Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1609
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
|
|
And it just keeps growing and growing and growing...
The comet's naked eye brightness seems the same as the last two nights. With my stargazing glasses, it continues to be just shy of stellar--it's just a bit blunt compared to nearby stars. Color through binoculars and the telescope is similar to yesterday--a warm ivory color. As it's grown, features have become softer and more irregular.
The pseudo-nucleus is less prominent, but still distinctly stellar. The central fan structure is softer and still pointed at about 220 degrees PA. Further brightness around this fan makes me wonder if a second ring of material has been ejected and is slowly merging outward. The edges of the coma are both softer and also seem to have a scalloped appearance. Finally, the faint outer halo seems to have an irregular appearance to it--I still see the southwest side as being just a bit brighter than the rest.
All the features have grown significantly. Measurements with my astrometric eyepiece yield:
* central condensation: 38 x 52 arc seconds
* coma: 215 arc seconds / 3.6 arc minutes
* outer halo: 585 arc seconds / 9.7 arc minutes
I wanted to keep my detail sketches consistently at the same scale, but the whole thing has gotten too big to continue the 240X/12 arc-minute-wide TFOV sketches. So I've dropped that down to 120X/24 arc-minute-wide TFOV. I was interested to find that the double star visible at the southeast side of the low power view has the designation ES 1064 (Espin). It's continuously fascinating to watch this beautiful comet develop daily.
High-resolution sketches and labeled rollover images can be found here:
http://www.perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/archives/000743.html
Thanks everyone for sharing all your observations, photos and sketches!
Jeremy
--------------------
Orion SVP 6LT (6" f/8 Newt) || Orion XT8 (8" f/6 Newt) || 15x70 Oberwerk Binoculars
The Belt Of Venus || Astro-Sketch Gallery || Astro-Sketching Resources || Astro-Photo Gallery
|
Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1609
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
|
|
...and the high power view...
--------------------
Orion SVP 6LT (6" f/8 Newt) || Orion XT8 (8" f/6 Newt) || 15x70 Oberwerk Binoculars
The Belt Of Venus || Astro-Sketch Gallery || Astro-Sketching Resources || Astro-Photo Gallery
|
Emsi
newbie
Reged: 10/10/07
Posts: 1
|
|
What is this light point in the lower left part of the core?
The image was taken 10/26/2007 about 11:00 PM CEST (GMT+2). North is left. It's a false-color HDR image produced with IRIS.
|
Jim Rosenstock
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/14/05
Posts: 1971
Loc: MD, south of the DC Nebula
|
|
Wow Jeremy that is simply a GORGEOUS drawing!
We should have clearing skies by tonight....I can't wait!!
Jim
|
Mike B.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/24/05
Posts: 1372
Loc: Louisiana
|
|
Quote:
Mike --
Great shot! That's the first image I remember seeing that captures the annular characteristic of the inner halo that several of us visual observers have reported. I'm glad to see it's not just a trick of the eye/brain's processing.
The outer halo, on the other hand, has not been visible to me (although it may have more to do with my humid skies and that dang moon than my aperture).
(Measuring against the background stars, your shot shows the inner halo at about 4', and the outer at about 9'.)
-- Jeff.
Thanks, Jeff!
I saw the same thing you are talking about in my 20x70 binoculars. It definitely had an annular characteristic.
I think the effect was even more pronounced in an image I shot earlier in the evening with much shorter exposures:
Comet 17p Holmes. 45x3 sec @ ISO 100. Meade SN-8 at F/4, MPCC, IDAS-LPS, Hutech Canon 350XT, Atlas EQ-G w/EQMOD.
--------------------
Clear skies!
Mike B.
My Homepage and Astrophotos
|
nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4547
Loc: London UK
|
|
Here's a really 'kool' image in polarised light 
--------------------
Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
|
Jeff Young
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 2959
Loc: Ireland
|
|
Well drat. As dusk settles in here, it looks like my amazing run of weather (for Ireland, anyway)has come to an end. Wall-to-wall clouds and a persistent drizzle.
So keep those photos and sketches coming....
-- Jeff.
--------------------
Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-100 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
|
Bill Weir
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 706
Loc: Metchosin (Victoria), Canada
|
|
I get a kick out of how all our starfields match, (not that they shouldn't), but at this moment it's like we are all staring through one big eyepiec at the same time. I'm having this weird feeling of oneness with this great big Universe and all of the beings in it. Peace
Here's my sketch from midnight here on the west coast. I was observing this time using my 12.5" dob. Next time I'll bring more chairs for when you all show up like that. Tonight I'm going back down the road to the 25". We also plan on maybe shooting some spectrum using the schools 20" and SBIG. You're all invited again. This time somone else will need to provide the cookies and hot chocolate. : )
Bill
--------------------
6'' Orion SkyQuest
12.5'' f/5 Custom Truss Dob
William Optics 80mm ZenithStar II ED Doublet
f/5 25" newtonian on a giant GEM, any time I want
Observing sessions grand total for 2007, 171.
So far in 2008, 87
|
Tuugii
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/22/07
Posts: 508
Loc: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
|
|
Here are some pix made yesterday night with the 21" scope and Xti camera:
does anyone knows what that star is? glowing through the halo... 
Here I had also tried to do the differential photometry, but the clouds didn't allow me to get a descent result:
the shell is becoming even bigger and bigger, soon it is gonna overshine the whole field of view of my Xti.
Tuugii
--------------------
telescope=time machine...
|
Old Dinosaur
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/08/07
Posts: 770
Loc: Out in the sagebrush
|
|
Outstanding work Tuugii.
JohnM
--------------------
WRS Observatory
|
Tuugii
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/22/07
Posts: 508
Loc: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
|
|
here is a comparison for the first three nights:
the shell is expanding in an incredibly speed!
Tuugii
--------------------
telescope=time machine...
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6495
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
What is this light point in the lower left part of the core?
The image was taken 10/26/2007 about 11:00 PM CEST (GMT+2). North is left. It's a false-color HDR image produced with IRIS.
It is the nuclear condensation (sometimes called the pseudonucleus). This is the area immediately around the true physical solid nucleus of the comet (the actual nucleus is too small to be resolved from Earth). Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
|
Tuugii
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/22/07
Posts: 508
Loc: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
|
|
here you have the movie for the first 3 nights!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exs0ZQahreA
Tuugii
--------------------
telescope=time machine...
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6495
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
The comet seems to be really hanging in there as far as magnitude is concerned. It remains almost dead-even with the brightness of Algol (mag. 2.11), but after looking at it for a while, I have to put the comet still at about 2.4 to maybe 2.3 at the brightest. The moon was really interfering with estimates of brightness. To my unaided eye, the comet was just barely becoming non-stellar, although it was still very tiny. It continues to increase in apparent size over the previous night, as it seems to be expanding slowly by the hour. The star-like nuclear condensation is still pretty easy to see, but seems just a tad fainter than a couple of nights ago. The inner coma is still very bright with a sort of dirty yellowish hue, and the off-center broad fan-like sector is still there, but is less well defined. The annular nature of the outer part of the bright inner coma seems a bit easier to see than on the last two nights, and the faint outer halo is more diffuse but is now easily visible even in my 100mm f/6 refractor. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
|
ph2
member
Reged: 11/28/05
Posts: 98
Loc: Aalborg, Denmark
|
|
Thursday evening Oct. 25 at 19:30 UT.
10" refractor 235x.
 ´
I have used MS Paint to draw this sketch.
|
Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14087
Loc: Fleeing Gustav!
|
|
I just came in from another low-power session with Holmes.
The coma is getting larger and more diffuse, and the nucleus is getting dimmer in proportion to the coma. Naked eye, the comet seems about the same magnitude as last night, which is about ~3 to my eyes, or equal with Delta Persei.
The yellowish color is entirely gone to my eyes, others may see differently. Also, the creamy or ivory aspect seems to be fading as well and being replaced by a more straight whitish hue.
I made these observations at 15x to 72x with a Pentax 50/600 achromat before the Moon rose to interfere.
Strangely, the nucleus did not seem as off-center as last night. Perhaps last night I was catching hints of the ejecta stream (tiny pseudo tail inside the coma coming off the nucleus, I don't know the proper terminology) that at very low powers was not fully resolved and made the nucleus look off-center to me?
It's still an interesting object to look at.
Regards and clear skies,
MikeG
--------------------
Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & Celestial Irons
Gear : Astro-Tech 66ED on custom GEM, assorted binoculars, RKE & UO Ortho eyepieces.
|
Old Dinosaur
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/08/07
Posts: 770
Loc: Out in the sagebrush
|
|
I've still got a few minutes till I can get on it with the 12.5, but I walked around where I could see it and had a look with my battered old 10X50 binocs. A very clear pale disk. Missed it last night because of weather so I'm anxious to see how it looks tonight.
--------------------
WRS Observatory
|
Dave M
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 4435
Loc: N.E Ohio
|
|
I`m still waiting for the clearing line, looks like about
another hour and i`m good to go. 
It`ll be my second attempt at imaging, weather wise tomorrow
looks like #3 
--------------------
Dave
Meade 16" F4.5 EQ Starfinder
Meade 10" SCT / Losmandy G11
Tak FSQ106ED
Canon 20D
SBig ST-4
http://www.spacew.com/gallery/DM
|
katodog
Supreme Grandmaster
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 2037
Loc: Still in Glendale Heights, Ill...
|
|
I finally got the chance to see it tonight. Ever since the announcement that it was brightened, it's been cloudy. When I first saw it, I got mad, because I thought my scope had dewed up. Which would be funny, since I had the dew shield on. But, once I figured out that the surrounding stars were clear and sharp, I knew I found the comet.
Here's a few shots, using the 12" SCT, a 40mm Celestron Plossl, and a Fui S6000fd. 30 second exposures at ISO100, with different light settings on the camera.
Comet Homes 01
Comet Holmes 02
Comet Holmes 03
Here's a shot of some jpg frames stacked together...
Comet Holmes 04
It was really cool seeing it, but it would have been a lot more fun if it had a tail. This is the first comet I've ever seen through a scope, and it was quite an overwhelming experience. I guess my comet virginity has gone away.
--------------------
12" LX200R w/UHTC - WO M110ED
12" Starhopper - Coronado PST
Stellarvue 20x85mm Binocular -LXD75 Mount
Denk PXS #S1 Diagonal - WO BinoViewer - Twin Proxima 8-24mm Zoom - TMB Paragon 40mm
Tele Vue 4.8mm Nagler - Meade S5000 14mm & 6.7mm UWA
5.1mm Epic EDII, 25mm & 14mm Epic clones
|
tboss70
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/25/05
Posts: 1833
Loc: Missouri
|
|
Took this tonight. ISO200 for 25 seconds with a Rebel XT and 80mm scope. Seems to be a green hue surrounding the comet. anyone else seeing this?
--------------------
Todd
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
[Re: 
Edit
Reply
Quote
