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Date: 20 Oct 2006 19:59:33
From: Matthew Ota
Subject: Comet 2006 M4 Swan from Gardena, California
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Set up my 10" SCT at "Harvard Observatory" (Harvard Blvd. in Gardena
CA.
Put in the 40MM ultrawide 2 inch EP and slewed over to 2006M4 Swan.
Just barely visible through all of the LP. A faint greenish blob from
the city.
Matthew Ota
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Date: 21 Oct 2006 22:42:06
From: canopus56
Subject: Re: Comet 2006 M4 Swan from Gardena, California
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Matthew Ota wrote:
> Put in the 40MM ultrawide 2 inch EP and slewed over to 2006M4 Swan.
> Just barely visible through all of the LP.
I got away for a quick trip up to Little Mtn. Utah outside of Salt Lake
at 9:00 PM tonight to see if I could locate C/2006 M4 (Swan). This was
a little late, the best time being right after sunset. By 9:00 PM MDT,
the comet was only around 30 deg alt in the NNW sky at 290 az. A
better time for tomorrow night at around astronomical twilight at 8:00
pm., when the comet will be at about 55 alt, az 280.
In a mag 4.3 heavily light polluted sky and use 8 x 35 binoculars, I
was able to easily find the coma of Comet Swan at 30 arcmins s.w. of
mu01 Boo. The nucleus was probably around mag 6 and a diameter of 5 to
7 arcmins. Looking through this urban sky, the tail was not visible.
The comet is easily located by using alf CrB and the tail of the Big
Dipper as a finding line to locate two of the northern stars of the
pentagon of upper Bootes - 3.5 bet Boo and 3.5 del Boo. About midway
and 3 degrees northeast of del Boo and 3 degrees northwest of bet Boo
is mag 4.3 mu01 Boo. Its the first brighter star north of the del Boo
- bet Boo line.
Tonight - 10/21/2006 - Comet Swan was 1/2 deg south west of mu01 Boo.
Tomorrow night - 10/22/2006 - Comet Swan will be 1 3/4 degs north of
mu01 Boo. It is prominent and not difficult to locate. Detailed
finder charts are not necessary to acquire the object. Comet Swan is
moving up out of the ecliptic so extinction and position are improving.
As the comet moves on it exit track it will get dimmer, but it appears
quite bright now.
- Canopus56
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