Friday, November 15, 2013

COMET LOVEJOY






Comet Lovejoy now is at the naked-eye limit and getting brighter while Comet ISON struggles to become a binocular object. In this telescopic image, taken at 4:03 a.m. Sunday from Stagecoach, Comet Lovejoy sports a faint yellowish dust tail and a glowing green coma. Both comets should continue to brighten through November in our predawn sky.
http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/nov/11/comet-lovejoy-upstages-ison/



Lately many crystal clear nights have dazzled this amateur astronomer. Out in the wee morning hours (3 am through 5 am), the sky is studded with jewels.  The hunt for Comet ISON, expected to become naked eye within a week, goes on. One would think that a 10 x 50 binocular would haul it in. But no, the Virgo field of stars still cradles empty space. With such nightly disappointments over the proclaimed “comet of the century” amateurs like me happily stare at other things in the sky; for example, M-81 and M-82 or a quick sweep of Mars and Jupiter with its tiny moons. A satellite, a meteorite, a bolide now and then, like the one that streaked across the dipper last night, pumps the adrenaline.

Of course, other comets are in the sky in the pre-dawn hours.

Encke and Lovejoy are up. My search of posted internet locations, as well as a look at my Edmund Mag-6 maps fixed the coordinates in my mind. According to reports, 3 am Pacific Time, since I live in Southern California, would be ideal for getting out under the stars.

Bingo! High in the sky just north of the sickle of Leo’s head, Lovejoy makes its appearance. No longer crushed by ISON’s poor showing, Lovejoy has stolen my astronomer’s heart. Bright as the Andromeda galaxy in my 10 x 50 Celestial Innovations Binocular with its 6.5 degree field, Comet Lovejoy kept me up through 5 am. Of course it’s rounder than the galaxy, has a brighter head and bulges slightly right, it's tail? Here's the best image as I saw it.
So get out your binoculars!



This site shows both ISON and Lovejoy in time lapse video. Although ISON needs telescopic capability, Lovejoy puts on an almost naked eye show.

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