Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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That's a beautiful shot Carol. Your star field is nice and clear. I'm glad you got some clear time to spend on it.
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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
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Jure
sage
Reged: 06/14/03
Posts: 411
Loc: Plavje, Slovenia
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I observed the comet yesterday under excellent LM7.3 skies - for the first time I was able to see the gas tail with the naked eye. In 15x80 binoculars the coma was bluish and the gas tail spanned the entire field of view. Pretty nice! (M33 was also easily visible with the naked eye at 25 degrees elevation).
CS!Jure
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Celestron CR150HD
10x50, 11x70 binoculars
Nikon D80
MBK Team http://www.orion-drustvo.si/MBKTeam
Slovenian ICQ comet report page
http://astro.ago.uni-lj.si/icq_data.html
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Art Jacobs
member
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 29
Loc: Edgewood, New Mexico (20mi. E....
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I've been observing Machholz for the last several weeks from my home (semi-rural, altitude 7000') using primarily Fujinon 10x70 binoculars and occasionally a 4" f/5 refractor. I have also been able to see it naked eye using direct vision since the moon stopped interfering a couple of days ago. This is certainly one of the brighter comets I have seen in the last several years. Comets are fun to observe because they actually CHANGE over periods of just days. Bright comets, like Machholz, are even better because you can observe them without having to set up big, heavy equipment.
Thanks to everyone who has been posting to this thread! Its nice to hear what other people are up to and get their observing impressions.
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- Art Jacobs
Edgewood, New Mexico
C11 on Losmandy G-11; 6" Mak-Cass.; 4" f/5 refractor; 10x70B
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djeber2
sage
Reged: 07/02/04
Posts: 493
Loc: Ohio
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Quote:
I've been observing Machholz for the last several weeks from my home (semi-rural, altitude 7000') using primarily Fujinon 10x70 binoculars and occasionally a 4" f/5 refractor. I have also been able to see it naked eye using direct vision since the moon stopped interfering a couple of days ago. This is certainly one of the brighter comets I have seen in the last several years. Comets are fun to observe because they actually CHANGE over periods of just days. Bright comets, like Machholz, are even better because you can observe them without having to set up big, heavy equipment.
Thanks to everyone who has been posting to this thread! Its nice to hear what other people are up to and get their observing impressions.
Art, if I knew where you lived I would be tempted to just drop by, unannounced and uninvited. I have had nothing but snow, rain, and clouds for three to four solid weeks, except for a couple partly cloudy nights near full moon.
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Don
1 Dob: Hardin DSH10
4 Small scopes: Celestron ED80, Meade 114NT/500 4.5", Orion 102 Mak, Orion 100mm Astroview
2 Classic Scopes: 4.25" Edmunds reflector, Sears 60mm Discovery
4 Binoculars: 15x70 Celestron skymaster, 10x42 Celestron Regal, 8x40 Nikon Action, 10x50 Orion Binoculars
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farleyville
super member
Reged: 04/29/04
Posts: 133
Loc: Atlanta, GA -- USA
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I have been having difficulty discerning exactly where the the tail of Machholz is. Perhaps its my skies? viewing conditions, etc..? or perhaps I just havent learned how to see yet?
Any tips suggestions.. Also, which direction N etc.. are the tails, where should I be looking. Thanks
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Farley -
Orion XT8i
Titleist 983K
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Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Farley, I'm not sure how deep in the heart of Atlanta you are, but if light pollution is kind of heavy, the tails might be hard to make out. The ion tail is whisping away to the east-northeast, and the dust tail was heading to the south-southwest as of a few nights ago...although it might be closer to south by now.
The sky transparency in front of my house has been about mag. 5.8 when I observed it. And I had to use averted vision to see them with 10 x 50 binoculars. I also had an opportunity to observe it with binoculars from North Phoenix a week ago, and light pollution (maybe aroung mag 4 sky?) was bad enough that I only had passing hints that I saw either tail, which could have been my imagination at work.
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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
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Art Jacobs
member
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 29
Loc: Edgewood, New Mexico (20mi. E....
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Farley,
Although you should be able to spot the core from just about anywhere (using binoculars), I don't think you will be able to see the tails unless you are viewing from a pretty dark location. Use low power, and if you can't see anything with direct vision try using averted vision. Surprisingly, you don't need a lot of aperture - I glimpsed the tails a few days ago using just 10x70 binoculars.
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- Art Jacobs
Edgewood, New Mexico
C11 on Losmandy G-11; 6" Mak-Cass.; 4" f/5 refractor; 10x70B
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Art Jacobs
member
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 29
Loc: Edgewood, New Mexico (20mi. E....
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Don,
One of the reasons that I live in New Mexico is that the observing is pretty good here (at least compared to a lot of other places). Alas, even out here light pollution is encroaching - they even opened up a MacDonald's near my house a few years ago! I fear that within a few decades naked-eye observing of objects like Machholz will be a thing of the past (at least for people like us who live in industrialized countries).
By the way, you are welcomed to drop by "unannounced and uninvited". Just watch out for my dog, Oso (means "bear" in Spanish). He hasn't learned to distinguish the taste of burglar from astronomer.
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- Art Jacobs
Edgewood, New Mexico
C11 on Losmandy G-11; 6" Mak-Cass.; 4" f/5 refractor; 10x70B
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StacyJo
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/08/04
Posts: 639
Loc: Oakland, CA
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I, too, have been following Comet Machholz for the past few weeks then, as if on cue, our rainy (ahem, deluge) season started. Last night, through a break in the weather system, I was just barely able to make out the comet nekked eye and got a great view (for urban) through my 7x50's. On Friday, there will be a great Kodak moment when it's near da 7 sisters. However, more rain predicted for the SF Bay Area...
Stacy
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Stacy
"Why yes, there is a difference between photon deprivation and PMS"
AKA Konstellation Kitty
M42Gal
Stellarvue Nighthawk II
Orion Starblast 6" Newtonian - newest addition to the family!!!
7x50 Orion Scenix Binoculars
Old 3" Jason Comet Chaser
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
I observed the comet yesterday under excellent LM7.3 skies
can someone explain the "LM7.3" to a newbie? 
thanks.
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Brian
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djeber2
sage
Reged: 07/02/04
Posts: 493
Loc: Ohio
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Quote:
Don,
One of the reasons that I live in New Mexico is that the observing is pretty good here (at least compared to a lot of other places). Alas, even out here light pollution is encroaching - they even opened up a MacDonald's near my house a few years ago! I fear that within a few decades naked-eye observing of objects like Machholz will be a thing of the past (at least for people like us who live in industrialized countries).
By the way, you are welcomed to drop by "unannounced and uninvited". Just watch out for my dog, Oso (means "bear" in Spanish). He hasn't learned to distinguish the taste of burglar from astronomer.
 Sounds good Art. I have not been to the southwest in several years but hope to make it back there in the next couple years. I agree - great skies there.
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Don
1 Dob: Hardin DSH10
4 Small scopes: Celestron ED80, Meade 114NT/500 4.5", Orion 102 Mak, Orion 100mm Astroview
2 Classic Scopes: 4.25" Edmunds reflector, Sears 60mm Discovery
4 Binoculars: 15x70 Celestron skymaster, 10x42 Celestron Regal, 8x40 Nikon Action, 10x50 Orion Binoculars
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djeber2
sage
Reged: 07/02/04
Posts: 493
Loc: Ohio
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Quote:
Quote:
I observed the comet yesterday under excellent LM7.3 skies
can someone explain the "LM7.3" to a newbie?
thanks.
---
Brian
Limiting Magnitude of 7.3 skies - Able to see mag 7.3 naked eye
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Don
1 Dob: Hardin DSH10
4 Small scopes: Celestron ED80, Meade 114NT/500 4.5", Orion 102 Mak, Orion 100mm Astroview
2 Classic Scopes: 4.25" Edmunds reflector, Sears 60mm Discovery
4 Binoculars: 15x70 Celestron skymaster, 10x42 Celestron Regal, 8x40 Nikon Action, 10x50 Orion Binoculars
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 3545
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Nice Pic, Carol! I've never taken a comet photo before so I have questions:
Since there is no star trailing for that length exposure did you track on a background star? Or does it matter at that low a magnification and wide field? Did you use a guider of some sort along?
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 5880
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
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Thanks Dale, Jeremy and Michael! 
Michael, I've added the full 75mm image to my gallery so you could get an idea of the fov on a 75mm shot using 35mm film.
http://www.cloudynights.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2234
The stars didn't trail because the camera was piggybacked onto my SCT while it was tracking. When I take Aurora pictures with a slightly wider fov [50mm lens], a stationary tripod is used and the stars begin to leave trails anywhere from 30-45 seconds, depending on the area of the sky being imaged.
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 *Step-by-Step Lunar Sketching*
CN Gallery
Photo Gallery
8"SCT ~ 120achro ~ 90Mak ~ 80ST ~ 11x70s ~ 22x100s
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Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 5880
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
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http://www.spacew.com/gallery/image004252.html
Here's an image taken by a dear friend which shows a beautifully defined ion tail. On the image he emailed to me, there's another thin tail extending from the core to the lower left just below the ion tail. If you look closely, you can see it in the online image. [He's the Gentleman who convinced me to begin photographing the Aurora when its' brightness continually interrupted my Herschel hunts during the recent solar max.]
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*Step-by-Step Lunar Sketching*
CN Gallery
Photo Gallery
8"SCT ~ 120achro ~ 90Mak ~ 80ST ~ 11x70s ~ 22x100s
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Scott Beith
SRF
Reged: 11/26/03
Posts: 33102
Loc: Gulfport, MS
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Carol,
I like that image - and his pic of M31 too.
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  Scott
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -- Edmund Burke.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell
"The measure of a man’s greatness is not determined by what he accomplishes for himself, but by what he accomplishes for others.” -- Some Bald Guy
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Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Thanks for linking both images, Carol. Your friend's shot is very nice. Those two spokes in the tail show up clearly. I keep seeing some really nice Digital Rebel shots with that 300 mm lens. Hmmm...
But your wide image is excellent. I really like seeing it in full relation to the Pleiades and Hyades. That tail looks like it almost reaches Aldebaran. Nice work!
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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
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I got a miraculous break in the clouds last night for about 1/2 hour just when I got home from work. Visibilty was poor and the comet was not naked eye, but bino viewable. As usual, the view through my XT10i was captivating. Spent the whole time on the comet. The fuzzy field was in front of a star. Suddenly the view started degrading. I thought I had fogged up the eyepiece so I switched and it got even worse. I was ready to panic when I looked up and saw the clouds moving back in. 
The best part was my six year-old daughter got to see it too and we compared sketches.
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Victor Kennedy
Pooh-Bear
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 9850
Loc: Slovenia
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I saw it naked eye from Haliburton, Ontario, on January 1st (and confirmed it with 7x35 binoculars). I saw it again tonight from just outside Maribor, again, naked eye (no binoculars this time).
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To err is human; to moo is bovine.
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 3545
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Hi Carol,
I guess I didn't state my question very clearly. I understand about tracking with a piggyback mount (I've done it with dso's and starfields). Since comets move relatively fast against the starry background, I have read that you can either track the comet for detail--you have to guide on the comet, I think--and have the stars trail (there have been several pics like that posted), or track the stars and have the comet be a little blurry (they are anyway). I know it depends on the length of the exposure too but your exposure is fairly long and the comet is not overly blurry (maybe it would be if it was enlarged).
This is probably more appropriate for the Astrophotography Forum but everyone is posting comet pics and observations here and I was curious in case I get a chance to try a picture.
I like your widefield shot with the Hyades and M45--very nice!
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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