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Another one of C/2023 A3!  The star 74 Oph (SAO 123377) was used to locate the comet.  The comet shines at around 5.0 magnitude.

I can bring my laser collimator to the meeting (it is an inexpensive one, $21 on Amazon) that works well with my 6 inch f/4 scope.  Might try it and if it also works with Colin’s scope he can get one for himself.  With reflectors, it’s a good idea to check collimation every time you observe.

Comet C/2023 A3 among the stars of Ophiuchus (R) this evening (10-27).  Some stars are identified with their magnitude and SAO number or just their magnitude. Left part of the image is courtesy Stellarium.

Probably however, the comet will be consumed by the sun in its closest approach. https://spaceweather.com/.  The latest SOHO image shows a small comet approaching the sun.

That gif file looks poorly up close.  Below is a reduced PNG file instead.

Observing last night from my observatory.  The SW sky isn’t too light polluted and the comet was viewed and photographed from 8 to 9 pm.  Was using my 6 inch 150P Quattro scope and ZWO183 MC camera and Sky Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount.  Stacked six 5 second frames.  The image below is a relative closeup of the comet when it was near star SAO 122368 in Ophiuchus.

Tonight (10/23), viewing from dark skies in NE Wisconsin near Trego, comet C/2023 A3 is a naked eye object in the middle of Ophiuchus.  The comet is glorious in binoculars.  It is about 12 degrees below Rasalhague and 8 degrees or so above the two globular stars clusters M10 and M12.  I estimate the tail at 8-10 degrees and it appears intact in sp…[Read more]

Superb stacked image Duane!

Great shots Duane that show the extent of comet C 2023 A3’s long tail.

I’ve selected a cell phone picture that was taken through the 50 mm finder scope-2x Barlow lens- 20 mm eyepiece concoction that was guided by my telescope mount.  I’ve identified some stars and the globular cluster M5 as well.

One more time: a view last night 10-14 at RRP

Getting this message when posting: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/there-has-been-a-critical-error-on-your-website-134/.  Is there a work around or what am I doing wrong!?

The comet is now a pretty obvious naked eye object.  I was alone at Root River Park tonight and can heartily recommend this site as a great place to view the comet as it climbs higher in the western sky.  I had no trouble seeing the comet’s 10 degree tail and will be here tomorrow to take some pics.

Very nice pics Duane and Kirk!  We spotted the comet just east of due W and close to  the elevation of Venus.  Was difficult to see until the western sky darkened a bit and then it was a good binocular object with a 7 to 10 degree tail.  The photos above nicely capture what could be seen with binoculars.  As the comet climbs higher in the west…[Read more]

I would try to see it around 6:30 to 7 pm tonight.  It will be almost due West and at the same elevation as Venus above  the horizon.  The comet climbs higher over the next few days and I’d love to see it next to M5 on the 15th at 7 pm or so.  Root river has a good view of the due W horizon.

Very nice Josef.  Here another view from my backyard.

Geomagnetic storming with nice aurora over 2/3 of sky NOW! (9 pm 10-10-2024)

Look at this fantastic pic from SOHO today of a massive CME and the comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS near the sun!  We may get another G4 geomagnetic storm on Oct 10 and the comet may lose it’s tail!

At Okie-Tex this week Randy, Jerome and myself enjoyed the clear dark skies and views of galaxies (especially M77 in Cetus) and small planetary nebulae.
Last night back in Rochester I imaged M77 and noticed an edge on galaxy (which turned out to be NGC 1055). These are the two largest galaxies in their neighborhood approximately 50-60 million…[Read more]

Today I am on the way to the Okie-Tex Star Party! I think Randy and Jerome are going to be there as well.
I am taking my new setup of the Quattro 6 inch f/4 scope and HEQ5 Pro mount and hope to get some nice pics.
I used this combo a few nights ago to get the below picture of the Helix Nebula. I was surprised by the large size and color that…[Read more]

My story today discusses something old and something new. I recently severely cracked the corrector plate of my Meade 10 in SCT while moving it. As corrector plates are not off the shelf items I haven’t found a replacement. This loss triggered me to do something with my old Meade 8 in SCT which was collecting dust in my basement as it has a…[Read more]