Comet Lovejoy Now Visible

[Crusader]

This is one for the early risers. Comet Lovejoy is now visible from the Southern Hemisphere about an hour before sunrise. To catch a glimpse you'll need to look towards the South-East from approx 03:30 in the mornings.

See some pics taken from the ISS

 

[Dean]

would it also be 03:30 in CPT/Camps Bay? any idea of the degrees elevation?

 

[Creag]

This is one for the early risers. Comet Lovejoy is now visible from the Southern Hemisphere about an hour before sunrise. To catch a glimpse you'll need to look towards the South-East from approx 03:30 in the mornings.

See some pics taken from the ISS

Must be an awesome sight and crystal clear in from the Karoo?

 

[Alan]

Fantastic

 

[Crusader]

The time should be roughly the same across SA give or take 10min or so. It just needs to be approx 1h before sunrise. Elevation is roughly 10 degrees for the core, but the tail is very long.

I caught a brief glimpse this morning as the comet was rising above surrounding mountains before it got clouded. The tail was almost completely vertical, very bright and longer than 10 degrees (your fist at arm's length). You can't miss it.

 

[Tacet]

Will I be able to spot it tomorrow morning? I know nothing of comet gazing (or star gazing!) - will I be able to see it from PTA, or is the city lights too bright?

 

[BigAl-sa]

Will I be able to spot it tomorrow morning? I know nothing of comet gazing (or star gazing!) - will I be able to see it from PTA, or is the city lights too bright?

A good spot should be the garage on the cnr of Hans Strydom and Louis Botha. Unfortunately, accuweather forecasts rain for Sat and Sun early. City lights weren't a problem with McNaught's comet.

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[Crusader]

Had completely clear skies for the first time this morning. Managed to take a couple of photos with my crappy point-and-shoot camera, but at least the comet is somewhat visible.

Here's a Youtube video I created using the still images:

[video=youtube;FGjynXpmpB8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGjynXpmpB8[/video]

 

[BigAl-sa]

Nice Crusader! Are the two bright stars the bottom of the Southern Cross?

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[Nerhzelok]

Very nice

[video=youtube;aoZIwtgEqKY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoZIwtgEqKY&feature=player_embedded#![/video]

 

[Crusader]

Nice Crusader! Are the two bright stars the bottom of the Southern Cross?

Yes. That's correct. It's Alpha and Beta Centauri.

I managed to borrow a Canon 1000D and took some more pictures last night. Busy processing them now. Turned out pretty well since I had to give myself a crash course in using a DSLR (in the dark!).

 

[AstroTurf]

Will leave that for new years day.

 

[satanboy]

Barry also provided us with a few camera specs used.
The first, third and fourth photos – 30 seconds F/2.8 ISO 800, 16mm Canon 5DMKII
Second close-up – 15 Seconds F/4 ISO1600, 70mm Canon 5DMKII

Check out Barry’s websites for more photos:
http://barryarmsteadphotography.webs.com/
http://www.asignobservatory.com/

 

[Crusader]

What I wouldn't give for equipment that can do shots like that! Even the borrowed Canon 1000D doesn't come close to that and I used almost the same settings. 30 second exposure, F/3.5 ISO 800. Even my shots at ISO 1600 doesn't have close to that amount of detail.

Here's a time lapse video with the Canon 1000D images:

[video=youtube;5j3ubM9U-hU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j3ubM9U-hU[/video]

 

[Crusader]

I've added some still shots on my blog - Comet Lovejoy Revisited

 

[Earther]

Will I still be able to see it tommorow morning?

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[Crusader]

Will I still be able to see it tommorow morning?

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Yes, you should. It is getting fainter each day, but still quite easily visible. Just look for something that looks like a spotlight shining into the Southern sky. It also seems to be rising quite a bit earlier, so it might be visible from just before 03:00.

 

[bubbatentoe]

not to nit-pick but..
Alpha & Beta Centauri are not part of the southern cross (which is right next door in the constellation "Crux")

 

[Crusader]

not to nit-pick but..
Alpha & Beta Centauri are not part of the southern cross (which is right next door in the constellation "Crux")

That's true, hence their designation as part of Centaurus. Most people however view the "Southern Cross" as a unit consisting of Crux and the pointer stars.

 

[Crusader]

Just added some more images on my blog - Comet Lovejoy - 27 December 2011, including one with some labels.