Did
you sleep through the
auroras of Dec. 14th? Next time get a wake-up call:
Spaceweather
PHONE.
COMET
MCNAUGHT: When
the sun sets tonight, go outside immediately and look
west. You may see the brightest
comet in thirty years hanging just above the horizon.
"What
a beautiful sight! Last night, comet McNaught (C/2006
P1) was easily visible to the naked eye and even more
stunning in 10x50
binoculars," reports Chris Cook of Cape Cod,
Massachusetts. "The
star-like nucleus glowed with a golden hue as a broad
elegant tail extended more than one degree: image."
In
Reykjavik, Iceland, photographer Islandia
Geomatics caught the comet chasing an airplane:
Photo details:
Sony
DSC-H5 camera, 34.9 mm lens, f/3.5, ISO 320, 0.125
s.
"The
residence of the President of Iceland is also visible
at the bottom
of the picture," he points out.
Comet
McNaught is plunging toward the sun, and the heat is causing
it to brighten dramatically. A few days ago, it was barely
visible in evening twilight, but now it pops into view
while the sky is still glowing blue. Only Venus is brighter.
If
you have trouble finding the comet (because of clouds
or glare) scan the horizon with binoculars. Once located,
it's easy to follow. "I am 66 years old but I don't
think I have ever seen such a comic-book comet. Fantastic!"
reports Jon Baily of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. "I
shall never forget this view!"
Comet
McNaught Photo Gallery
[finder
chart] [ephemeris]
[3D
orbit]
WHILE
YOU'RE WAITING...
for Comet McNaught to emerge from the twilight, keep an
eye on the sun. Strange things can happen in the moments
before sunset. On Jan. 7th, Mila
Zinkova of San Francisco took this picture overlooking
the Pacific Ocean:
Photo details:
Canon
XTI, 500 mm mirror lens, f/8, 1/4000 seconds
Temperature
inversions in the air just above the sea surface distorted
the shape of the sun and stretched sunspot 930 into a
long vertical smear. "It was an amazing example of
a superior
mirage," says Zinkova.
WARNING:
Zinkova cautions first-time sun photographers, "do
not look through the camera's view finder. Even a low-hanging
sun can be dangerously bright, and everybody should remember
that they could damage their eyes." Suggestion: Use
the camera's LCD screen to center the sun in the field
of view.
SPACE WEATHER
SPACE WEATHER
