37 replies to this topic

[stevecoe]

Toot-tootle-do--that is the sound me me blowing my own horn.  Sorry about that.

 

Anyway, I added in my observations of Comet Jacques last night and started looking at how many comets I have observed over the years.  It came up to 50, right on the nose.  I knew I was close, nice to know that I made such a nice round number.

 

Obviously, Halley, Hale-bopp, Hyakutake and several of the Bradfields and Linears are on the list. 

 

For us old timers it was unique to watch IRAS-Araki-Alcock move across the sky faster than anything I have ever seen, you would notice a position then look away for 10 minutes and it had moved obviously.  A truly unique object.

 

There was also a few nights when there were two naked eye comets in the sky.  Comets Holmes and Tuttle graced the night sky for a short while and could be seen without even binoculars.

 

Halley was my most expensive comet.  I flew to Australia and spent a week viewing the southern skies and Halley moving across the Milky Way.  A most memorable observing session.

 

I have no doubt that there are others here with plenty more comets observed.  I have made it to 65 years old and so my chances of getting to 100 is pretty small.  If you have a favorite comet viewing story, let us know about it.

 

Clear skies to us all;

Steve Coe

[galazie]

Congratulations, Steve. I wish some day I will get to where you are now. I am 34 and have seen 6, none of which is anywhere near the greatness of those you mentioned. I got into astronomy in 2007, late enough to miss McNaught. If it was now, I would also fly to anywhere in the world to see such a comet.

[Tonk]

I'm not too far behind but I've been slacking quite a bit over the last 3 years. First one was Kahoutec, but I didn't really get started on the ticking front until Halley. Over on Yahoo Comets mailing list Alan Hale (of Hale-Bop fame) documented a project in real time to reach 500  which he reached a few years ago (that was far far too obsessive! - http://www.earthrise...org/comets.html

Edited by Tonk, 05 September 2014 - 12:05 PM.

[Chris Schur]

Steve, very impressive number, such experience with comet observing says a lot about your persistance and dedication to the hobby!

[LivingNDixie]

I have bagged about 10 in my life. I am working on the comet observing pin for the AL, of which I have 4 logged (Lovejoy, ISON, PANSTARRS from 2013 and Jacques from last month). My goal is to finish with 12 by the end of 2015. Gonna be tough!

I need to get two sketches of Oukiameden which has been tough between scope issues and weather. I have one sketch so I could do a sketch of the same area showing the comet is gone. Have to run that by the observing club coordinator.

[krp]

Wow 50 is a lot. I've observed (and photographed) 6 comets, with most of them being in the last 2 years.

[Rich (RLTYS)]

I've observed 31 comets since 1969.  Since 2012 I've imaged another 31 comets with the SLOOH Remote Observatory.

 

Rich (RLTYS)

[Scott in NC]

Congrats, Steve--that's quite an amazing accomplishment!  I've never kept track of my comet observations, but it's safe to say that my number is well below yours.

[Vickx]

88 since 1996.

16 new comets in 2013, but only 8 this year. The last one was 117P. But I expect to add more till the end of the year. 32P looks promising as well as C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy).

My most observable comet was C/2009 P1 (Garradd) – 98 observations.

My most favorite comet is 17P/Holmes although Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp were also beautiful.

Vic

[LivingNDixie]

88 since 1996.

16 new comets in 2013, but only 8 this year. The last one was 117P. But I expect to add more till the end of the year. 32P looks promising as well as C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy).

My most observable comet was C/2009 P1 (Garradd) – 98 observations.

My most favorite comet is 17P/Holmes although Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp were also beautiful.

Vic

Garradd was a nice one. Well placed for viewing, caught it in 2011 if I recall.

[stevecoe]

Preston, et al;

 

I enjoyed Garradd also, it was prominent while I was at the Oregon Star Party, got some shots and observations.  We need more like that, and Hale-Bopp, and Holmes, and Hyakutake....OK, I'll stop.

 

Clear skies to us all;

Steve Coe

[LivingNDixie]

Preston, et al;

 

I enjoyed Garradd also, it was prominent while I was at the Oregon Star Party, got some shots and observations.  We need more like that, and Hale-Bopp, and Holmes, and Hyakutake....OK, I'll stop.

 

Clear skies to us all;

Steve Coe

 

I agree. Garradd was well placed for evening viewing and bright. Most comets it seems are low, in the trees and viewable at zero dark thirty in the morning, on a work day.

[Aquarellia]

Hi Steve, what a nice post idea !

Here's my story I observe comets since a long time now. First I watch C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek), C/1975 N1 (Kobayashi-Berger-Milon), then C/1975 V1 (West) my most beautiful one, 21P (Giacobini-Zinner) and 1P Halley etc… Yes with 61 orbits around the sun I’m not very young…

 

Here’s my 1976 West souvenir:

 

Since August 2011 while back to astronomy after sailing around for more than 6 years, I have bagged 10 more from C/2009 P1 (Garradd), indeed a nice one and my first ASOD contribution, ‘till C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) last week.
The others are Ison, Lovejoy, two Linear’s, Hergenrother, Jacques and two Panstarrs.
So just 10 comets in 4 years.
I understand why people like to run after comets. It’s fantastic to detect this kind of object in de middle of nowhere, with no aid (no GoTo!) just a map and a small refractor. I have the same impression while reaching a small island just in front of my sailing boat, in de middle of nowhere, with… no aid, (no GPS!) just the sun and a sextant.

 

I'm impress about your 50 observations, congratulation Steve !
Michel

[CarlosEH]

I have also been fortunate to have observed many comets since 1970 including Kohoutek (C/1973 E1), West (C/1975 V1), 1P Halley, Macholz (C/2004 Q2), Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1), and Hyakutake (C/1996 B2), among many other less prominent comets. The interesting thing about comets is that they are all different. They always put on a show of some kind.

 

I have attached an observation of Comet Macholz (C/2004 Q2) that I made on February 1, 2005 using a pair of 7 x 50 binoculars while in the proximity of the Double Cluster (NGC 869/884) in Perseus.

 

Happy comet hunting!

 

Regards,

Carlos

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by CarlosEH, 13 September 2014 - 12:40 AM.

[stevecoe]

Michael and Carlos;

 

Great drawings you two...very impressive.  I have lots of comet drawings over the years.  I enjoy them because it is such a great way to capture something in the sky.  They are so personal.  I do like to image them as well, but drawings are great.

 

Clear skies to us all;

Steve Coe

[Rich (RLTYS)]

Most impressive drawings. 

 

Rich (RLTYS)

[CarlosEH]

Rich and Steve,

 

Thank you for the compliments on my Comet Macholz observation that I made in 2004. I am glad that you both and others on the forum have been able to obtain good views of comets.

 

Regards,

Carlos

[coldfielder]

hello, for me 75 now. All visual.

I only began from December 2000. I just count +1 for the naked eye Hale-Bobb as well. The most impressive for me still was Ikeya Zhang in 2002.

I count a comet +1 as well for a next perihelion, like Encke in 2003 and 2013, but not for comets reappearing just a few months later, and also not for the special one 29P.

I report my observed comets on the following collecting site also with magnitude estimates:

http://www.deepskylo...on=modulecomets

great nights!

Edited by coldfielder, 15 September 2014 - 07:27 AM.

[BrooksObs]

Over the decades I've observed a great many comets and although I've never kept any accurate count I am aware that I passed the 300 mark sometime back in the early 1990's. It has been my good fortune to have seen all the major comets since 1957, two of these in the daytime using only the naked eye(!), while several others were similarly seen employing a telescope. I have to say that far and away the grandest of them all was Hyakutaki in 1996. On one cold and clear March morning just before dawn it was positioned almost directly overhead from my location, together with its 50-degree tail. Less than a week later this tail spanned fully 70-degrees for me issuing from its 2-degrees in diameter head of zero magnitude. The comet was visible all night long as it wheeled around Polaris presenting a sight not truly rivaled in the past thousand years! It was the only time in my long career that I was left totally awed and speechless by the sight on any object. 

 

BrooksObs 

Edited by BrooksObs, 15 September 2014 - 09:51 AM.

[aa6ww]

They all seem to be favorites. But if I had to choose, i think the break up of Comet P73/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 was pretty spectacular to watch as it fragmented as it passsed by Earth back in 2006.

 

Seeing the full size of the entire comet in a TMB 6" triplet refractor and then also seeing a more close up of it with my C14 was the coolest experience.

 

Watching comet Holmes get larger and larger, since the day it imploded was also very cool.

 

...Ralph

[stevecoe]

Brooks, et al;

 

I think that at least part of the reason that comets are so appealing is that there is nothing else in the sky that looks like that.  Many of them are "comet shaped", but some are just round and fuzzy...and they move from night to night.  Ain't that weird.

 

I agree that Hyakutake is still my favorite.  My friend and I chuckled that the price of Kodak stock must have skyrocketed while it was so magnificent.  Lots of folks in my astronomy club were out shooting it.  I will include one of my best (with a meteor) at the end of this message.

 

Michel, do you draw with white pencil onto black paper?  If so, do you do that under the night sky or do you draw it with a regular pencil and then re-draw during the day?

 

Clear skies to us all;

Steve Coe

 

[Aquarellia]

Hello Steve

 

Your picture up is superb !

 

....

Michel, do you draw with white pencil onto black paper?  If so, do you do that under the night sky or do you draw it with a regular pencil and then re-draw during the day?

....

 

The West sketch was done naked eye and indeed re-draw later in my workshop, white paper, ink for the landscape and black pencil on white paper for the sky, then inverted.

I use to sketch black on white while the comets are not brilliant, when they don't show colors, otherwise I made or, an inverted watercolor (on white paper) or a direct one, some of those watercolours are around 1 meter long.

Anyway all the 10 comets shown hereafter, and compiled for this post, are made at the EP. 

 

Michel

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by Aquarellia, 16 September 2014 - 02:44 AM.

[Rich (RLTYS)]

WOW, beautiful sketches.

 

Rich (RLTYS)

[dan777]

Awesome Steve ... 50 will be my goal.  I'm in double figures but still a ways to go.

 

[LivingNDixie]

Great sketches Michel and awesome pic Steve.