| |
Main
Date: 18 Nov 2006 16:17:13
From: Willie R. Meghar
Subject: Comet SWAN (friday night)
|
Friday night was first light for "Iron SnowFlake" -- a new name for a
new telescope (12" LightBridge).
Among the objects targetted was my old friend, Comet SWAN. The comet
was observed at low, medium, and high magnifications from a magnitude
6.5 sky. It was best at medium to high powers.
Within the comet's oval coma was a bright, linear tail or jet
extending northeastward from the comet's central condensation. This
feature did not extend beyond the comet's coma.
IMO SWAN is no longer a very interesting object for binocular
observation. My best view was a few weeks ago with Excalibur (a 5"
apo) when the Swan's tail extended across the field of view.
Willie R. Meghar
|
|
| |
Date: 23 Nov 2006 16:33:34
From: George Normandin
Subject: Re: Comet SWAN (friday night)
|
"Willie R. Meghar" < > wrote
> .......
> Among the objects targetted was my old friend, Comet SWAN. The comet
> was observed at low, medium, and high magnifications from a magnitude
> 6.5 sky. It was best at medium to high powers.
>
> Within the comet's oval coma was a bright, linear tail or jet
> extending northeastward from the comet's central condensation. This
> feature did not extend beyond the comet's coma.
>
> IMO SWAN is no longer a very interesting object for binocular
> observation. My best view was a few weeks ago with Excalibur (a 5"
> apo) when the Swan's tail extended across the field of view.
>
Willie,
SWAN seems to have faded a lot in the past week. It's also moving much
slower against the background stars.
See my image of it taken yesterday
(http://www.kopernik.org/images/archive/CometSWAN.jpg), and also posted in
alt.binaries.pictures.astro.
George N
|
| | |
Date: 27 Nov 2006 09:13:07
From: Willie R. Meghar
Subject: Re: Comet SWAN (friday night)
|
"George Normandin" <georgepn@worldnet.att.net > wrote:
> SWAN seems to have faded a lot in the past week. It's also moving much
>slower against the background stars.
>
> See my image of it taken yesterday
>(http://www.kopernik.org/images/archive/CometSWAN.jpg), and also posted in
>alt.binaries.pictures.astro.
That's a nice image, George. SWAN looked quite similar in a 30cm
Newtonian about a week earlier (when I last looked).
Willie R. Meghar
|
| |
Date: 28 Nov 2006 12:47:31
From: Dave Mitsky
Subject: Re: Comet SWAN (friday night)
|
Willie R. Meghar wrote:
Edit
Willie,
I spent Friday night, November 24, atop the 4000 foot tall summit of
the Dolly Sods plateau in West Virginia's Canaan Valley. Conditions
were superb. The VLM was in the seventh magnitude range and the seeing
was excellent.
I was somewhat surprised to find that Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN) was
dramatically fainter than when I observed it on Tuesday night from a
lesser dark site in central Pennsylvania. I could barely perceive it
with my 101mm Tele Vue refractor until I boosted the magnification. (I
had no trouble seeing the comet at low power with the same instrument
early on Tuesday night.) C/2006 M4 (SWAN) was in the vicinity of the
planetary nebula NGC 6804, which I found to be somewhat easier to
discern than the comet.
I also had some views of the Comet SWAN M4 through a 17.5" Celestron
Starhopper. The elongation of the coma that was so apparent previously
was only hinted at and a slight degree of condensation was visible with
averted vision.
I can't honestly say that I could see the comet with my 15x70 binocular
although it was still easily visible on Tuesday evening through that
instrument.
Dave Mitsky
|
| |
Date: 28 Nov 2006 12:45:04
From: Dave Mitsky
Subject: Re: Comet SWAN (friday night)
|
Willie R. Meghar wrote:
Edit
Willie,
I spent Friday night atop the 4000 foot tall summit of the Dolly Sods
plateau in West Virginia's Canaan Valley. Conditions were superb. The
VLM was in the seventh magnitude range and the seeing was excellent.
I was somewhat surprised to find that Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN) was
dramatically fainter than when I observed it on Tuesday night from a
lesser dark site in central Pennsylvania. I could barely perceive it
with my 101mm Tele Vue refractor until I boosted the magnification. (I
had no trouble seeing the comet at low power with the same instrument
early on Tuesday night.) C/2006 M4 (SWAN) was in the vicinity of the
planetary nebula NGC 6804, which I found to be somewhat easier to
discern than the comet.
I also had some views of the Comet SWAN M4 through a 17.5" Celestron
Starhopper. The elongation of the coma that was so apparent previously
was only hinted at and a slight degree of condensation was visible with
averted vision.
I can't honestly say that I could see the comet with my 15x70 binocular
although it was still easily visible on Tuesday evening through that
instrument.
Dave Mitsky
|
|
