Home › Forums › RAC Main Forum › General Discussion › Observing tonight?
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fealeybob14.
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March 17, 2013 at 11:45 pm #11432
Good post, Bernie.
#1, I am really glad you got out there locally.
#2, I felt very confident that you would like your 9X50 finder. Once you learn how to use it properly (you can already see the potential), i.e. look through it and use averted vision, you will learn that EVERYTHING that you see that is not stellar, is SOMETHING. That is the key to pointing your way to what you want to look at.
A 9X50 finder also gives you the ability of picking out the little asterisms that can guide you to what you want to see.
Keep stargazing with Jeff and Luka. They are great, knowledgeable observers. I'd like to make it to Keller myself, someday. That's on the Bucket List.
March 18, 2013 at 11:22 am #11433For those that have seen this elusive comet (Dean?) how many degrees above the horizon was it?
March 18, 2013 at 12:49 pm #11434has anyone observed aurora from the sme? I looked out my window in NE Roch last night about 9, and couldn't make out anything to the north.
March 18, 2013 at 3:58 pm #11435Hey Dark Sky Jim, I'd say 25 degrees and its supposed to climb a little higher each day. This week once today's stuff moves out, go straight up from the Sun about 30 degrees or so and sweep out the sky to the right.
I don't think it will be naked eye visible. I hope I'm wrong, but we also have brighter Moonlight each night to contend with.
I am going to try spot it from the Flatin Farm Tuesday or Wednesday night.
P.S. I haven't seen any aurora lately.
March 18, 2013 at 4:57 pm #11436thanks dean…me thought it was closer to the horizon 🙁
March 19, 2013 at 10:03 pm #11437Hello astronomy fans. If I go out to look for PANSTARRS tonight, I'm only bringing my binoculars. This wind seems to have no letup.
P.S. If you haven't signed up for NCRAL 2013 yet, you should. The door prizes are getting better. Celestron has sent us TWO 25X80 binoculars.
March 20, 2013 at 1:40 am #11438Anyone head out to Keller tonight? I stayed home and nice to finally have clear western skies. I was able to find the comet from home tonight. Looking out over the houses behind us and lucked onto it. Maybe if there is less wind tomorrow and it stays clear, I'll head out to Keller then.
Jeff
March 20, 2013 at 2:31 am #11439Looking at the comet through binoculars. It definitely had a short tail. Standing by our house and looking through the backyard and over the house behind us. I could see the tops of some trees beyond that house. The comet was about one binocular field of view about those trees. I took some pictures with the camera. Handholding at 1-2 second. I guess I can't handhold that steady for a second. 🙂
March 21, 2013 at 2:27 am #11440March 21, 2013 at 2:35 am #11441I did find it from home, so again, didn't go out to Keller. I'm in southwest Rochester at the edge of town, so not much light pollution to the west, at least early in the evening. By 8:40 PM it was just a little above the house in the back, so pretty low.
March 21, 2013 at 12:26 pm #11442Good job, Jeff! Bernie took a similar picture and sent it via email. He's not sure how to post those to the forum yet.
As for spring, I'm going to go with Bill Murray on 'Groundhog Day' and say "March 21st".
March 21, 2013 at 2:43 pm #11443I went out to Keller last night. I did finally see the comet and took a few pictures. And right as I started my tripod broke. It wasn't so expensive, so I take that as a sign that I got my money's worth out of it, and I will get a sturdier one, maybe for my birthday coming up.
For anyone still looking for it: at Keller, if you stand at the drive entrance and look west, the comet is about 1 degree north of the blinking red lights on the horizon. I was able to find it when it was maybe 12 degrees up, with 7X binoculars. I don't think it was visible naked eye though.
March 21, 2013 at 9:07 pm #11444if my car doesnt overheat before i get there, i will take shot at Keller tonight.
i owe it to the memory of a heck of a guy we nicknamed Captain Comet at
my old club, Don Pearce. he had a tremendous sense of humor…
http://www.astronomyhouston.org/sites/default/files/guidestar/2010_02_GuideStar.pdfMarch 22, 2013 at 2:37 am #11445Yes, it was real nice. Thanks for the directions Luka!
March 22, 2013 at 2:48 am #11446After searching in the western sky for two nights I finally found PanStarr in the west-northwest sky at about 1-1/2 binocular FOV above horizon at about 8:25pm. It only took me 25 minutes ::). It was quite faint viewing by just standing with binoculars. Once I steadied myself I was able to make out the brighter core. It has a short, but discernible tail…worth the time to take a look while it lasts.
Happy Trails
Rick -
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