Comet McNaught viewing

**limbimtimwim** · 18th January 2007, 07:40

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** · 18th January 2007, 08:05

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

**skelstar** · 18th January 2007, 08:07

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

**James Deuce** · 18th January 2007, 08:07

Who cares - I'm going for a ride.

**limbimtimwim** · 18th January 2007, 08:15

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** · 18th January 2007, 08:19

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** · 18th January 2007, 08:24

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

**Paul in NZ** · 18th January 2007, 08:36

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

**LardEmbargo** · 18th January 2007, 09:15

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** · 18th January 2007, 10:54

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/sh...ad.php?t=37413

**Bartman10** · 18th January 2007, 14:40

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

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

**James Deuce** · 18th January 2007, 21:21

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!