How to Find Rosetta’s Comet In Your Telescope

Universe Today ^ | Bob King

[BenLurkin]

How would you like to see one of the most famous comets with your own eyes? Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko plies the morning sky, a little blot of fuzzy light toting an amazing visitor along for the ride — the Rosetta spacecraft. When you look at the coma and realize a human-made machine is buzzing around inside, it seems unbelievable.

If you have a 10-inch or larger telescope, or you’re an experienced amateur with an 8-inch and pristine skies, 67P is within your grasp. The comet glows right around magnitude +12, about as bright as it will get this apparition. Periodic comets generally appear brightest around and shortly after perihelion or closest approach to the Sun, which for 67P/C-G occurred back on August 13.

You’ll be looking for a small, 1-arc-minute-diameter, compact, circular patch of nebulous light shortly before dawn when it’s highest in the east. Rosetta’s Comet will spend the remainder of August slicing across Gemini the Twins north of an nearly parallel to the ecliptic. I spotted 67P/C-G for the first time this go-round about a week ago in my 15-inch (37 cm) reflector. While it appears like a typical faint comet, thanks to Rosetta, we know this particular rough and tumble mountain of ice better than any previous comet. Photographs show rugged cliffs, numerous cracks due to the expansion and contraction of ice, blowholes that serve as sources for jets and smooth plains blanketed in fallen dust.

[BenLurkin]

Facing east around 4 a.m. local time in late August, you’ll see the winter constellations Gemini and Orion. 67P/C-G’s path is shown through early September. Brighter stars near the path are labeled. Time shown is 4 a.m. CDT. Use this map to get oriented and then switch to the one below for telescope use. Source: Chris Marriott’s SkyMap

[BenLurkin]

While you won’t see it this close, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is now at its best in the morning sky. This sequence of images, taken with Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera from 115 miles (185 km) away on July 30, 2015, show a boulder-sized object close to the comet’s nucleus. The object measures anywhere between 3 – 165 feet across (1- 50 meters) across. The exact size can’t be determined since its distance from the spacecraft isn’t known. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

[BenLurkin]

Ping

The surface of Comet 67P/C-G is extensively fractured due to loss of volatile ices, the expansion and contraction of the comet from solar heating and bitter cold and possibly even tectonic forces. The smaller polygonal shapes outlined by fractures in the lower right photo are just 6-16 feet (2-5 meters) across. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

[MarchonDC09122009]

Speaking of ELE space objects, where can we get a good look at incoming Wormwood asteroid / Red Kachina meteor? /s

[yarddog]

I remember when Halley’s comet came through in the 80s. I bought an inexpensive telescope but now that I think about it, I don’t recall even getting to see it.

When the one came through, I can’t remember the name, but it was the one where all those people committed suicide, I got out my spotting scope and saw it fairly well.

It was only a 22X60mm Celestron but it was a good one. It had several ED glass elements.

Maybe I will try again.

[ml/nj]

The comet glows right around magnitude +12

So not exactly something that would have wowed the ancients.

ML/NJ

[BenLurkin]

Live feed from the ISS: http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/660/371/asteroid2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

[MarchonDC09122009]

That’s-All-Folks asteroid would hurt lots.
Hopefully they’ll be room for us in Cheyenne mountain.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin, extra to APoD.

[Nailbiter]

ping