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ISON, ENCKE, and LOVEJOY Visual Observations ONLY!

Started by aa6ww , Oct 11 2013 09:56 PM
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218 replies to this topic

#126 djeber2

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 09:01 AM

November in Missouri typically has about 3 clear nights in the whole month so I felt very fortunate to see comets the last two mornings.


Same here. I usually see very little clear skies in Nov after the first week of the month so it was very unusual for me to have back to back clear mornings this time of the year. I am Very blessed to have these clear skies, and before the moon begins to interfear.

#127 Mike B.

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 09:17 AM

I observed it this morning for the third time. Man, what a change from yesterday! I was using 15x70 binoculars and it just stood out like a sore thumb. Color was easily visible and intense. You could tell right away that this was a comet and not a star in the 15x70's.

#128 Glen A W

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 10:39 AM

I believe the color is the most intense I have seen in a comet since Hyakutake was inbound back in 1996. Though it's completely subjective, I recall it being very green, also.

With Lovejoy, I really just gasped the first time I turned it up in a 4 inch refractor, it was so blue-green. This was not apparent in smaller binoculars, however.

I wonder what causes the strong green color? [cue for JB]

GW

#129 Dave Mitsky

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 04:16 PM

The color is due to diatomic carbon (C2) and not cyanogen.

http://www.cloudynig...5664654/page...

http://astrogeeks.co.../cometvz13.html

http://www.astrosurf...2_1107010_s.gif

Dave Mitsky

#130 BluesNebula

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 07:14 PM

Both LOVEJOY and ISON were easy targets for the C8 w/ the right the coordinates this morning here in western Nevada. Each appeared well w/in the finderscope FOV in their respective parts of the sky. ISON was spectaculor w/ long tail readily apparent.

#131 RolandosCY

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 04:19 AM

Here are the drawings from this morning's observation. Comets can be so very different.... As you can see I sketched both of them with the same instrument minutes apart. It is possible that Lovejoy might have been "victimized" as I noticed that dawn was breaking as I was drawing it, but still...

ISON is more typical of a comet, the tail appeared bi-forked with a brightening near the coma on one side. This brightening was less apparent at lower magnifications. Higher magnifications reduced the contrast of the (still) faint tail with the sky. I am not sure it is real...

Lovejoy has started to evolve into a galaxy-like fuzzy, with a non-centered core. The tail, although more evident than before, is still very diffuse. This morning Lovejoy was nicely framed by three stars, with the tail extending into the opening...

Both comets were readily visible in both 10x50 and 15x70 binoculas, with ISON showing a rather intense neon-like greenish hue, while Lovejoy appeared more white. The latter comet could be detected naked eye with averted vision from my suburban locality. I believe I spotted ISON naked eye as well, as with averted vision I could perceive something at its position, and there are no similarly bright stars nearby, but it was almost at my vision's limit.

Attached Thumbnails

  • 6195929-CometDuo1aCN.jpg

#132 Aquarellia

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 05:54 AM

Hi all,
Quite early,... I went to a dark sky site this morning, nov. 15th, Lovejoy was still an easy naked eye object but we can detect ISON as a naked eye object too! ISON is now very different that two nights ago. Here follows a sketch o(watercolor) of ISON that I made with a 12"Dobson 40mm EP

Attached Thumbnails

  • 6195977-ison20131115_lt3.jpg

#133 Rich (RLTYS)

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 06:21 AM

Most impressive, thanks for the view.

Rich (RLTYS)

#134 Scanning4Comets

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 07:10 AM

Nice sketches you guys!!!

I was able to spot Ison this morning just after 6:00 am even though the sky was hazy. Estimated mag was @ 3 or 4 and all I could really see was the nucleus and surrounding fluff like a globular because it was so hazy out.

I first saw it with a pair of 7x35 binocs, then at 35x with my 34mm ES 68 eyepiece in my 10 inch reflector. I then used my 9mm ES 100 at 133x to see the nucleus which was stellar.

No tail was seen at all because the skies were hazy, but I was really thrilled to have seen it at all! I'm going to keep looking for it every chance I get now.

I also got treated to a really nice view of Jupiter at 218x with my 5.5mm Meade 5000 WP UWA after that! I could have saw Mercury as well, but by that time, heavy, thick clouds rolled in.

Cheers!

#135 Glen A W

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 10:23 AM

I observed ISON about 540 local time. I could not believe the difference. We had icy haze like we get this time of year, but the comet shone through and I saw the tail as in the excellent drawings above. Even when it was so hazy that Spica and the other stars of Virgo were hazed out, I could still track the comet in my 4 inch refractor. It is far brighter that a couple of days ago! GW

#136 eps0mu0

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 12:59 PM

After several days of morning fog, this morning was clear. I picked up the finder charts I had printed previously, grabbed by Bushnell 10x50's and went outside, at ~4:45am PST. The bright street light at the curb obviated the need for a flashlight. The sky was clear, with Mars and Regulus immediately visible. After a few minutes of getting used tot he sky, I perused the finder chart, and swept from Leo towards Leo Minor with the binoc's. A few sweeps, then... there it was, Comet Lovejoy, very bright and obvious, even with the light pollution! I put down the bino's, and swept through the area again, just to make sure it wasn't some optical illusion. It was a big, bright, and obvious fuzzball, with a condensed inner nucleus. It was almost directly overhead, or at least that what my neck was telling me.
Looking down towards the Eastern horizon, I could tell there was no way I would be able to see anything through the bright haze. Maybe I'll look for a better site this weekend.
J.F.

#137 nicknacknock

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 10:44 PM

ISON at 05:00 this morning was a beautiful sight in my 15x70 binos. Really easy to find, a few degrees above Spica and just off to the right.

Bright core, a wide tail but not very elongated visually from the suburbs. Can't have everything.... I will probably go at it again tomorrow morning, but also take my 80mm refractor and try to punch through with some medium magnifications.

I want to compare views between the two evenings, even though tomorrow the moon will "grace" us with her presence until 6:00 am.

#138 aa6ww

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Posted 16 November 2013 - 06:03 AM

I went out this Friday morning and took a look at comet ISON. I brought my 25x100 binoculars with me, since I needed a wide field view with some decent aperture. I was happy I brought them. ISON was pretty spectacular. The entire field of view of my large binoculars was filled with the comet at 2.5 degrees. It had a large bright star like head, an even larger fuzzy coma surrounding the head, and the tail swept up in the 1 o:clock position from the head. The Coma was probably close in size to how we see M13 in the sky, and when swept back to the tail, seemed to cross over itself, and come to nearly one point, then it fanned out into two separate forked tails with a dark area between the two tails. I didn't see a 3rd tail, I would have needed darker skies which I may visit tonight up in ice house, if the weather holds out. Large binoculars are considered comet hunters, because when you use both eyes, you get more contras which makes very dim details resolve easier. Id estimate the comet was as long as 2.5 deg's from what I can see in the skies I was in, thats 5 full moons side by side. It was pretty spectacular really, at least to me. It wasn't naked eye visible though, but i think its right on the cusp of being so. The moon was down, so my view to the east was dark for the area I was in. Maximum elevation of the comet was about 25 degs above the horizon. This was enough for very crisp views with lots of contras. ISON was about 7 degs above Spica, and to the left of the constellation Corvus. Its also now high enough in the sky to just go out in your back yard and observe it before twilight, but you have to know where to look. Even under Sacramento skies, it shouldn't be a problem seeing with 50mm binoculars or a small 80mm refractor, and of course, anything larger.
Its worth making the effort to get up and seeing this. These seldom come around, and this one could be gone completely in 2 weeks if it doesn't survive the pass around the sun on Thanksgiving day.
Good luck to anyone who looks for it.

...Ralph

#139 MessiToM

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Posted 16 November 2013 - 12:19 PM

I too am currently impressed and pleased with how my efforts paid off observing ISON this am.

I could easily see a "long" tail and the coma was brighter/bigger BUT I really enjoyed its color of blue/green

All this at such a low alt even.

#140 Jeremy Perez

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Posted 17 November 2013 - 09:55 AM

Thanks for starting this thread, Ralph. The observations are great, and loving the sketches!

I had my first view of ISON this morning. I woke up at 5am and the sky looked clear out my north-facing window. So I threw something on, rummaged for the binoculars and headed outside...where I saw fast moving clouds all over the east horizon. They were rolling along in this typical Flagstaff orographic pattern where they haul off at warp speeds & you think a big batch is quickly moving out of the way, only for another huge new clump to materialize in the same spot..over and over again. But it looked it was consistently clearer just a bit further east. So I jumped in the car and drove a few miles east to a spot that had some clearing in the sky near Spica.

The comet was a pretty quick find when there weren't clouds squatting on top of it. The coma sported a soft blue-green color and a short, maybe 15 arc minute long tail. Approaching twilight, moonlight, haze and intermittent clouds--the comet was packing a decent punch to kick through that mess. I didn't attempt to estimate magnitude. Degree of condensation was around 3 from the binocular perspective. I need to see if I can squeak in a telescopic observation in the next couple days.

Digital illustration showing the comet as it appeared above Spica

Attached Thumbnails

  • 6199593-img2013111701_ISONlg.jpg

#141 djeber2

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Posted 17 November 2013 - 10:24 AM

Nice sketch Jeremy, I am hoping for clear skies tomorrow. I am wondering if I will see any tail in my suburban location with the skyglow, streetlights, etc.

#142 azskies

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Posted 17 November 2013 - 12:58 PM

Thanks for starting this thread, Ralph. The observations are great, and loving the sketches!

I had my first view of ISON this morning. I woke up at 5am and the sky looked clear out my north-facing window. So I threw something on, rummaged for the binoculars and headed outside...where I saw fast moving clouds all over the east horizon. They were rolling along in this typical Flagstaff orographic pattern where they haul off at warp speeds & you think a big batch is quickly moving out of the way, only for another huge new clump to materialize in the same spot..over and over again. But it looked it was consistently clearer just a bit further east. So I jumped in the car and drove a few miles east to a spot that had some clearing in the sky near Spica.

The comet was a pretty quick find when there weren't clouds squatting on top of it. The coma sported a soft blue-green color and a short, maybe 15 arc minute long tail. Approaching twilight, moonlight, haze and intermittent clouds--the comet was packing a decent punch to kick through that mess. I didn't attempt to estimate magnitude. Degree of condensation was around 3 from the binocular perspective. I need to see if I can squeak in a telescopic observation in the next couple days.

Digital illustration showing the comet as it appeared above Spica


Had no luck here in Prescott on Thursday. Will try tomorrow when the skies clear out after our "cold front" went through.

Jeff

#143 Phillip Creed

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 06:22 AM

Saw C/2012 S1 ISON and C/2013 R1 Lovejoy for the first time this morning prior to work. The full moon didn't do me any favors, but the moon is the great equalizer--my site in a city of 75,000 wasn't going to be much worse than a pristine site under such conditions. I had passing clouds which really hindered the horizon view, but the overhead was clear ~50% of the time. It was time to utilize "guerrilla astronomy" tactics, and that called for my 15x70 Oberwerk binoculars.

"Take what the defense gives you" is the football analogy, so I concentrated on seeing Lovejoy first. *Huge* comet, easily 15' in size, and moderately (DC ~ 5), but given all the moonlight, I couldn't see any tail. Couldn't get a decent mag estimate; suffice to say it was bright.

ISON proved frustrating from home. I just couldn't get my horizon to be clear in that direction, and I watched helplessly as the southern portion of the sky was clear. If I was only a few miles south, I could have seen it.

Then it dawned on me--duh, I work a few miles south of home! So, on a hunch, I threw the binoculars in the car and drove to work. I clock in at 6:00 AM, but I had about 5 minutes to spare when I got to work. There were no bright lights towards the east or southeast in our parking lot. Good enough.

The sky around Spica was clear ~30% of the time, but it was better than I had at home. And all I needed to do was aim for Spica in a set of binos, and sure enough, there was ISON at the bottom of the FOV. It was very condensed, looking like a slightly fuzzy, 3'-wide small blob, almost like a "diffuse star". Some hint of tail pointing directly at Spica, but the conditions made it tough. Estimated brightness (very rough) is about magnitude 5.0 based on defocusing the nearby comparison stars 68, 76 and 82 Virginis and the comet simultaneously, but again, this was a *hurried* observation. Still felt good to finally see it.

Clear Skies,
Phil

#144 djeber2

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 12:12 PM

I observed Lovejoy w/ 15x70 Binocs and ISON w/ 15x70 Binocs and my 80mm refractor at 43x this morning between 5:25 and 5:55 local time from my suburban back yard. Lovejoy was easily found and a very nice bright object despite the full moon in the west. ISON was more of a challenge due to its low altitude and my local sky conditions and street lights to the east. I did suceed in seeing ISON in both the scope and binocs. I thought I saw the hint of a tail on Lovejoy.

#145 stargazer424

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 03:31 PM

I had a cloudy weekend here, so no ISON for me. Now here's hoping it survives it pass of the sun. If it does, i assume it would be visible just after sunset instead of before sunrise?

#146 Mirzam

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 03:41 PM

No. The best visibility will still be in the east before sunrise, although it may be possible to catch a glimpse after sunset right around the 1st. The recent S&T online update discusses this.

JimC

#147 bob irvin

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 03:47 PM

Wondering what I saw:

I've been following the posts on ISCON & what I've observed doen't seem to jive.....

Been out 2 mornings now looking for ISCON. This morning and yesterday morning. I can see Spica clearly but haven't been able to see the comet through my 7x50 binocs.

HOWEVER

Also for two these same two mornings when it becomes brighter I've seen a very bright object about 1 degree long in exactly the same position (ESE) both mornings. Through the binocs it appears to have a core to the lower left and a very distinctive tail going to about the 2:00 position. This was clearly visible to the unaided eye and this AM I say it with the sun just becoming visible above the horizon.

Any thoughts, is the comet or a coincidental contrail in exactly the same position looking exactly the same both mornings??

bob

#148 stargazer424

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 04:09 PM

No. The best visibility will still be in the east before sunrise, although it may be possible to catch a glimpse after sunset right around the 1st. The recent S&T online update discusses this.

JimC


Darn...was hoping I wouldn't have to wake up early to see it...I'll be checking the updates to see if it survives and how much it brightens if it does.

When will we have a good comet that we can see at a normal hour :)

#149 Tonk

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 05:27 PM

Been out 2 mornings now looking for ISCON


Possibly because you should be looking for ISON ;)

#150 the1andonlyfinn

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Posted 18 November 2013 - 06:09 PM

My apartment complex unfortunately fixed its lights, so I had to contend with that, plus the full moon, plus a haze so thick I could barely see Spica.
The 15x70 bino attempt was an immediate bust, so I ran inside and grabbed my poorly-collimated XT8.

Starting at Spica at low power, I started looking for fuzzy stars. BAM- very fuzzy, very bluish-green, with a hint of tail!

I observed ISON a week ago from a nice mountain site and 4/5 seeing and transparency, and it looked brighter today. Not bad!
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