Comet C2006 M4 Swan

John Flannery gave me a buzz early this evening with some knowledge of where to look for Comet Swan. So I got out my 10X50 Carl Zeiss Binos but was not to sure if I was seeing it, then I got a message that he could see it well in his 15X70 Celestrons, up in the mountains.

So out to the car and get the gear, set up my 15X70 Celestrons and BINGO, rang John and he confirmed that I was indeed seeing SWAN in between two non discript stars with a nice triangle just above to the right.

I made a quick sketch when the thin cloud cleared and here it is, the Comet is the fuzzy blob between the two lower stars in the sketch.
The transparency was not great as it was in the glow of Bray and directly above a yellow street light, must look lovely from a dark place.


Nice to see another fuzzy traveller, hope to check it in the Sky Watcher soon, any one else get a look ?

Deirdre Kelleghan
Irish Astronomical Society
www.irishastrosoc.org

Well done Deirdre. I hope to get the TAS 12" out over the weekend, if not before. If I do, I'll add a sketch, like you, for comparison!

Seanie.

Nice sketch Dierdre,
I had the binoculars out tonight but the high haze and the Moon just about beat me, I took a quick couple of images with the camera and I can just about see it as a fuzzy star where there should be no star. Looking forward to darker skies without the Moon soon.

Very nice sketch Deirdre! Well done on tracking down the comet.

C/2006 M4 (SWAN) is a nice object and when I defocussed the two stars it lay between on Dee's sketch the comet was certainly dimmer than the right-hand one and very close in brightness to the other; based on this information from Sky Map Pro the comet was about magnitude 6.4 (note, the left-hand star of the two is a variable star).

There was a hint of a very thin tail which I estimated was about 20' long and the comet was a slightly larger fuzz-ball than M13 (I guess they all are!) Instrument used was 15x70mm binoculars. In the 40 minute observing session the comet's motion was apparent.

It was only when I looked at my star atlas that I found that the comet was very close to NGC 5005 in CVn but the magnitude 9.8 galaxy was definitely not visible. Some other interesting encounters listed at www.aerith.net/comet/rendezvous/current.html

My limiting magnitude in the binoculars with the comet 15 degrees above the horizon was only 8.75. The dome of light-pollution from Dublin contributed quite a bit to hindering a better view of C/2006 M4 (SWAN) even from beyond Glencree in Wicklow.

If you have a chance, and with clear skies a possibility this weekend, do try and seek out this celestial interloper.

atb,

John

Hi John,

I didn’t see your email until this morning as my modem was playing ‘hard to get’ with my PC yesterday after I blew all the fuses in the house! It was beautifully clear last night and I did manage to get out with the binocs for a short time… until the cold got to me. I didn’t see the comet though – I was too late.

Thanks for the email,

Philip.

I woke up early 05:00 and remembered that John said the comet was a better early bird. So I got up to check it out with the 15X70's, it was better placed toward the NE and the sky was clearer, even with the bright waning moon. You can see how 14CVh has moved around and the little triangle of 15CVh and 17CVh have also rotated round the pole.
I clipped 14CVh out in my original scan as it was at the edge of the page, easy enough to do, but is is a key factor in placing the comet.

Made this sketch at 05:20 Local Time and got a nice view of Saturn also:-)

Thanks John

Deirdre Kelleghan
Irish Astronomical Society
www.irishastrosoc.org