comet C/2008 A1 McNaught

hi all,

there is a new comet for the following days, his name is C/2008 A1 Mc Naught, but it will be a nice challenge to spot him! He is only visible low above the western horizon (only 20 degrees high) in Ophiuchus, immediately after the evening twilight. He is around magnitude 8 now.

Great surprise! The evenings from Nov 2 tot Nov 5 he is very close to the globular cluster M10. He rides 10 arcminutes of it.

With the cumulus clouds coming up, I will try it this evening...


col 1: Date 00h00m UT
col 2: Right Ascension
col 3: Declination
col 4: Magnitude
col 5: Height after evening twilight
col 6: Height before morning twilight
col 7: Maximum height

28/10 16h40.1 -07g41 8.5 15 00 15
29/10 16h42.5 -07g07 8.5 15 00 15
30/10 16h44.8 -06g35 8.5 16 00 16
31/10 16h47.1 -06g02 8.6 16 00 16
01/11 16h49.4 -05g30 8.6 17 00 17
02/11 16h51.7 -04g58 8.7 17 00 17
03/11 16h53.9 -04g27 8.7 17 00 17
04/11 16h56.2 -03g55 8.7 18 00 18
05/11 16h58.4 -03g24 8.8 18 00 18
06/11 17h00.6 -02g54 8.8 19 00 19
07/11 17h02.7 -02g23 8.9 19 00 19
08/11 17h04.9 -01g53 8.9 19 00 19
09/11 17h07.0 -01g23 8.9 20 00 20
10/11 17h09.2 -00g54 9.0 20 00 20
11/11 17h11.3 -00g24 9.0 20 00 20
12/11 17h13.4 +00g05 9.1 21 00 21
13/11 17h15.4 +00g34 9.1 21 00 21
14/11 17h17.5 +01g03 9.2 21 00 21
15/11 17h19.6 +01g31 9.2 22 00 22
16/11 17h21.6 +01g60 9.2 22 00 22
17/11 17h23.7 +02g28 9.3 22 00 22
18/11 17h25.7 +02g56 9.3 22 00 22
19/11 17h27.7 +03g24 9.4 23 00 23
20/11 17h29.7 +03g51 9.4 23 00 23
21/11 17h31.7 +04g19 9.4 23 00 23
22/11 17h33.7 +04g46 9.5 23 00 23
23/11 17h35.7 +05g13 9.5 24 00 24

: cheer: ... and yes, my first attempt tonight at 19h with success! My estimate was magnitude 7.5!

I like the way you personify the comet as 'he'. Mag 7.5 in twillight? Or a little further after dusk?

Seanie.

Hello,

From further north in Ireland the comet is a more difficult object low in the still twilit sky.

I spotted it last evening (28th Oct 08) as a moderately condensed object (in a 25cm reflector). I would not venture a magnitude estimate (as they are hardy accurate under such conditions) but is was about 7th or 8th magnitude.

The comet will highest above the horizon in December, but
by then have faded by about two magnitudes,

John

Thanks John, sounds like a Catch-22: see it now while it's low, or wait till it gets higher and fade more. Oh well...

The evening of 27th, the twilight was just done. Yesterday I had a lot of light pollution from the local football team here in the West. I think the best evenings are just until Nov 5th, nicely a few degrees higher and not much fainter...