Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) visible now

[Blue Fire]

I just got this report from SpaceWeather.com:

HOT COMET: Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) is plunging toward the Sun. It won't hit, but at closest approach on Jan. 13th it will be only 0.17 AU away--much closer than Mercury (0.38 AU). When the hot comet emerges later this month it could be brighter than a 1st-magnitude star. Or not. No one knows what will happen.

Meanwhile, you can see the comet with your own eyes: [photo of comet]

"This morning (Jan. 3rd) the comet was faintly visible to the naked eye before sunrise at an altitude of 4 degrees (the sun was 10 degrees below the horizon)," reports photographer Haakon Dahle of Fjellhamar, Norway. "The photo," he says, "resembles the view through binoculars." More information: finder chart, ephemeris, 3D orbit.

Soon, the comet will be too close to the Sun to see--unless you're SOHO. From Jan. 11th to 15th, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory will monitor the comet-Sun encounter using its onboard coronagraph. A date of note is Jan. 14th when Comet McNaught passes less than a degree from the planet Mercury.

I wish I'd known about this one earlier! But, hey, another comet to chase!! Yeah, I'm ready!

[stuart]

Hmm. Thanks for the heads-up! Maybe I'll be able to test all those mad comet-photographing skills I developed while shooting SWAN.

[Dragon Star]

Can't wait to see what happens with this one.

[Blue Fire]

Some are saying it might get as bright as Venus. Ya gotta love it if that happens!
From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200701...ecomebrilliant

Comet McNaught's orbit [video] indicates that it will sweep to within just 15.8 million miles (25.4 million kilometers) of the Sun on Jan. 12. This rather close approach-less than half the average distance of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun-suggests the comet has the potential to briefly evolve into a bright object. The big question is, just how bright?

Brighter than Venus?

Recent estimates have ranged widely from magnitude +2.1 (about as bright as Polaris, the North Star) to a dazzling -8.8 (about 40 times brighter than Venus)!

[Blue Fire]

SpaceWeather.com is now reporting:

BRIGHTENING COMET: Comet McNaught is plunging toward the sun and brightening dramatically. It is now visible to the unaided eye both at sunset and at dawn. Amateur photographers have found that they can take pictures of the comet using off-the-shelf digital cameras with exposure times less than a second. Estimated visual magnitude: between 0 and -1.

That's good news on the one hand, for those of us that Love comets! And bad news because the *&^#%$ clouds here won't let me see Anything and the weather report doesn't look good for the next several days either!

[stuart]

I'm looking at the comet's position in the sky and it looks like it's an evening object now, is getting very slightly further away from the Sun, but by the middle of next week will be getting closer to the Sun and and won't re-emerge during twilight ever again. So if you don't see it next week, you're out of luck.

[Blue Fire]

Well, the APOD is now saying that McNaught is beoming the brightest comet in decades. Bummer that I haven't seen it yet. But at least the weather seems to be clearing here now - maybe tonight! [crosses fingers]

[Darryl]

I just took a 20 minute drive and then a further 20 minute walk up one of the small local mountains to get a good view out towards the west to try and get a shot and first look at Comet McNaught C/2006 P1. It was cloudy out towards the west but my father inlaw, 2 year old (oh the fun) and my 8 year old stood in cold windy cold conditions to try and get a glimpse. It turned out that once I located it, I got about a 30 second look at it before the clouds covered it over. We waited another 20 minutes to see if the clouds would move out of the may but no such luck. I can tell you that if you get a chance to look at this comet. Do It! Its bright and has a great tail easily visible to the naked eye. It's suppose to be sunny here thursday and friday so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get some good skys to really enjoy this celestial wonder.

Regards,

[Blue Fire]

Nuts! Wouldn't you know it? - clear skies this morning,... EXCEPT on the eastern horizon! Maybe this evening - hoping, hoping, hoping,

[stuart]

I was out last night for a half hour before sunset, through sunset, to a half hour after sunset. Clear skies, saw Venus, no comet.