On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:48:21 -0000, Les Hemmings wrote in


Just got home after sitting in a Canterbury field for half an hour. My first
naked eye comet! Beautiful.. even better with binoculars. After all the
weather these past few days i'm a very happy bunny! Easily spotted as soon
as Venus became visible... to the right about a handspan (at arms length)
and down a little. I was peering for ages expecting something very faint but
then there it was! Huge and bright and a classic comet shape.

It seems it may be the brightest in many years. I've just received this in
nn email from spaceweather.com

quote
Comet McNaught has continued to brighten as it approaches the sun and it is
now the brightest comet in 30 years. For observers in the northern
Hemisphere, tonight is probably the best time to see it: Go outside this
evening and face the sunset. A clear view of the western horizon is
essential, because the comet hangs very low. As the twilight fades to
black, it should become visible to the naked eye. Observers say it's a
fantastic sight through binoculars.

In the days ahead, Comet McNaught will pass the sun and emerge in good
position for southern hemisphere viewing later this month. Meanwhile,
solar heating will continue to puff up the comet, causing it to brighten
even more. It could become one of the brightest comets in centuries,
visible even in daylit skies
endquote
--
Mike Tullett - Coleraine 55.13°N 6.69°W posted 10/01/2007 19:21:23 GMT

Seen very clearly here in Moulton, Northants as well

Jim

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:51:03 -0000, "Jim Bennett"
wrote:

Seen very clearly here in Moulton, Northants as well

Jim


And whoever has a direct line to the Weather Gods, thanks a million
for the lovely transparent evening sky at the crucial time west of the
Pennines.
Lovely comet - small, but shining brightly in 10x50 binos against the
twilight.
If ONLY it could be seen against dark skies!! The Southern Hemisphere
may get that, though there's no predicting what will happen on its
passage close to the Sun.

Paul
Leigh
Lancs

have a look at

http://www.spaceweather.com/images20...ymap_north.gif


"Les Hemmings" wrote in message
...
Ian Bingham wrote:
There appears to be a comet low down in the western sky after sunset.
Quite a bright one, too, but there's nothing on "Starry Night". They
list 6 comets just now but this one is not among them.

Just got home after sitting in a Canterbury field for half an hour. My
first
naked eye comet! Beautiful.. even better with binoculars. After all the
weather these past few days i'm a very happy bunny! Easily spotted as soon
as Venus became visible... to the right about a handspan (at arms length)
and down a little. I was peering for ages expecting something very faint
but
then there it was! Huge and bright and a classic comet shape.

Expect lots of aircraft with comet pictures to appear, the pink contrails
really stood out.. amazed at how many aircraft there was up there!

Les

--
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.


"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character
in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving
control-freak ; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a
misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal , genocidal , filicidal
, pestilential , megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously
malevolent bully" (Richard Dawkins)

http://armsofmorpheus.blogspot.com/

http://www.richarddawkins.net/index.php


Les Hemmings a.a #2251 SA

and some pictures

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/g...ught_page3.htm

seem to remember Haley being quite big not so long ago

forgot to look out tonight bummer the only clear night for ages

Mike

"Les Hemmings" wrote in message
...
Ian Bingham wrote:
There appears to be a comet low down in the western sky after sunset.
Quite a bright one, too, but there's nothing on "Starry Night". They
list 6 comets just now but this one is not among them.

Just got home after sitting in a Canterbury field for half an hour. My
first
naked eye comet! Beautiful.. even better with binoculars. After all the
weather these past few days i'm a very happy bunny! Easily spotted as soon
as Venus became visible... to the right about a handspan (at arms length)
and down a little. I was peering for ages expecting something very faint
but
then there it was! Huge and bright and a classic comet shape.

Expect lots of aircraft with comet pictures to appear, the pink contrails
really stood out.. amazed at how many aircraft there was up there!

Les

--
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.


"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character
in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving
control-freak ; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a
misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal , genocidal , filicidal
, pestilential , megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously
malevolent bully" (Richard Dawkins)

http://armsofmorpheus.blogspot.com/

http://www.richarddawkins.net/index.php


Les Hemmings a.a #2251 SA

On a tatty piece of sub-ether Paul Richardson at
said...
On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:51:03 -0000, "Jim Bennett"
wrote:

Seen very clearly here in Moulton, Northants as well

Jim


And whoever has a direct line to the Weather Gods, thanks a million
for the lovely transparent evening sky at the crucial time west of the
Pennines.
Lovely comet - small, but shining brightly in 10x50 binos against the
twilight.
If ONLY it could be seen against dark skies!! The Southern Hemisphere
may get that, though there's no predicting what will happen on its
passage close to the Sun.

It was damn good from the east of the Pennines too!!! That was my 3rd
naked eye comet and about my 7th or 8th overall... Seeing it, well it was
almost as good as ..... (you know the rest!)
--
Rob C. Overfield
Hull

On a tatty piece of sub-ether flybywire at said...
and some pictures

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/g...ught_page3.htm

seem to remember Haley being quite big not so long ago

forgot to look out tonight bummer the only clear night for ages

Mike

Comet Halley hasn't been as bright as that, so obviously naked-eye under a
bright sky, for quite a few returns, you must be doing remarkably well!!
)
--
Rob C. Overfield
Hull

seem to remember Haley being quite big not so long ago

forgot to look out tonight bummer the only clear night for ages

Mike

Comet Halley hasn't been as bright as that, so obviously naked-eye under a
bright sky, for quite a few returns, you must be doing remarkably well!!
)

Hale-Bopp was incredible in 1997. Did you mean that one? I remember
Halley's Comet in 1986 was a bit of a disappointment.

Ed.

On a tatty piece of sub-ether Ed_Zep at said...
seem to remember Haley being quite big not so long ago

forgot to look out tonight bummer the only clear night for ages

Mike

Comet Halley hasn't been as bright as that, so obviously naked-eye under a
bright sky, for quite a few returns, you must be doing remarkably well!!
)

Hale-Bopp was incredible in 1997. Did you mean that one? I remember
Halley's Comet in 1986 was a bit of a disappointment.

Ed.


I think he does mean Hale-Bopp, which truly WAS spectacular for a long
time. If you don't get this one by the weekend, then tough, you won't,
unless you go down under.
--
Rob C. Overfield
Hull

yes it has several years ago not sure which year I was at Robins Hood Bay
and it was a superb naked eye view

cheers
Mike

wots this tatty piece of sub-ether then


"Robb C. Overfield" wrote in message
.. .
On a tatty piece of sub-ether flybywire at said...
and some pictures

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/g...ught_page3.htm

seem to remember Haley being quite big not so long ago

forgot to look out tonight bummer the only clear night for ages

Mike

Comet Halley hasn't been as bright as that, so obviously naked-eye under a
bright sky, for quite a few returns, you must be doing remarkably well!!
)
--
Rob C. Overfield
Hull