At it's peak, it was right on the horizon just before dusk, it seemed the tail went halfway to the zenith. Extrordinarily immpressive.
Posted on 12/20/2002 6:31:36 PM PST by djf
Astronomers have received a holiday bonanza in the form of the arrival of a previously unknown comet that has entered our part of the solar system. The comet was discovered by a Japanese amateur astronomer, Tetuo Kudo, early on the morning of December 14, said Clay Sherrod, an astronomer with the Arkansas Sky laboratory.
"In mid- to late-January the comet will be favorably placed for early risers in the northern hemisphere and will probably be visible to the naked eye, at least toward the end of that month," Sherrod said. "Certainly binoculars will aid in spotting the comet and exposing any tail that it might show."
Named Kudo-Fujikawa (and officially designated C/2002 X5), the comet is moving east-southeast through the constellation Hercules.
Halley's comet orbits the Earth every 76 years, and its next scheduled visitation is in 2061. Astronomers hope that the newly discovered comet, C/2002 X5 Kudo-Fujikawa, will provide an equally impressive show for viewers here on Earth.
Photograph copyright Stocktrek/CORBIS
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"The comet is a swift-moving object and currently is easily visible in the northeastern skies during pre-dawn hours, showing a pretty distinct tail and large coma (head or halo, caused by the emanation of gases and other materials as the comet warms up on its approach to the sun). The tail appears to be slightly less than one-half degree and several spikes in this tail have been recorded (on December 15) by imagers in New Mexico," Sherrod said.
The jury is still out regarding just what kind of show Kudo-Fujikawa would provide Earth-based viewers when it is closest to the sun, but there is a prospect that it would be a "textbook comet," Sherrod said. "However, the visibility during its greatest brilliance…will be greatly hampered because of the comet's angle of approach to the sun and the Earth-sun-comet positioning during that period."
Towards the end of January, the comet will be approaching the sun and swinging behind it from Earth's vantage point, thus getting lower and lower each successive morning into early February.
"In February the comet will be more favorably placed for observers in the southern hemisphere, and there are some estimates that suggest that the comet could attain a brightness equal to the bright planet Venus (a magnitude of less than 4)," Sherrod said.
Magnitude is a measure of brightness used by astronomers. The lower the magnitude value of an object, the brighter that object is.Objects that shine with a magnitude of less than 6 are usually visible with the naked eye. Kudo-Fujikawa is currently being seen at a magnitude of between 7 and 8.
Much of what Earth will be able to see of Kudo-Fujikawa is contingent on the activity that occurs when it is closest to its pass by the sun (perihelion) on January 28, 2003, Sherrod said. At that point it will be only 16 million miles (25 million kilometers) from the sun. The average distance of the Earth from the sun is 93 million miles (150 million kilometers).
"The retrograde orbit (meaning the comet is coming in at an opposite direction in relation to the orbits of the primary planets) of this comet and its close pass from the sun at that time have suggested to many, myself included, that the comet might potentially break up from solar radiation and solar wind. If this does indeed occur, then we might expect more volatile activity from this object than if it passes perihelion totally intact and unscathed.
"Now, if this does happen, then we might expect an incredible comet to be visible as the inner, more volatile and rare gases are exposed to solar radiation," Sherrod said.
For more precise instructions of how to find the comet—and Sherrod's regular updates on its progress—please visit the Arkansas Sky Observatory.
Suppose that the "comet" tail is exposed on purpose. Couldn't it be argued that the "comet" was actually wanting to be gazed upon?
I am in the process of building a small observatory to house my 10" Schmidt Cassegrain Catadioptric telescope. It's currently on an equaltorial mount, but it will be on a permanent pier once the observatory is built..
It uses a series of lenses an mirrors and is computer operated. It has a database of over 65,000 objects and is operated with a numbered key pad, where one can punch in the coordinates of a specific object and the telescope will go directly to it. It will also be able to be operated remotely with software that will control the telescope from my desktop PC inside my house.
I currently obtain images using a film format with a 35mm camera, but hope to obtain a used CCD digital camera someday in the near future. They are expensive but they are much more sensitive to low light objects than film, and there is no film processing involved, you get the image on the computer screen almost instantly. Once the image comes up on the computer screen it can then be moved into photoshop for enhancement and further digital processing. I have some photographs of the Planet Saturn, and Jupiter, and several of the Orion Nebula, and many shots of the lunar surface, all on film format. If I can figure out how to post them I will. That's something I just haven't done yet, but need to figure it out.
Having images piped directly to your PC and being able to control the telescope from inside is very cool and a must in my book (who wants to sit outdoors all night long in the cold, lol?). Ditto CCD. Amazingly, not so long ago, neither of these was possible. And the big scopes out there nowadays would astonish amateurs of 20 or 30 years ago. Just wish I didn't live so close to the city.
Maybe I'll start out with one of those 10" Dobs from Orion for $600. Just slew and look, easy peasy (but cold and uncomfortable). :-)
#$%!@#$. Nothing's EVER easy.
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