Telescope Reviews: Comet Lulin in Color

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Astrophotography and Sketching >> Sketching

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rolandlinda3
Post Laureate

Reged: 01/24/06

Loc: Crozet VA 22932

Comet Lulin in Color
#2949137 - 02/25/09 02:40 PM Attachment (93 downloads)

This little comet was a delight to observe near midnight on Feb 23. It was a nice clear cold dry night, so the astro video camera worked nicely at a very modest setting (50% gain and a 14 second integration period) to get the primary tail and the color. The head was a ghostly white that yielded to a light green; the comet center was not round; faint reddish hue could be seen in the tail. I could not see the second tail.

These little gems always remind me of the brief nature normal life span, since their own lives are very limited in stellar terms. No wonder that David asks God (in one of the Psalms) to give him the sense to number is days carefully. Like comets, our lives are brief. It pays to consider just how brief they are.

Roland

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JerryK
sage

Reged: 09/25/05

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: rolandlinda3]
#2949143 - 02/25/09 02:44 PM

Nice Sketch! I can't wait for clear skies to focus a telescope it Lulin! I grabbed a spotting scope for a look between cloud banks and it looked like a cross between a flying saucer and a globular cluster!

Jerry

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Andreas.V
stranger

Reged: 08/17/08

Loc: Demark.

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: JerryK]
#2949226 - 02/25/09 03:33 PM

Wonderfull sketch! I've only seen the comet in a 8x10 binocular. Cant wait to see it throug my 10"

But a really beuatifull sketch!!

Andreas

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Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/12/04

Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: Andreas.V]
#2949300 - 02/25/09 04:18 PM

Comets really are wonderful that way. Great sketch, and thanks for sharing that observation, Roland!

Post Extras:

varmint
I invite more abuse

Reged: 02/10/07

Loc: Pacifica, CA, USA

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: rolandlinda3]
#2949648 - 02/25/09 07:45 PM

Beautiful work Roland. I'm assuming those are stars in the background and not particles from the comet...

They give me the impression of particles being shed from the comet as it flies through space.

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JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy

Reged: 09/19/08

Loc: Utah

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: varmint]
#2949824 - 02/25/09 09:17 PM

Roland,

I really enjoyed the sketch and your comments. Our lives truly are short like these objects. Great observation in several levels.

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rolandlinda3
Post Laureate

Reged: 01/24/06

Loc: Crozet VA 22932

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: JayinUT]
#2949834 - 02/25/09 09:23 PM

Yes, the dots are stars (not comet particles, which would be unobservable unless the comet literaly fell apart in big chunks). Glad to hear the comments.....remember that the color is due to the astro video assisting the image we sketch. You won't be able to see much color without some aperture. Big aperture is a double-sided coin: the more detail is usually coupled with less field of view. Roland

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Uwe Pilz
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 05/16/08

Loc: Leipzig, Germany

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: rolandlinda3]
#2950173 - 02/26/09 01:38 AM

Beautiful work.

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frank5817
Postmaster

Reged: 06/13/06

Loc: Illinois

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: Uwe Pilz]
#2950183 - 02/26/09 01:46 AM

Roland,

Fantastic sketch.

Frank

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Special Ed
Postmaster

Reged: 05/18/03

Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: frank5817]
#2950324 - 02/26/09 06:20 AM

Roland,

Very nice sketch--nice, subtle colors. Comets are an excellent target for the videocam.

Comets and people have a strong connection, I think. Perhaps it was a comet that brought water to the newly formed Earth. Comets like this one are brief visitors to the inner solar system, never to be seen again. Others, like Halley's Comet, return again and again with different generations looking up and marveling.

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rolandlinda3
Post Laureate

Reged: 01/24/06

Loc: Crozet VA 22932

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: Special Ed]
#2950674 - 02/26/09 10:47 AM

Thanks for all the comments. I recommend not observing this comet until it is high in the sky. I did take a look twice when low in the sky and the differences are pretty dramatic.

Thanks for the comment Michael......or perhaps they are created just like that...their water being systemic to their creation like water was systemic at earth's creation.

All observing...I would like to see a high magnification sketch of the center of the comet to see if you see the same shape I saw. Astro video blooms a bright spot a little bit so my sketch may have carried the same blooming, but it did appear to be non circular as I have shown.

Roland

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CarlosEH
Postmaster

Reged: 01/19/05

Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: rolandlinda3]
#2950704 - 02/26/09 10:56 AM

Roland,

A beautiful color observation of Comet Lulin. It must have been an impressive sight on the monitor. I will try to study the nucleus of the comet in detail as soon as possible.

Carlos

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rolandlinda3
Post Laureate

Reged: 01/24/06

Loc: Crozet VA 22932

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: CarlosEH]
#2950713 - 02/26/09 11:03 AM

Must have caught you online, Carlos. Thanks. Let me know what you see. Have you been able to see any of the second tail? I have seen some classic photographs that get it, but I cannot see it (so far). Roland

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CarlosEH
Postmaster

Reged: 01/19/05

Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: rolandlinda3]
#2950725 - 02/26/09 11:06 AM

Roland,

I was able to view the anti-tail in my previous observation (posted). After opposition the anti-tail will be in the same direction as the ion (main) tail. I will let you know what I am able to observe.

Carlos

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Tom and Beth
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 01/08/07

Loc: Tucson, AZ

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: rolandlinda3]
#2951025 - 02/26/09 01:41 PM

Quote:

Thanks for all the comments. I recommend not observing this comet until it is high in the sky. I did take a look twice when low in the sky and the differences are pretty dramatic.

Thanks for the comment Michael......or perhaps they are created just like that...their water being systemic to their creation like water was systemic at earth's creation.

All observing...I would like to see a high magnification sketch of the center of the comet to see if you see the same shape I saw. Astro video blooms a bright spot a little bit so my sketch may have carried the same blooming, but it did appear to be non circular as I have shown.

Roland

I didn't sketch Lulin, but did observe it last night with my ten inch scope using up to 250-300 power. The Comet Nucleus is star-like and based on a few field stars about 10th Magnitude. There is a "hood" if you will, but at this time I can't remember it's exact shape. I was astounded by how fast the Comet is moving.

Thank you for your commentaries on these, BTW. Quite inspirational.

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FoxK
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 11/07/07

Loc: Cape Cod, MA

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: Tom and Beth]
#2951308 - 02/26/09 04:10 PM

Well done

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Tommy5
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/28/04

Loc: Chicagoland

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: FoxK]
#2951367 - 02/26/09 04:44 PM

Great sketch of this fast moving comet, i haven't been able to get a view of from my heavy lp skies, a high cloud layer obstructed the view last night.

Edited by Tommy5 (02/26/09 04:45 PM)

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markseibold
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 01/19/08

Loc: Portland Oregon

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: Tommy5]
#2951507 - 02/26/09 06:15 PM

Roland

Beautiful sketch!

Amazing that you are seeing some red in the tail. It has been cloudy here for several days. I hope to observe Lulin tonight.

Thanks for posting as you sketch has inspired many of us!

Mark

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StarStuff1
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 04/01/07

Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: markseibold]
#2954849 - 02/28/09 12:46 PM

Very nice sketch, Roland. The ONLY time the clouds have allowed me to see Lulin was last Monday night, the same nght of your sketch. From 2200-2350 hours I used 15x70 binoculars and an 8-in f/6 newt. The scope was used with magnifications of 29X and 76X. I did not make a sketch but do remember the coma being much more enlongated than your sketch indicates. Maybe the camera captured that much more of the coma? I did see a tail about 1 1/2 degrees long. Even though the comet was not naked eye it was easily seen in 2.4x40 Russian opera glasses.

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rolandlinda3
Post Laureate

Reged: 01/24/06

Loc: Crozet VA 22932

Re: Comet Lulin in Color new

[Re: StarStuff1]
#2955484 - 02/28/09 07:24 PM

Appreciate your observations. I have not had a second good night to look at it either, and it is a moving/changing target. Perhaps when these next two lows clear the region we both might get to look at it again. I encourage you to make a couple notes next time and sketch from memory. Now that I have done this a couple times, it comes easier, and I have found that a memory sketch from notes works pretty well. I aim to try again in a couple days when the high builds in on the east coast.

Roland

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