Sunday, February 22, 2009

Mardi Gras' Fat Tuesday’s Green Smudge Comet Lulin


It was my hope to take photograph the Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday’s Green Smudge Comet Lulin. I wanted to show what Comet Lulin might look like with out a big telescopic view, from a city or slightly darker area to simulate what most would see as the comet comes closest to Earth on 2/24. I tried a couple of weeks ago but no success.

Last night 2/21, I tried again at Powell Observatory, Louisburg, KS just south of Kansas City. Some people said that the comet could now be spotted with binoculars and even naked eye! And I saw it had brightened and could see both these views as well as in our 30 inch telescope.

0n 2/21/09 returning back to Powell, I saw the brightening comet. The nucleus was brighter and so was the rest of the comet coma. It is moving away fast from the Sun.
We could see it moving across the the telescope's field. The coma was bigger and one side (left) was brighter. We could see it easily with our binoculars and could see it (naked eye) as a smudge below Saturn.

This time I was successful using my Canon Rebel XT with 55mm lens, ASA 800 at 30 seconds f/6.3.
You can see the smudge comet (6 magnitude) in the photo just under ) the 3.56 star Zanijava which is just below the brighter planet Saturn (mag 0.56) to the left of the bright blue star called Denabola, in the constellation Leo . Since it was 11:00 CT, the comet was still coming up from the East horizon and still drank in some of the lights from the horizon. Still I was glad to image it . If I could see it with naked eye and binoculars and image it without a big lens (my next attempt), you can too!

Additional information

Comet Lulin, discovered at an observatory in China , is now brightening for a date to be nearest Earth on Feb 24. Now at mag 6 we hope it will brighten to 5th. I saw it with our 30 inch telescope a couple of weeks ago using our Powell Observatory’s 39 inch telescope. Its greenish colored and was difficult to see. The nucleus was even more difficult to see.

This photo on APOD is like what I saw of it and sketched from last week. A tenuous circle like cloud like coma with viewable but difficult to see nucleus right in the center.

2/21-22/2009
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
if not 2/21 look at archivescan't find it? use the archives and go to earlier date other then this one

Also there are several nice photos on spaceweather.com

Also nice article and more pics at
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/090220-comet-lulin.html

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Encounter Comet Lulin and Internationa Space Station 2/18/2009

Here is of what the sky will look like in the morning of 2/18/2009 showing the locations of (1) Comet Lulin (at about mag 6 need small telescope or binoculars) red spot slightly to the left of center)
(2) ISS (Space Station) mag 0.07 middle- left of Saturn (mag 0.61)
(3) Saturn (mag 0.61) near constellation Leo
Taken with Starry Night Pro
Location from : Kansas City, KS (your view may vary a bit)
Time: around 6:18 Central Time




Galileo's Sunspots

Galileo was the first person to see sunspots while working with his telescope. He discovered more about these "dark" spots and their true nature.
2/15/2009
(if not this date go to this link/website and then go to archives link which is on the Spaceweather page lower portion)
http://www.spaceweather.com/

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Redoubt volcano may erupt soon - look at it now with 3D glasses
2/10/2009
(if not this date go to this link/website and then go to archives link which is on the Spaceweather page lower portion)
http://www.spaceweather.com/

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Small, Hot Earth-Like Planet Discovered

Astronomers are finding smaller planets ultimately trying to find small Earth like planets. This one is hot but it is one of the smallest. These discoveries were made with the COROT space device.
Space.com

filed under: SCIENCE NEWS
http://news.aol.com/article/new-planet/327842

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/COROT/SEM7G6XPXPF_0.html

Ten New Amphibian Species Found

Amazingly new creatures are being found all the time. The latest are frogs and more.
filed under: SCIENCE NEWS
http://news.aol.com/article/new-amphibian-species/327136

Comet Lulin has a disconnected tail

The brightening Comet Lulin, which hopefully peak in brightness, as it comes closer to Earth on 2/24/09, now has a disconnected tail
see 2/5/09
if not 2/5 see archives
http://www.spaceweather.com/

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Lenticular clouds over Washington state

These strange clouds look like huge flying saucers.
2/3/2009
can't find it? use the archives and go to earlier date other then this one
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html