Comet McNaught

AbsoluteZero

I just came inside from scoping out this beautiful comet. If you live in the central time zone, head out now with a pair of binoculars, focus on venus, then scan right, just above the horizon and you should spot it. It has a nice tail and looks gorgeous in the sunset.

You need a pair of binoculars to see it now, even weakass ones will work... but between the 12th and the 15th, this comet has the potential to become 40 times brighter than Venus as it loops around the sun.

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070104_comet_mcnaught.html

If you get a chance, either at sunrise or sunset, I suggest you get out and take a look at this comet. Look near the horizon, near the sun, half an hour before rise/set, to half an hour after.

Xenocide Geek

Yeah, I'm taking an astronomy class right now and my teacher has been talking about it for the past couple of days.

It's too bad I live in Seattle; I can't see anything. Otherwise, it'd be fun to look at it.

AbsoluteZero

Just so you know, Comet McNaught is now officially the brightest comet in 30 years. It is currently at magnitude -2 (the brightest star in the sky is Sirius at -1.4) making it the second brightest object in the post sunset sky, the moon being the brightest of course.

This comet is likely to only get brighter through the 15th or so... Look for it just as the sun dips below the horizon.

AbsoluteZero

Sorry for resurrecting this thread again, but I thought I'd point out that Comet McNaught is now visible in daylight. By finding a way to block the sun from your view (perhaps by putting a building between yourself and the sun) it has been reported that the comet "pops" into view, tail and all.

I'm going to give it a try tomorrow if it's not too cloudy. Apparently this is an extraordinarily rare event.

Zsetrek

I'm gonna go watch it tonight.

area

AbsoluteZero wrote:

Sorry for resurrecting this thread again, but I thought I'd point out that Comet McNaught is now visible in daylight. By finding a way to block the sun from your view (perhaps by putting a building between yourself and the sun) it has been reported that the comet "pops" into view, tail and all.

I'm going to give it a try tomorrow if it's not too cloudy. Apparently this is an extraordinarily rare event.

:shock: . I saw it on Thursday when the perpetual cloud we've been having (UK) broke for one evening. It really is a shame that it's so close to the sun; otherwise it would be spectacular.

I'm pretty skeptical about this though. I thought objects had to be -4 or so to be visible during the day and McNaught is only hitting -3? Or am I behind the times?

EDIT: http://www.spaceweather.com/ . I stand corrected. I'm going to be all over this so hard.

AbsoluteZero

area wrote:

AbsoluteZero wrote:

Sorry for resurrecting this thread again, but I thought I'd point out that Comet McNaught is now visible in daylight. By finding a way to block the sun from your view (perhaps by putting a building between yourself and the sun) it has been reported that the comet "pops" into view, tail and all.

I'm going to give it a try tomorrow if it's not too cloudy. Apparently this is an extraordinarily rare event.

:shock: . I saw it on Thursday when the perpetual cloud we've been having (UK) broke for one evening. It really is a shame that it's so close to the sun; otherwise it would be spectacular.

I'm pretty skeptical about this though. I thought objects had to be -4 or so to be visible during the day and McNaught is only hitting -3? Or am I behind the times?

McNaught is going to get very close to the sun, which will cause huge amounts of the comet to vaporize... in turn, the comet may reach a magnitude of -8.8, tops.

The last time something like this happened was in 1965 when another comet came perilously close to the sun. The comet was described to be as bright as the full moon in the noon-day sun.

Endomatic

Aliens are looking at us. They have disguised their ship as a comet.

DarkPrimus

Endomatic wrote:

Aliens are looking at us. They have disguised their ship as a comet.

Space Hulk?

bombardier

Cursed perpetually cloudy skies!

Nitsua

Well, this is a pretty old thread, but I wanted to post some pics from the current comet that is gracing our just after sunset skies. Its name is Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and its orbit only has it coming our way every 80,000 years. Its location is very nearly where the comet up above is found, but instead you look about 30-45 minutes after sunset between Venus and Arcturus in the Western sky. Is barely visible with the naked eye, but a good phone camera can pick it up and so can every day binoculars or a telescope.

This was taken just a bit ago on my iPhone 16 Pro Max using the 10sec Night setting.

Havelock2.0

I’m gonna try to sneaky a peaky at this boi

gotta go somewhere high and look west around dusk

spool32

Got some great pics last night of this!

Echo

Nitsua wrote: »

Well, this is a pretty old thread, but I wanted to post some pics from the current comet that is gracing our just after sunset skies. Its name is Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and its orbit only has it coming our way every 80,000 years.

I'll catch it next time.

Hevach

Cloudy evenings the last few nights. Tonight was clear except for one fat ass cloud right on the west horizon where the sun set.

Michigan is such a shit state for space stuff.

Captain Inertia

I saw it during a brief window where the sky was visible here in central Ohio

Pretty freaking cool

Veevee

Took these Monday night, using a Pixel 8a night shot mode, spoiling to preserve scroll, the link is a quick 1second time lapse video

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZJd5nMMeELeDYiJJ9

Nitsua

These are all great shots! I’m really enjoying the views of the comet you all were able to get.