1998 Comet, there or there about.

[Marvin Jenkins]

Now, I have embarked on the mighty challenge of astronomy for two years now. I am quite clearly at the beginning. I have always had a hankering for stargazing but for some insane reason I have I have only just lost my marbles.

I quite clearly remember seeing (on the way to the pub not on the way back) a large comet that appeared fixed in the sky for some time around the summer of 1998. I remember seeing the curved tail but Guinness was calling.

Now I know I could Google, YouTube etc but can the good people of SGL take me back in time, to the last century, before I looked through a telescope.

Most importantly, are there any imagers now current who have pictures of the comet from back then or images taken by astronomers no longer with us and how were they taken in relation to today’s tech setups in many astronomers homes.
 

Marvin
 

[mcrowle]

I imagine it was this one, Hale-Bopp, though it was 1996/7 rather than 1998. I'll dig out the exposure details shortly.

Regards, Mike.

[carastro]

Yes Hale Bopp was 1997. I wasn;t imaging then but remember it clearly it is what got me back into Astronomy as despite a lifelong interest Astronomy had taken a  back seat for many years.

Carole 

[mcrowle]

Yes, it was beautiful to see with the naked eye, hanging in the sky for several months! I was fortunate enough to have an extended period of clear weather while it was at its best. Hopefully was the same for many others on SGL.

My photo above was taken with a Sigma 400mm f/5.6 lens, piggybacked on a Celestron C8 for tracking. 10-minutes with 800 ASA film.

Regards, Mike.

[Paul M]

Indeed, Hale-Bopp! Just hanging there, night after night. 

I wonder if there'll ever be another like it in my lifetime? I hope so!

[maw lod qan]

Was it a really visible comet, or one that was there but, a fuzzy to the naked eye?

I remember waking my daughters to see one about then, but the one we saw was quite faint.

[Marvin Jenkins]

I remember it was really visible. No fuzzy that time, and I looked at it naked eye in a small town with yellow sodium street lighting.

I hope we all get another in our lifetimes, can’t imagine what it would have looked like through my 130.
 

Great picture Mike, on real film, not all this digital cheating malarkey people are up to these days. That picture pretty much answers my question in the second paragraph.

Thanks, Marvin

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Hale-Bopp was superb, but Hyakutake, earlier in 1996 was naked eye as well, but for a much shorter time.

[maw lod qan]

I clearly remember being able to see a tail, though faint. My daughter had a friend sleeping over and I woke them all to see it. 

The friends comment at 1 am was, "you woke me to look at a star?"

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

28 minutes ago, maw lod qan said:

I clearly remember being able to see a tail, though faint. My daughter had a friend sleeping over and I woke them all to see it. 

The friends comment at 1 am was, "you woke me to look at a star?"

A faint tail might indicate Hyakutake, which had a long, faint tail, whereas the tail of Hale-Bopp was very bright indeed. Hyakutake was only around for a few days or perhaps just over a week as a naked eye object, however. Hale Bopp was around for quite a while

[Marvin Jenkins]

Surprised by the lack of pictures (except Mike which is amazing) goes to show the explosion of imaging in recent years. Must have been a nightmare using 35mm celluloid film.

I suppose we just get used to hundreds of images from Hubble downward.

Marv

[mcrowle]

Thanks, Marvin.

I was also lucky enough to be able to enjoy the relatively fleeting appearance of Comet Hyakutake under clear skies in La Palma (where I happened to be on holiday). What a beautiful sight it was in the northern sky! 

This image is again 10 minutes and ISO 800, but with a 135mm lens at f/3.5, fitted to a Praktica MTL3 film camera, mounted on a star tracker. I took it from the roof of the Maritimo hotel, which has since closed (according to Google Streetview, the building is now a funeral parlour).

Regards, Mike.

Edited October 27, 2019 by mcrowle