New Comet Now Visible to Naked Eye

Yahoo ^ | December 8, 2004 | Robert Roy Rritt

[Lazamataz]

in a few days it should be a fairly easy naked eye object

I refuse to go into public with naked eyes.

I mean, have some shame, man!

[longshadow]

Trying to figure out how to get beyond the 30-second max time exposure on my camera.

Be aware that with a standard 50mm f.l. lens on a 35mm SLR, you can take a time exposure of no more than about 60 seconds without the celestial objects "trailing" on the film (or CCD) due to the rotation of the earth. Shorther focal lengths = longer exposures without trailing, at the expense of smaller image size of the object.

Hope that helps.

[Eastbound]

Thanks, longshadow. I'll use hi-res, wide open (f 2.8), ISO 400 and 30 seconds. That's the best I can do with the camera. I imagine I'll get a lot of noise, but have noise reduction if I need it, if it doesn't wipe out the comet pixels. Later.

[add925]

Any chance we could suggest some left-wing kook kult to hitch a ride ala Hale-Bop?

[RJL]

Thanks for posting the sky chart showing where to look for this comet.

[Ignatz]

Comet LouHolz?

Lol!

[ChefKeith]

Thanks, I work nights and have some old binocs from the early 1900's but they still work fine. I'll look again tonight.

[Rebelbase]

Those are gate symbols.

[alwaysontheright]

Space Ping

[beebuster2000]

thanks. I will be in big sky country on jan6- should I look next to pleiades?

[alancarp]

Excellent -- that's what we out-the-backdoor-and-look-up amateurs needed!

[Joe Miner]

Thanks for the info! Even more amazing he does it all manually.

[Angry Enough]

Thank you. I'll be here all week.

[Tealc]

I see a vague resemblance... :)

[Ignatz]

Thank you. I'll be here all week.

...or until the produce hits the stage. Try the veal.

[Siegfried]

AWESOME COMET VIEWING THIS MORNING!

I got up this morning and saw what I thought was a jet con trail far off on the eastern horizon as the sun was rising. But a few minutes later I noticed that it wasn't moving much, so I started looking closer. Bith binocs it's an amazing sight.

It looks to have a very large "head" with a wide, but fairly short tail. Maybe the comet has broken up or something, and maybe we're seeing the tail from an angle.

But it's at least as bright as that evening comet a few years ago, Hale-Bopp I think it was. Highly recommended viewing for anyone up before dawn. Just look east!

[bedolido]

great post thanks!

[Zuben Elgenubi]

"All I see is the moon and a bunch of dots"

LOL. Good one.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Well, with that screen name, I'd expect to find you here!

Easily seen in the bright skies of phoenix, especially with binoculars. I am not in the mood to trudge out my enoumously inconvenient 6 inch reflector and plug it in and all that, its 25 years old and very analog!

[Thinkin' Gal]

Bump.

I just went outside and the binoculars really bring that little fuzzball to life.