Comet McNaught viewing

[limbimtimwim]

Paekakariki hill road lookout at 8:45

I guess if this weather keeps up, that will be the place to be.

Any astronomically minded people wish to perhaps comment on the timing if it is wrong?

Java thingy: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?sstr=2006+p1
Pictures: http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught.htm

[James Deuce]

I'm up for it - I'll see you there!

[skelstar]

Thought that the comet was supposed to be in the Southern skies...making Paekak a inapproriate place to be looking from?

[James Deuce]

Who cares - I'm going for a ride.

[limbimtimwim]

From the 'pedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_McNaught
After passing the sun, Comet McNaught became visible in the Southern Hemisphere favourible to Australian viewers, on Sunday, 14 January. It was sighted in Broken Hill, NSW, Australia, at 2015-hours Australian Central Daylight Time.[citation needed] In Australia, according to Siding Spring Observatory at Coonabarabran, where the comet was discovered, the comet was to have reached its theoretical peak in brightness on Sunday, 14th January, 2007 just after sunset[7], when it would have been visible above the horizon for just 23 minutes following sunset as it was then only 5° from the setting sun. On the 15th January, 2007 the comet was observed at Perth Observatory with an estimated apparent magnitude of -4.0.[2]5° from the setting sun from the setting sun means pretty close..?

Sunset is at 8:55 today, so I intend to be there at 8:45.

Also, the java thingy puts it close to the sun, so it follows it will be near the sun... 'Cos it's near the sun.

I could be completely wrong, but hey, it is not the 'takas :)

[COP_B8]

Anyone going to be travelling at a leisurly pace and have room on the back??? I can shout beers and wedges at the sandbar after???

[skelstar]

Fair enough, wouldnt be the first time the paper got it horribly wrong.

[Paul in NZ]

Bugger - I thought this was going to be a thread about some heroic old school boardtrack racer with a colourful name...

[LardEmbargo]

we saw it ok (briefly, before the arsing clouds came back) on Tuesday night from Moa Point / Wahine Park / whatever it's called out past the airport.

Sunset is about 8.55pm at the moment so we got there a bit early but it was visible until a bit after 9 - maybe left at 9.10 or so when the cloud arrived?

It was quite low in the sky, so standing somewhere looking out over the sea was good cos it might've been behind hills otherwise.

Based on Tuesday night you wanna look sort of south west (towards the bright part of the sky where the sun's disappeared to).

Look for Venus (the evening star, too big and bright to be just an ordinary star and sort of SW as well. Fairly low too, looks a bit like a plane coming in.) Then look more south from there, Mr Comet should be pretty obvious.

[Beemer]

Yes, it's about the same height as Venus but about two hands-span (if you hold them up in front of you at arms' length) to the left. I first saw it quite high in the sky and amazingly recognised what it was rather than thinking "ooh, what's that!" It was quite bright but I couldn't find the remote for my camera (to use a long opening time for the shutter) so I missed out on the best shots. I'll get some more tonight - I've posted one in the thread in rant or rave - http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=37413

[Bartman10]

Details of where to look for the comet can be found here:

http://newsletter.carterobservatory.org/2007/Comet/

[James Deuce]

WOOHOO!

Spotted it!

Didn't see it in the Paekak car park, so everyone ate the Burger Rings and despondently dribbled off into the night.

Got down onto the flat past Battle Hill, along the straight, two more corners and I glimpsed something in the sky which took another couple of corners to register.

Stopped rapidly, jumped off the bike into a mud puddle and BEHOLD, the Comet McNaught didst appear before me.

At last, a good omen!

[digsaw]

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j150/dignz/comet.jpg :gob:

[Wasp]

heh, i spotted it a few corners before battle hill but was in no position to stop.

good work lbtw - was definately worth seeing it

[RC1]

in the waikato ,have seen it for the last two nights from my deck brilliant to see

[Paul in NZ]

Bah! We hates you all - nasty comet stealing bikersssss...

[Bartman10]

Went down to the Wainui coast. Fantastic viewing of the comet there.

First saw it just after 9.15 pm and it continued to be visible until about 10.30. There were a few clouds but they didn't interfere to badly.

Wainui coast is the place to be I reckon,no city lights to interfere with your viewing pleasure. It's quite private too...:blip:

[Bartman10]

Here you go

[limbimtimwim]

Comet!!!!

10chekjxhk;sljfs

[James Deuce]

Took the kids down to the end of the Wainuiomata Coast Rd last night. Fantastic view!

[MSTRS]

Up Te Mata Peak last night. Soaked up the comet 'vibes' for maybe 45 minutes. Fabulous.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Took the kids down to the end of the Wainuiomata Coast Rd last night. Fantastic view!


Another good spot is round the Sth Makara Beach.....

[smokeyging]

Here you go

What a magic photo that one is.

[Hans]

Apparently, it's going to be visible all night from monday, so if there's any takers for tomorrow around Welly, we can meet up and have a few cold 'uns somewhere.

[terbang]

I got a view of it out of my office window last night. My office was situated at 37000 feet between Christchurch and Auckland. We were just in the lower stratosphere where there is little to restrict visibility. Turned the office lights down dim and we could even see distinct individual particles of the massive tail that seemed to extend right across the sky in a huge spiral. An absolute stunning spectacle that I shall not forget.

[Minnie]

wow Terbang, how awesome it would have been to see from your perspective.
we even saw it from our place last night, even on the ground it still looked pretty cool..............

[James Deuce]

I'm trying to figure out which individual to envy the most.

LBTW was obviously going to "get some", and terbang's flipping office sounds bloody brilliant.

[Warr]

An absolute stunning spectacle that I shall not forget.
R u allowed camera's up there ?

[bugjuice]

went to go have a look for it last night..
went up Mt Eden, and it was packed! cars everywhere.. Managed to find a park pretty quick tho, hung around at dusk for 20 minutes, then gave up thinking that it was too cloudy, so headed home (after a shot of the city)..
2 minutes from home, and the gf spotted it! (knew she had some use), so we shot down to Devonport and up the mount, and snapped these..
If the cloud ever f's off, I'll get some more, but the comet and skytower closer together..

if you download the comet by itself, the camera has seemed to pick up the shape of the rock.. was pretty impressed if I do say so myself!

[Skunk]

Nice photos Bartman and bugjuice.

This is the best I got while pissed (at Herbertville)

[marty]

awesome last night - the tail looks like it will take over the whole south west sky!

[Hitcher]

LBTW was obviously going to "get some"

Only if he left THAT HELMET on?

[James Deuce]

I'm certain the comet sighting had rendered helmets a moot point.

[skelstar]

With the amount of camera shake, Id say that LBTW was getting some at the time :devil2:

[Hitcher]

Indeed there was some "heavenly body" action going on, in spite of cloud cover obscuring the comet, but not THAT HELMET.

[skelstar]

So are we talking about the one that has the butterflies on it...or the one that protects his head in the event of a crash?

[Hitcher]

There can be only one.

[Flyingpony]

I saw the comet last night :yes:

Very nice :love:

[alexthekidd]

Anyone fancy going for a ride up to paekakariki hill tonight to see the comet then sandbar for a drink?

[alexthekidd]

anyone?????????