Comet visible today ( a real one not the white goods shop)
Posted by: Ian G. on 10 January 2007
McNaughton's comet can be seen with the naked eye in the western sky just after sunset (we've just had a good view here in Edinburgh) No telescope is needed this is a bright thing with a big vertical tail.
Very cool.
More details below.
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BAA electronic bulletin No. 00263 http://www.britastro.org/
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Further to BAA e-bulletin 262 this comet is now a spectacular object in the early evening twilight. Denis Buczynski reports that he saw the comet tonight from a site north of Inverness. In the evening twilight he estimated that the comet was as bright as Jupiter and a tail of several degrees was visible with the naked eye.
Over the next few nights the comet will be best seen in the evening sky. You will need a clear western horizon and should start looking as soon as the Sun sets. The comet should be obvious at an azimuth of around 240 degrees and the tail will be pointing almost straight up from the horizon. The comet is also visible in the morning sky at an azimuth of around 110 degrees around 30 mins before sunrise but circumstances are not as good as in the evening.
By perihelion on January 12th the comet could be brighter than Venus. It has been seen through gaps in the cloud so make an effort even if the weather prospects look poor. This is a rare opportunity to see a very bright comet.
Very cool.
More details below.
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BAA electronic bulletin No. 00263 http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================
Further to BAA e-bulletin 262 this comet is now a spectacular object in the early evening twilight. Denis Buczynski reports that he saw the comet tonight from a site north of Inverness. In the evening twilight he estimated that the comet was as bright as Jupiter and a tail of several degrees was visible with the naked eye.
Over the next few nights the comet will be best seen in the evening sky. You will need a clear western horizon and should start looking as soon as the Sun sets. The comet should be obvious at an azimuth of around 240 degrees and the tail will be pointing almost straight up from the horizon. The comet is also visible in the morning sky at an azimuth of around 110 degrees around 30 mins before sunrise but circumstances are not as good as in the evening.
By perihelion on January 12th the comet could be brighter than Venus. It has been seen through gaps in the cloud so make an effort even if the weather prospects look poor. This is a rare opportunity to see a very bright comet.
Here's what my little camera managed 