Comet C/1995 01 Hale-Bopp
Sketch and Details by Per-Jonny Bremseth
Object: C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)
Object Type: Comet
Artist: Per-Jonny Bremseth
Date: March 16, 1997
Location: Norway
Media: Water soluble crayons on custom made paper, inverted digitally
Comet C/2007 N3 Lulin
Sketch and Details by Juan Perez “Juanchin”
Object: C/2007 N3 LULIN
Date: Jan 29, 2009
Time: 06:15 LST / 13:15 UTC
Location: El Mirage Arizona
Instrument: Orion 25×100 binoculars 2.5deg FOV
Detector: Visual Observation
Magnitude: ~7.5 –8
Weather : clear skies, biting winds, temp. 45degF
Comments:
I’ ve been keeping an eye on Lulin for the past few days and, I have yet to discern whether a tail is visible from this semi-urban town. Averted vision is playing tricks with me. I’d like to say that I see a tail pointing East but I’m in doubt. The diffused coma appears to have an oblong shape to it. Somehow this comet is supposed to brighten but today it seemed to be in the magnitude of around 8. Last week the comet was like in the magnitude of 7 and looked compact and pronounced on my binoculars. As I was sketching an Iridium flare passed right through my view from a West to Northernly direction. – Awsome!
Comet C/2007 N3 Lulin
Sketch and Details by Michael Rosolina
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
Comet
Friars Hill, West Virginia
23 January 2009
I got up early Friday morning before the waning crescent moonrise to get a fresh look at Comet Lulin under clear, dark skies. Except for images and Jeremy Perez’s sketch, I hadn’t seen the comet since early January and I was curious to see what changes had occurred visually. Lulin is still in the constellation Libra, but it is much brighter and higher in the sky now, an easy binocular object. The coma appears elongated due to the near head-on perspective from our point of view here on Earth and to the comet’s unusual orbital geometry. After viewing Lulin with my 12×36 image stabilized binoculars, I used my 108mm reflector and graphite pencils on white paper to make this field sketch which I later inverted digitally.
Best,
Michael Rosolina
Comet C/2007 N3 Lulin
Sketch and Details by Martin McKenna
Comet C/2007 N3 Lulin
Before dawn on the morning of January 23rd 2009 I made my very first observation of comet C/2007 N3 Lulin. The reward took a long time in coming because I had been up before the Sun every single morning for several weeks in the hope of making an early observation of this exciting comet. However, due to clouds, severe air frosts, and dense fog the comet alluded me during this period. This morning I woke up just after 05.00 UT to a great clear sky. It was very cold and frosty with slippery ice on the ground but the sky was in good shape. I grabbed by camera, tripod, and 10x50mm binoculars (B50) and got prepared to track down the comet. Lulin was too low in the sky to see from home so I had to walk up to a hill which was several hundreds metres away. I glanced into the east and saw the bright stars of Scorpius and Libra. I spent 15 min’s scanning with B50 without success and came to the conclusion that I really needed something more powerful for a proper look.
I decided to go back home and get the 8.5″ F/7 dobsonian reflector but due to its weight I had to lift it in two sections. This involved four trips to get the rocker box and tube to my comet hunting location. After I took a few min’s to catch my breath I checked that the telrad was aligned then guided the scope into western Scorpius. I began a series of vertical sweeps while gradually working my way S into Libra. After a few min’s I found Lulin a few degrees below 38 Librae at 05.29 UT. This was my first new comet observation of 2009 and the 48th comet I have hunted down since I began many years ago so I was delighted!. I observed the comet for 30 min’s in the frigid conditions then brought the scope back home again which involved four more trips. When I entered the my back garden I realized that the comet was actually visible just above my fence in the SE so my previous trip was in vain. I got comfortable and began to study Lulin in comfort.
My immediate impression was that the comet was very bright. It struck me just how healthy and active the coma looked even at a casual glance. The coma was at least 7′ in dia with a very intense white-coloured and disk-shaped central condensation with star-like false nucleus at centre. The outer coma was an obvious green colour. On several occasions I seen at least one jet within the coma pointing to the S. The anti-tail was very faint and elusive and required good dark adaption and averted vision. I noticed that it didn’t point directly towards the Sun but slightly to the W of S which is something I have not seen on images or in other reports. By this stage the background sky in the FOV was grey and hazy. I had to move the scope in various directions to pick out the faint details so I’m not 100% certain about what I saw. I found the colourless anti-tail to be at least 20′ long but I suspected it to be much longer. The gas/ion tail was much brighter and pointed in a generally S direction. To me this tail was green and sported a smooth profile and seemed to broaden with distance away from the coma much like a search beam. I could easily see the tail for a minimum of 1 degree but again I’m sure it’s much longer that this. Seeing both tails at the same time was quite a treat!
Despite the very poor quality of my binoculars I was still able to find the comet easily. I also tried very carefully to detect it with the naked eye but I just couldn’t convince myself that it was visible. However, I suspect that with excellent sky conditions the first naked eye observations will be reported very soon. As for a magnitude estimate, I didn’t really make one because I was trying to ferret out the details within the tail but based on the ease of which I could see the coma in the scope I would say approx mag +6.5, give or take a mag or so on either side. I think this comet could very well put on a good show in Feb as along as it continues to brighten. I will be watching Lulin every clear morning for now on. I ended the night with a mug of tea and watched the twilight arch grow. It was 07.15 UT before I finally left the comet alone to continue it’s journey towards Earth.
Clear skies
Martin McKenna, Maghera, N. Ireland.
Comet C/2007 N3 over Sunset Crater National Monument
Sketch and Details by Jeremy Perez
Object: C/2007 N3 (Lulin) / Comet
Artist: Jeremy Perez
Location: Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona, USA
Date: JAN 09, 2009 – 13:00 UT
Media: Strathmore 80# Sketch Paper, 2H & HB graphite for stars,
Charcoal for shading, cleanup and mild color addition in Adobe
Photoshop CS3.
Equipment: SkyQuest XT8 (8″ f/6 Dobsonian) and Pentax XW 10 Eyepiece
(120X / 35′ TFOV)
Report:
It was my hope that I would be able to see this comet’s fascinating
display before the full and waning moon overpowered it for a couple
weeks. I arrived at Sunset Crater National Monument shortly after 5
am with the moon blazing away and lighting up the snow-covered
landscape. The head of Scorpius was rising, and Antares was
flickering with a rusty light just over the tops of the cinder cones.
While the sky was still bright with moonlight, I shot a few photos of
the landscape, and then set up my 8 inch Dobsonian.
The comet was a snap to find and readily pierced the moon-washed star
field as a round glow with a nicely condensed core. I’d estimate the
degree of condensation as 6. Initially, I saw probably about 2 arc
minutes of the core region. The bright 6th magnitude star, 47 Librae
anchored the east side of the field.
As the moonlight began to dwindle and the comet rose higher in the
sky, more structure began to appear. Compared to the neutral gray
background, the comet emitted a very slight aqua tint. A definite
brightening proceeded eastward away from it at a PA of about 100
degrees. This extension (ion tail or dust tail) was visible out to
about 9 arc minutes from the core.
As conditions improved, the coma also appeared to blossom a bit more
to a diameter of about 6 arc minutes. At this point, the brighter
core took on a more elliptical shape that preferred to drag off to
the east. On the west side of the comet, a much fainter extension
emerged from the coma at a PA of about 290 degrees. A quick look at
240X showed the coma to be brighter along its southern half, perhaps
due to the dust tail fanning widely behind and to the south of the
comet. I didn’t spend time trying to compare the comet’s brightness
to nearby stars, but it was definitely brighter than 8th magnitude
M107–I’d estimate by at least 1.5 if not 2 magnitudes. That’s a very
rough estimate, so don’t rely on it for anything. But if correct,
that would put it around 6th magnitude, at the threshold of naked-eye
visibility under a dark, transparent sky. I did not try to spot it
naked eye, however.
The extended details I observed were very subtle and required much
time spent observing with averted vision. Scope tapping, sweeping,
and moving the core outside of the field of view on different sides,
all helped to bring these structures into view. With strong
moonlight, light pollution, or murky skies, they are likely to be
invisible while the comet is so low. The central core however is
quite bright and should be visible to some degree under poorer
conditions.
The time between moonset and the beginning of morning twilight was
fleeting, and the gradually improving view halted, and began to
quickly deteriorate. I spent probably 15 minutes plotting the star
field, then a half hour examining the comet for structure, and a
final 15 minutes trying to eke out the last, faintest bits of detail.
It was an hour very well spent. I attempted to track down the pairing
of comet C/2008 X4 (Christensen) and M107 but was only successful in
spotting M107. I wasn’t able to spend much time on that side trip,
since I needed every bit of attention for Lulin, and I’m glad I made
that choice. Hopefully, Lulin will be quite a bit brighter in two
weeks when the new moon cycle returns and this comet’s beautiful
features will be easier to detect, and rich with developing structure.
Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
Sketch and Details by Michael Rosolina
Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) is an up and coming comet for northern hemisphere observers. Discovered in July 2007 by astronomers from mainland China and Taiwan working cooperatively, it was hidden in the solar glare at the end of the year. In late December, the comet became visible shortly before dawn in the southeast as it moved from Scorpius into Libra. As we progress through January into February, it will come up earlier, climb higher into Virgo and Leo, and hopefully become much brighter .
This apparition of Comet Lulin has some interesting features. The comet has a retrograde orbit which is nearly on the same plane as Earth’s and it will be less than half an astronomical unit away at its closest approach. This will make it appear to be a fast mover staying near the ecliptic with its motion obvious in telescopes and binoculars.
Also, we are seeing it almost head on, so its dust tail is visible on both sides of the coma. I did not detect a tail at the low magnification I used for my sketch, but there are now images and observations of a tail posted around the Web.
My sketch shows Comet Lulin’s position on January 1st and its appearance and position 48 hours later. It was headed for a close pass by the 6th magnitude star 47 Librae by January 8th-9th.
The sketch was done in the field with graphite pencils and a stump and inverted digitally. Temperatures ranged from -14° C for the first observation to -3° C for the second, but I was happy to bundle up to get an early look at this visitor from the far reaches of our solar system. Let’s hope Comet Lulin puts on a good show and everyone gets a chance to see it; it won’t be back around for a millenium.
Object Name: C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
Object Type: Comet
Location: Friars Hill, WV USA
Date: 1 Jan. 2009 and 3 Jan. 2009
Michael Rosolina
Comet 17P Holmes
Sketch and Details by Ignacio Martin Navarro
Comet 17P Holmes
I am Ignacio Martín, from Tenerif, Spain. This is a sketch from the Comet Holmes made a year ago. Object Name: 17P Holmes Object: Type Comet Location: Tenerife, Canary Island Date: 2, November 2007 Equipment: Celestron C6″ SC MALE: 3.5 – 4. No clouds but a lot of light pollution Visual Magnitude: 2.5 (aprox) It was made just with graphite pencil. First I made the background and then, step by step, the details where included. I took some notes about the appearance of the comet: ” Naked eye: triangular shape, like Δ. Using the SC: the NE part seems to be weaker and the SW edge is more intense and irregluar. Dark ring inside”
Best regards,
Nacho Martín Navarro
Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2)
Sketch and Details by Jeremy Perez
Observation Notes:
Well, the weather and my schedule hasn’t been cooperating too much lately for getting out under the stars with more than a pair of binoculars. Tonight, the clouds parted for a while, and the moon had yet to rise, so I took a look for Machholz at 10:30 pm. As the days go by, it keeps getting brighter. I’m still not sure how to go about estimating brightness for fuzzy things like this. But I could make out the thin ion tail with averted vision to the east-northeast, and what seemed to be a widening of the coma that would be the dust tail the south. I worked out a digital sketch over the course of 3 trips outside. I wasn’t dressed for the occasion, so I didn’t want to get everything put together for a pencil sketch. I worked up the sketch in Photoshop. I don’t think this is the way I’d like to do things very often. It doesn’t seem as precise, and it’s bad for dark adaptation.
Anyway, after putting it together, I checked in Orion’s The Sky, the only thing I had to fix was a slight adjustment to the position of 2 stars on the east side of the sketch. I don’t know about anyone else that observes comets or asteroids, but I get a charge out of plotting its position at a specific time, and the having it confirmed neatly by the planetarium software. The position of Machholz worked out to RA 3h 53m / Dec +07� 21′. I labeled the major stars that surrounded it. Based on the angular separation of those stars, I would estimate the portion of the coma visible to me was 19′ in diameter, while the ion tail extended 50′. Under direct vision I still pick up the faintest hint of green. I haven’t found any recent photos of the comet to verify that I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing, so if somebody sees anything fishy about this, let me know.
Subject Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2)
Classification Comet
Position [RA 3:53 / Dec +07:21]
Size ~19′ x 23′
Brightness ~4
Date/Time 12/30/04 – 10:30 PM
Observing Loc. Flagstaff, AZ – Home
Instrument Orion Worldview Binoculars 10 x 50
Eyepieces/Mag. 10X
Seeing Unrecorded
Transparency Mag 5.8
Comet Hale-Bopp over Kuju Japan
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe
It is well past the best time for visual observation but I was mesmerized by the comet setting in a very transparent evening sky. A very bright rather open tail was visible to the naked eye clearly.
C/199501 Comet Difficulty level: 0/5
Hale-Bopp
Date of observation: 1997.05.04 20:19
Observing site: Kuju
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 2/2/1
Instruments:Naked eye
Comet Hale-Bopp nucleus
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe
A dual shell structure is clearly visible at high magnifications. The nucleus is very bright, probably at magnitude -0.5. The nucleus is almost stellar but appears rather misshapen and elongated with a close look. A spiral structure in front of the nucleus extends counter-clock-wise. Another arc-like structure is clearly seen in front of the spiral structure. There is no further detail visible, but it is rather dark right behind the nucleus with bright areas lying on both sides of the nucleus.
C/1995O1 Comet difficulty level: 0/5
Hale-Bopp
Date of observation: 1997/03/30 20:20
Observing site: Hoshinomura
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 3/3/2
Instruments: Muron 210, TPL10.5, and star diagonal
Magnification: 230x
Width of field: 0.2 degree
The Scooter: Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock(C/1983 H1)
Sketch by Janis Romer
About this comet Janis wrote:
“This gorgeous comet moved so fast, I could actually see it move in front of the stars! IAA was an “opportunity” object, leaving us as quickly as it came. I was one of the lucky ones who got a really good look at it.”
Comet IAA was an earth passing comet that for a time moved 30° per day and was as close as 4.6 million kilometers from earth. It was a naked eye comet between 2nd and 4th magnitude and was impressive in the sky moving through Ursa Major towards Cancer. Jan’s sketch is an accurate rendition on the night of close approach.
Written details compiled by Frank McCabe.
