March 10th, Comet, Western Sky

digitalbeachbum
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March 10th, Comet, Western Sky

As I stated previously, this comet is going to be a pretty good view.

March 10th is going to be the best time to see it in the southern hemisphere but by March 12th it will be visible in the northern hemisphere

cometpanstarrs

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/05/comet-pan-starrs-sun-march-10-visible_n_2808207.html


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Found this on the weather

Found this on the weather channel.

he comet makes its Northern Hemisphere appearance today (March 7) and will be at its brightest, and closest to the sun, on Sunday (March 10). Previously, it was only visible from the Southern Hemisphere, where it wowed stargazers and was even visible at the same time as another southern comet, Comet Lemmon. [How to see the comet]

 


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I've been looking forward to

I've been looking forward to this

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  Time to sacrifice a virgin

  Time to sacrifice a virgin


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You people living in the

You people living in the Southern hemisphere are so fucking lucky!!

 

http://www.space.com/20074-rare-comets-photos-pan-starrs-lemmon.html

 


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This is the one they said

This is the one they said has a chance to be as bright as a full moon.

http://www.space.com/19973-comet-ison.html

 


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Well the first two nights

Well the first two nights here in central florida have been a bust. The sun set and there were too many clouds to see the comet.

The issue was that the comet is still heading toward the sun so you can only see it for about 30 minutes before the comet slips below the horizon.

I might try some welder glasses tomorrow and a few other tricks to try and see the comet during the day light.

The 10th will be the longest visible tail so I'm going to really make an effort to see it even if I have to drive out to the west coast.

As the comet moves away from the sun it will appear a little more above the horizon each evening eventually going above the moon, but the tail will get shorter (bleh).

 

 


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digitalbeachbum wrote:You

digitalbeachbum wrote:

You people living in the Southern hemisphere are so fucking lucky!!

 

http://www.space.com/20074-rare-comets-photos-pan-starrs-lemmon.html

 

Amazing pic. I'd love to see that first hand.
I too have had no luck as yet. Missed one night though. Hopefully this weekend.

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I've seen some awesome

I've seen some awesome pictures from the west cost of Florida, but because of the treeline and the haze, I've yet to see the comet.

Wish I lived in St. Pete. It must be awesome having an unobstructed view of the horizon.

BTW - We have friends who live out west of Orlando in a place where their are no light pollution. They actually live on a "mound" which gives them a height advantage of roughly 50ft of the horizon. I called them tonight and they said they couldn't see it either, even after 45 minutes.

I'll keep trying.


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Finally... after 7 days of

Finally... after 7 days of trying I got the idea to go out on the express way extension past all the lights and the traffic.

The new by pass has a section that is higher than all the local trees and it was a perfect evening with only a few clouds in the sky.

The sun set and you could see clouds off in the distance, most likely over the Gulf of Mexico. When the sun finally dipped below the horizon there was a streak of light below the moon. It stayed there for about six minutes and then disappeared behind some clouds off in the distance.

I told my wife we needed to leave because we might get ticketed if a state trooper came along. No pictures. The camera I had couldn't pick up the light from that distance and I didn't have a tripod to do a long exposure.

Maybe the comet in November will be better.

 


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I tried to see out 3

I tried to see out 3 separate nights. Last night after trying different locations and about 40 minutes I was headed home in defeat. I saw some on the side if the road looking at the sky. I asked if she saw it. She said yes and helped me find it. Once I saw it through my binoculars, it was easy to see with my eyes alone. I liked the reds, greens and blues in the tail. Made it worth all the time I spent hunting it.

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I have been the market for a

I have been the market for a good telescope and I finally settled on a good pair of binoculars. The truth is, if you are going to spend under $400 for a telescope it is better to purchase a good set of binoculars. The stuff they try to pass off as telescopes is HORRIBLE.

 

ex-minister wrote:
I tried to see out 3 separate nights. Last night after trying different locations and about 40 minutes I was headed home in defeat. I saw some on the side if the road looking at the sky. I asked if she saw it. She said yes and helped me find it. Once I saw it through my binoculars, it was easy to see with my eyes alone. I liked the reds, greens and blues in the tail. Made it worth all the time I spent hunting it.


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Unfortunately I ended up

Unfortunately I ended up with cloudy nights most of the time.

DB, you ever try building your own? I remember my dad being in a astronomy club and building a big ass wooden telescope. Probably a good 4 or 5' long, about a foot wide. It was rectangular, externally. Pretty sure he still has it. I remember looking through it a lot as a kid. It was a pretty damn good telescope, and he didn't spend all that much time or money on it. He got a lot of tips from amateur astronomers which probably helped a fair bit. Those guys know what they're doing and are usually eager to help others get into it.
I have no idea if its a good option for you though. I don't have the mind for star maps so I could never get into it enough to have any kind of expertise.

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Vastet wrote:Unfortunately I

Vastet wrote:
Unfortunately I ended up with cloudy nights most of the time. DB, you ever try building your own? I remember my dad being in a astronomy club and building a big ass wooden telescope. Probably a good 4 or 5' long, about a foot wide. It was rectangular, externally. Pretty sure he still has it. I remember looking through it a lot as a kid. It was a pretty damn good telescope, and he didn't spend all that much time or money on it. He got a lot of tips from amateur astronomers which probably helped a fair bit. Those guys know what they're doing and are usually eager to help others get into it. I have no idea if its a good option for you though. I don't have the mind for star maps so I could never get into it enough to have any kind of expertise.

I've  been investigating a home made Dobsonian telescope. The plans are all online but I am debating on buying a kit to make my optics or if I can go to the extreme and grind my own.

Dobson, the one who made the "sidewall telescope" famous said he used port windows from old ships. I've already got my tube, for $7 I can get a 10 inch concrete form tube from Home Depot or $11 for a 12 inch.

The rest of it, the mount for the mirror, the swivel, the base and the eye piece apparatus is all wood, but I'm betting I can lighten the weight instead of using plywood.