. Is there any tail visible in binos? I think I'm looking for a small, feint grey blob so maybe I just have the wrong idea.

The comet is grey in bins but shows a definite green haze and bright green core at higher mag with clear skies through a scope.

Last night it was very easy to find. Look for the two stars that for the short side of the Triangulum and then follow the line of those two stars downwards. Last night it was about the same distance from the bottom of those two stars as those stars are apart. Tonight it will be slightly higher and probably a little to the right of that line.

Good luck.

[Astro Imp]

I've just looked on Stellarium and at 5.45 tonight Loverjoy will be slightly more than two thirds of the way between M45 and the Triangulum stars mentioned above.

Good luck.

[kevinbright]

Now that I'm back up and there are no impending blizzards, is Love Joy still visible?  When is it going to fade?  Is it less bright now than earlier this month?  

[Astro Imp]

Just checked Stellarium and early this evening Lovejoy is about 3¹/₂  ^o   east of beta Triangulum 

[kevinbright]

Thanks... any idea how bright it is?  I searched online, but I couldn't find anything listing the brightness. 

[Astro Imp]

Thanks... any idea how bright it is?  I searched online, but I couldn't find anything listing the brightness. 

Between about mag. 5 and 6.

[cuivenion]

Just out of curiosity, did you ever manage to see Lovejoy?

[happy-kat]

It is amazingly still visible in 8*42 binoculars.