Posted 2007 January 14 @ 21:30, updated daily - filed under Astronomy.
Discovered 2006 August 07 by Australian astronomer Rob McNaught, the comet is currently visible with the naked eye in the western sky after sunset.
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- LATEST UPDATES
Tue, Feb 06 @ 12:13: Two photos, taken on Sunday, submitted by Pat Booth and Auke Slotegraaf
Sun, Feb 04 @ 16:35:
The comet continues to fade, as shown (click for larger view) by the latest visual magnitudes from by the IAU (Circular No. 8802, Feb 03).
Thu, Feb 01 @ 18:22: Ferdi Prins submitted two photos, taken on the 19th and 20th.
- PHOTO GALLERY
»» Comet McNaught - A southern African photo gallery
Thanks to everyone for the beautiful photos submitted! Please keep them coming.
- WHERE TO SEE THE COMET
Observing prospects
Updated 2007 January 24 @ 13:32
Over the next week, the comet continues to move south-eastward, at the rate of about 1° per day. It sets 2.5 hours after the Sun each evening.
The Moon, growing in phase, will brighten the sky and interfere somewhat with observing the comet the next few days.
Movement of comet McNaught
Date | Distance | Speed | Distance | Speed |
Jan 24 | 0.98 | 55.69 | 0.46 | 61.65 |
Jan 25 | 1.00 | 53.66 | 0.49 | 59.87 |
Jan 26 | 1.02 | 51.82 | 0.52 | 58.25 |
Jan 27 | 1.05 | 50.12 | 0.55 | 56.78 |
Jan 28 | 1.07 | 48.57 | 0.57 | 55.44 |
Jan 29 | 1.09 | 47.12 | 0.60 | 54.20 |
Jan 30 | 1.11 | 45.78 | 0.63 | 53.05 |
Jan 31 | 1.13 | 44.53 | 0.65 | 51.99 |
Mercury, setting 40 minutes after the Sun, should be visible very low in the WSW. Venus, setting an hour after the Sun, is prominent as Evening Star.
While you're out comet-gazing, keep an eye out for a bright flare from the Iridium telecommunications satellites. Predictions for your location can be found at Chris Peat's heavens-above.com website.
Other January sky events can be found in the Southern Sky Almanack.
Orbital elements
From MPC 58538:
Comet name: C/2006 P1 (McNaught)
Date of perihelion: 2007 January 12.79610
Perihelion distance (q): 0.170742
Eccentricity (e): 1.000019
Inclination (i): 77.8349
Argument of perihelion (lowercase omega): 155.9771
Longitude of ascending node (uppercase omega): 267.4144
Absolute magnitude (H): 6
Slope parameter (G): 10
A full set of orbital elements for currently visible commets can be obtained from Harvard's CfA website (download text file).
To keep informed of currently visible comets, bookmark Seiichi Yoshida's Weekly Information about Bright Comets website.
Observing reports
2007 January 23
Posted 2007 January 24 @ 12:00 via Tim Cooper.
From an e-mail circulated yesterday, Tim writes:
"My own magnitude estimates do show the comet fading, and by the time the moon has moved out of the scene it will probably be considerably fainter. However, it should still be a fairly bright comet and in need of detailed observation as it fades. So far most observations I have received are images or empirical views, with few scientific measurements of total magnitude, coma morphology or tail length and angles. Having given observing workshops at 5 Centres, there should be a large number of you who know how to do it.
"Please also remember that the comet is a fine sight in the telescope, not just the naked eye or binoculars. Observations of hoods and jets in the coma, and especially detailed sketches and images of these will be of value. Last night a particularly bright jet was visible.
"There have been a few common questions asked, two as follows:
"What causes the striaitions in the tail? - these are synchronic bands, or synchrones, which are streams of particles emitted more or less at the same time, from jets emanating from the nucleus as hotspots move in and out of sunlight as the nucleus rotates. These bands are then smeared out by the solar wind with smaller particles carried further way from the sun.
"Will the dust in the tail result in a meteor shower? - No, the nodes in the comets orbit (where it intersects with the plane of the earths orbit) are simply too far away from the earth, and hence the earth will not pass through the debris stream left behind by the comet.
"The moon interferes in the next few days, but by 4 February it should be observable again in dark skies.
"The comet will continue to move southwards through Indus and Tucana, and becomes circumpolar in the first week of March. Please continue to pay close attention to the comet as it fades and follow it as long as possible as it heads within 5 degrees of the south celestial pole in May.
"Clear Skies,
Tim"
2007 January 19
Posted 2007 January 19 @ 16:35 via Francois Nortje.
Francois Nortje has been enjoying the recent comet pics from Cape Town, and writes: "Following a cloudy night in Johannesburg on Monday, although at least we saw the comet through the clouds (and the smog), we had two days with late afternoon thunderstorms and no chance of an observation.
Until about 5pm today [Jan 18], the weather was threatening and it seemed that another thunderstorm was on the way. Then, amazingly, the western skies cleared. Lerika was the quickest one on the draw and phoned around and a group of us headed out to the Observatory in Johannesburg.
The sight of the comet over the Johannesburg skyline was absolutely awesome and something I will treasure for a long time.
2007 January 19
Posted 2007 January 19 @ 03:45 via Hein Stoltsz.
This time of year Gauteng is notorius for its afternoon thunder showers. Although we've had showers most evenings this week, the skies would clear during the day, raising hopes for good views of comet McNaught around sunset. However, despite enthusiastic observing since Sunday 14 January, I've only seen the comet in fairly bright light on Monday (observing with Wayne Mitchell, who submitted an observation report on Sunday) and caught a brief glimpse on Tuesday through a small gap in the clouds in the deep orange haze immediately above the horizon.
Determined to get some good views before it faided too much, on Wednesday I watched the cloud build-up in the north-west and decided to hit the road in a south-westerly direction, where the sky appeared to be reasonably clear. Following the "clear" sky for about 70 or so kilometres, I finally found what appeared to be a prime observing spot on a hill of a very friendly and accomodating landowner. However, as the sun was setting, a massive electrical storm brooded from the west, "comet McCloud" living up to its name!
On Thursday afternoon (18 January) the cloud build-up was even worse than on Wednesday, appearing from all westerly directions. Not to be deterred, I hit the road again, this time in a northerly direction, where the clouds appeared to be thinner. Following the narrow tarmac road past Soshanguve and the Tswaing crater until the tarmac ended, and then some more until I ran out of dirt road too (and almost out of fuel as well!), I finally found a spot on some farmland which provided a fairly unobstructed view to the west and southwest.
Watched by some cattle and surrounded by the sounds of the bushveld as evening approached, I set up my observing post with 15x70 binoculars and 8-inch Dobsonian. Meanwhile, heavy clouds were drifting in from all directions. Eagerly watching through the gaps in the clouds, I almost resolved to being satisfied with yet another beautiful sunset, when McNaught made its brilliant appearance, blazing towards the dusking horizon. Finally! Breaking into a sweat and with my heart pounding, I marvelled at this spectacle of nature.
Returning, satisfied that the trip had all been worthwhile, I pondered: "Where and how far will I head tomorrow?"
2007 January 18
Posted 2007 January 18 @ 06:20 by Auke.
Having had bad weather for days in a row, I was thrilled when Wednesday evening turned out to have clear skies. Instead of observing from home, somewhere more exotic was called for. Accompanied by Basil Champanis, we found our way to Lion's Head viewing site at the foot of Table Mountain. A stunning view of the western sea-board, all the way around to Cape Town harbour and beyond, greeted us as we set up. Even more stunning was the buzz of activity – some 200 people were camped out on the grass or standing on the viewing deck [ photo 1 , photo 2 ], enjoying the scenery, the bracing wind and the always-impressive sunset. I knew instinctively this wasn't the usual sundowners crowd. These were comet-hunters.
I searched for McNaught with the sky still bright, but no luck. As the sky turned colour, I scanned up and to the left of where the Sun was still tingeing the clouds, and there it was. A fierce white spot of light at the tip of a narrow cone of delicate light, against a blue-grey sky. Extreme. My excited comments to Basil as I handed him the binoculars caused a murmur amongst the fellow cometeers: What? Can he see it? Where?
While there was still light, I quickly went on a round of the terrain, getting photos of the comet watchers, thrilling at the exclamations, cries and cheers as, one by one, and then in a rush, the comet became plainly visible to all. [ photo 3 , photo 4 , photo 5 ]
To our left, the peak of Lion's Head, a hat of orographic cloud crowning it rakishly [ photo 6 ]. A pop of light every now and then from somewhere on the dark slopes as hopeful photographs were taken. On the right, above the band of orange cloud, Venus. I could almost image her trying to shine extra bright tonight, sensing that she was slipping in the polls, because of that comet... [ photo 7 ] Words can adequately describe the bright cometary head, the gracefully curved tail fading and fading – but the experience of the whole is beyond me to describe. "Majestic", "serene", these would have to do.
What I had thought would be a quiet comet-gazing evening turned into an impromptu star-party. Questions, about planets, the Sun, comets, orbits, how far away it is, its size, the curved tail, will we see it tomorrow, how fast its going, where it came from, and where its going...
A bystander, a self-confessed bird-watching enthusiast, announced me to his friends as a Visiting Professor of Astronomy at the Open (Air) University of Lion's Head. Everyone laughs. More questions. I, too, get a glimpse of the comet through my binoculars. Extreme.
The Earth turns, the comet's head sinks down into the cloud-band, leaving just the tail. Enigmatic. People start leaving. We pack up; Basil is keen to get out of the cold, plus we still have to have dinner before the movie. The thought of cinema suddenly seems bland.
As we pack up, I notice Table Mountain for the first time. Lit up, crevices and contours etched in bright light. Above the flat top sits Crux, with beta Centauri just cresting. Extreme. As I take a photo, [ photo 8 ] I think of Lacaille, who gave us Mons Mensa, the only constellation named after a place on Earth, and how he must have seen Crux rising over the mountain often. I stick out a mental tongue at the good father – he never got to see a comet setting over Table Bay.
2007 January 15
Via Tim Cooper, reports from:
Mauritz Geyser, 13h45 SAST, observed in 6-inch reflector at low power in daylight
Tim Cooper, 19h07 SAST, 16x50 binoculars, a fine sight, bright very condensed coma, DC=9, fainter than Venus and I estimate around m1=–2.0. Broad tail almost vertical, curved inwards on northern and southern edges and slightly lagging towards the north. Managed a not very good image at 300mm, f22 and 1/10 second at ISO1000. Visible naked eye despite low thin clouds.
2007 January 15
Patrick O'Reilly, Alberton, Johannesburg, in an AMASTRO post, wrote:
Ah - the much anticipated moment!
This evening I was unable to make the time to go looking for a good location, but while driving home along a road heading east I noticed the beautiful pink and orange hues of the dusty sunset in my mirrors – and I decided there and then to pull over and have a quick look, as the horizon westward was flat and open.
I stepped out of my car and turned back to scan the horizon - and it literally leaped out at me. The time was about 19:10 local (GMT+2) and I estimate that McNaught was no more than 1 degree above the horizon. The head was bright - there was no doubt in my mind that I was looking at a comet - and this is my first personal observation of any comet as I am new to this hobby. The tail stood as near as dammit to vertical, fading as it spread upward - it looked a bit like a distant shuttle-cock falling toward the ground - but frozen in motion.
My son and daughter (12 and 10) were with me and were also both able to recognize the familiar comet shape instantly. I regret not having my binoculars in the car with me!
Venus was away up to the right - really bright evening star - the only other visible astronomical object at that time.
I will be looking out again the next few evenings to see how it looks as it enters darker skies, and I'll have my ETX-105 ready for action.
Wow!
In an update on January 21, Patrick said: "We have had terrible conditions in Gauteng since Monday – only brief viewing through pollution on Friday."
Sunday, January 14
Via Tim Cooper, reports of the comet from:
Wayne Mitchell, 18h48 SAST, 7x35 binoculars, looks stunning, distinct wide fan a little less than half degree long and wide, about 1.5 mag fainter than Venus (–3.9) so about m1=–2.4 [atmospheric extinction correction not applied; Cooper]. Wow.
Neville Young, 19h25 SAST from Port Elizabeth. First found it through binoculars and then was able to see it clearly with naked-eye. Sunset was at 19h32 officially, so I guess this makes it a daylight, naked-eye sighting. The Sun had set, however, behind a bank of low cloud. Only able to view it for 5 minutes until cloud closed over again. A very beautiful sight. Silvery, shining strands of tail, possibly 15' long at a rough estimate.
Mauritz Geyser & Frikke le Roux are, as far as I know, the first to see the comet from Southern Africa in daylight. They caught it a while after mid-day on Sunday, Jan 14th.
Posted 2007 January 14 @ 19:00
Down here in the Cape, I rushed off to see the comet, too, but had serious cirrus issues, resulting in a spectacular sunset (sadly sans comet):
Posted 2007 January 14 @ 21:20
Willie Koorts SMS'd to say he, Anton Marais and three other observers had managed to spot the comet through thin cloud! "Incredibly bright, couldn't even see Mercury nearby. Has a short tail."
He pointed out that even though Mercury was about –1 mag, they couldn't see it – yet the comet was visible!
Posted 2007 January 14 @ 22:15
Late Sunday afternoon, Lerika Cross (ASSA Johannesburg Centre) & colleagues set off for the Observatory in Jo'burg to search for the comet. On her return, Lerika messaged to say that they didn't manage to see the comet, but did get some nice lightning photos, instead!
.
- SUNDAY, JANUARY 14
Comet McNaught fading
Posted 2007 January 21 @ 16:35 - filed under Astronomy news.
Jan 21: Updated visual magnitude estimates shows comet fading; click the graph for a larger view, showing data up to Jan 20.51.
Jan 15: Updated visual magnitude estimates; click the graph for a larger view, showing data up to Jan 14.55.
Jan 14: Meanwhile, the comet continues to brighten, as these recent visual estimates, published in the IAU Circulars, show. Observations from January 2.3 to January 12.91 are included in the compiled light curve. Over the same period, the coma remained smaller than about 3 arcminutes, but the two most recent observations, one of which by veteran observer John Bortle, shows the coma undergoing at least a tripling in diameter. Observations of tail length show considerable scatter but with a clear trend showing growth from 0.1° on the 2nd, to upward of 1.5° by the 12th.
Source: IAU Circular No. 8793, No. 8794 and No. 8797.
McNaught caught by STEREO-B
Posted 2007 January 14 @ 16:52 - filed under Astronomy news.
Not too long ago, the STEREO pair of space craft were launched (2006 October 26 story here). On Thursday, January 11, the one craft, NASA STEREO-B (Behind), after completing an operational manoeuvre, just happened to roll over and capture comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) within its camera's field of view.
The images show an intricately structured 7° long tail, and early analysis suggests that the coma appears to be brighter than Venus!
Check out the images on the SOHO Comets homepage.
Source: IAU Circular No. 8793
Seen in broad daylight
Posted 2007 January 14 @ 12:25 - filed under Astronomy news.
Earlier today, comet McNaught was spotted – in broad daylight – by Mauritz Geyser (ASSA Pretoria Centre). He writes:
"My first daytime comet!! :-)
"After looking for quite some time, being careful not to get the sun in the binocular view, I eventually managed to spot the comet in broad daylight (around 10 am) using my 7x42 binoculars. The comet is only about 5.4 degrees from the sun. The biggest problem is trying to focus on a object that you can't see and for obvious reasons you can not use the sun to focus on."
After picking up the comet, he and Frikkie le Roux (on the right in the accompanying photo) observed the comet with Frikkie's 6-inch Newtonian telescope. "It is Frikkie frist daytime comet as well", Maurtiz adds.
Amazingly, several reports are coming in from the northern hemisphere of experienced observers seeing it in daylight with the naked eye!
Most popular images
Posted 2007 January 25 @ 04:21 - filed under Popularity.
I've analyzed the psychohistorian.org server logs to find out which photo gallery pages are getting the most visits. As at midnight, January 24 , the 25 most popular pages have been visited a total of 3,510 times. In order of most page views, these are:
Rank | Photographer | Number | Link to image |
1 | Hannes Pieterse | 314 |
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2 | Gerrit Penning | 275 |
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3 | Auke Slotegraaf | 270 |
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4 | Hannes Pieterse | 229 |
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5 | Mauritz Geyser | 207 |
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6 | Oleg Toumilovich | 185 |
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7 | Auke Slotegraaf | 150 | |
8 | Mauritz Geyser | 149 |
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9 | Auke Slotegraaf | 146 |
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10 | Auke Slotegraaf | 138 |
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11 | Mauritz Geyser | 131 |
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12 | Carol Botha | 130 |
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13 | Adlina Majid-Kock | 124 |
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14 | Mauritz Geyser | 122 |
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15 | Francois Nortje | 110 |
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16 | Auke Slotegraaf | 103 |
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17 | Hannes Pieterse | 93 |
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18 | Chris Stewart | 92 |
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19 | Chris Stewart | 91 |
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20 | Auke Slotegraaf | 83 |
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21 | Maciej Soltynski | 80 |
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22 | Willie Koorts | 74 | |
23 | Oleg Toumilovich | 73 |
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24 | Pat Booth | 71 |
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25 | Hans van der Merwe | 70 |
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