THE ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2009 March 7
Comet Lulin and Distant Galaxies
Credit & Copyright: Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)
Explanation: Now fading in our night sky, Comet Lulin has provided some lovely cosmic vistas. Moving rapidly against the background of stars, Lulin briefly posed with the likes of Saturn, and Regulus (Alpha Leo). But here it is seen against a field of distant galaxies. To reveal the faint background galaxies and trace the comet's fading tail, the remarkable picture is a blended composite of telescopic exposures aligned with the both the stars and the speedy comet. The largest galaxies seen left of the comet's head or coma are cataloged as NGC 3016, NGC 3019, NGC 3020 and NGC 3024 and lie at a distance of 100 million light-years or so. When the exposures were made, on February 28, the comet was about 3.6 light-minutes from Earth.
Green Comet Approaches Earth
PHOTO ABOVE BY JACK NEWTON ON FEB 18 FROM ARIZONA - NOTE THE GALAXY AT LOWER LEFT.
YOU NEED DARK SKIES AND A LARGE TELESCOPE TO SEE THE COMET THIS BRIGHTLY
COMET TAILS: Have you been wondering why Comet Lulin has two tails--and why one of them disappeared on Feb. 24th just as the comet was passing Earth? Science popularizer Borja Tosar of Spain has created a series of diagrams to answer these questions. Click on this image to begin:
View the complete set: #1, #2, #3, #4
The nucleus of Comet Lulin spews a mixture of dust and gas into space. Quickly, the mixture separates into two distinct tails: The gaseous "ion tail" is pushed straight away from the sun by solar wind. The weightier dust tail resists solar wind pressure and aligns itself more or less with the comet's orbit.
The next image shows why the ion tail disappeared: It is temporarily hidden behind the comet's head. And finally we see Tosar's prediction for the future: The ion tail will re-appear during the early days of March. The two tails, ion and dust, and sometimes called the tail and the antitail.
THE ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2009 February 27
Lulin and Saturn near Opposition
Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss (Catching the Light)
Explanation: Tracking through the constellation Leo on February 23rd, bright planet Saturn and Comet Lulin were both near opposition -- opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. They also passed within only 2 degrees of each other creating a dramatic celestial photo-op. Comet Lulin was near it's closest approach to planet Earth at the time, at a distance of some 61 million kilometers, but was orbiting in the opposite direction. As a result it swept remarkably rapidly across the background of stars. This telephoto image captures both bright Saturn and greenish Lulin in the same field in a scene not too different from binocular views. Don't recognize ringed Saturn? The rings are presently tilted nearly edge-on to our view and the brighter planet is overexposed to record details of the fainter comet. At the upper right, Saturn is marked by multiple diffraction spikes created by the aperture blades in the telephoto lens.
COMET LULIN: On Feb 6 the comet glided by the double star at left with only 1/2-degree of sky between them. Alessandro Dimai sent this photo from Moorook, Australia:
Human eyes cannot yet see Comet Lulin; the comet is a smidgen too dim. But Zubenelgenubi is visible to the unaided eye shining about as brightly as the stars of the Big Dipper. Point your binoculars at the star and voilà!--Lulin materializes in the field of view. The best time to look is just before dawn on Friday, Feb 6th: sky map.
Dennis Mammana writing for NEWSDAY
February 7, 2009
Astronomy is one of those fields where, on a clear night, anyone can make a major discovery. If you don't believe this, just ask 19-year-old Quanzhi Ye, a student at Sun Yat-sen University in China, who on July 11, 2007, found a new comet on photos taken at the Lulin Observatory.
Comet C/2007 N3, aka Comet Lulin, is an icy remnant from the primordial solar system that on Feb. 23-4 will pass within 38 million miles of Earth.
Just how bright it becomes, however, is anyone's guess. Comets are notoriously fickle. They can flare up unexpectedly, or fizzle and go totally unnoticed by the average stargazer. As noted comet hunter David Levy likes to say: "Comets are like cats. They both have tails and they both do what they want!"
Right now, Comet Lulin is drifting across our midnight sky and you can see it if you know just where to look. Your best bet will be to observe from a dark, un-light-polluted wilderness area. Scan your binoculars in the region of the comet and, when you spot something that appears like a faint, fuzzy star with a stubby tail, you've found it!
On Feb. 16, stargazers may see Lulin with the unaided eye as it passes just north of Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, the maiden.
Within only days, it will become even brighter and begin to slip into the early evening sky. On the night of Feb. 23, it will pass slightly southwest of Saturn. Now the comet will be moving at about 5 degrees per day - fast enough for stargazers observing through binoculars or small telescopes to actually notice within minutes its drift against more distant stars.
Soon, the comet will begin to recede from the Earth and sun, and should fade quickly from view. By the evening of Feb. 27, comet Lulin will lie within only 1 degree of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, the lion.
Once March arrives, Lulin will enter the faint constellation of Cancer and, on the night of March 5 will pass just below the famous star cluster known as the Beehive. This is a great night to check it out with binoculars as it bids farewell to the inner solar system until it returns at least one millennium from now.
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ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2009 February 21
The Swift View of Comet Lulin
Credit: NASA, Swift, Univ. Leicester, DSS (STScI/AURUA),
Dennis Bodewits (NASA/GSFC), et al.
Explanation: Now growing brighter, Comet Lulin is headed for its closest approach to planet Earth early next week. But the comet's greenish glow, familiar to earthbound skygazers, is replaced by false colors in this premier view from the orbiting Swift satellite. Image data from the Swift detectors, normally intended to follow cosmic gamma-ray bursts, were recorded on January 28. The data are combined here, along with a sky survey image of background stars, to show optical and ultraviolet light in green-blue hues and x-rays from the comet in red. The result maps remarkable x-ray emission on the comet's sunward side as incoming solar wind ions interact with gases in the swollen coma. It also shows substantial ultraviolet emission opposite the Sun, in the direction of motion and the comet's tail. The ultraviolet emission is from the OH molecule derived from the breakup of water, an indicator of the copious amounts of water produced by this extremely active comet. In fact, astronomers estimate Lulin was releasing about 800 gallons of water each second, enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in less than 15 minutes.
COMET LULIN UPDATE: Last week, observers saw little of Comet Lulin because it was lost in the glare of the passing Moon. The glare is subsiding now and Lulin is back--better than ever. Observers say it is visible to the naked-eye (magnitude +5.6) as a faint gassy patch in the constellation Virgo before dawn. Backyard telescopes reveal a full-fledged comet, vivid green, that moves as you watch it. On Feb 17th, Joe Gafford of Deer Trail, Colorado, caught a solar wind gust tearing away part of Comet Lulin's tail:
MOVIE BELOW COVERS 92 MINUTES OF TIME IN A CONTINUAL LOOP
The view will improve in the nights ahead. Comet Lulin is approaching Earth for a 38-million-mile close encounter on Feb. 24th. At that time, the comet could shine two or three times brighter than it does now, and photographers will record it using cameras alone--no telescope required. Browse the gallery for a hint of things to come:
UPDATED: Comet Lulin Photo Gallery (WHICH IS DOWNLOADED BELOW FOR YOU ALREADY)
[Comet Hunter Telescope] [Sky maps: Feb. 18, 19, 20]
DISCONNECTED TAIL: On Feb. 4th, a team of Italian astronomers witnessed "an intriguing phenomenon in Comet Lulin's tail." Team leader Ernesto Guido explains: "We photographed the comet using a remotely-controlled telescope in New Mexico, and our images clearly showed a disconnection event. While we were looking, part of the comet's plasma tail was torn away."
Photo credit: Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero & Paul Camilleri [more]
Guido and colleagues believe the event was caused by a magnetic disturbance in the solar wind hitting the comet. It's a plausible hypothesis. Magnetic mini-storms in comet tails have been observed before--most famously in 2007 when NASA's STEREO spacecraft watched a CME crash into Comet Encke. Encke lost its tail in dramatic fashion, much as Comet Lulin did yesterday.
THE ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2009 February 7
Comet Lulin Tails
Credit & Copyright: Joseph Brimacombe
Explanation: Sweeping through the inner solar system, Comet Lulin is easily visible in both northern and southern hemispheres with binoculars or a small telescope. Recent changes in Lulin's lovely greenish coma and tails are featured in this two panel comparison of images taken on January 31st (top) and February 4th. Taken from dark New Mexico Skies, the images span over 2 degrees. In both views the comet sports an apparent antitail at the left -- the comet's dust tail appearing almost edge on from an earth-based perspective as it trails behind in Lulin's orbit. Extending to the right of the coma, away from the Sun, is the beautiful ion tail. Remarkably, as captured in the bottom panel, Comet Lulin's ion tail became disconnected on February 4, likely buffeted and torn away by magnetic fields in the solar wind. In 2007 NASA satellites recorded a similar disconnection event for Comet Encke. Don't worry, though. Comet tails can grow back.
ANATOMY OF A COMET: Backyard astronomers watching Comet Lulin approach Earth are getting a nice lesson in the anatomy of comets. Regard this photo taken Feb. 2nd by Italian observer Rolando Ligustri:From Spaceweather.com for Feb 3
The green ball in the middle is the comet's atmosphere or coma. It measures about 500,000 km across, more than three times wider than the planet Jupiter. The coma is richly laced with cyanogen (CN) and diatomic carbon (C2), two gases that glow green when exposed to sunlight in the near-vacuum of space.
To the right of the coma is the comet's ion tail. It is a wispy streamer of ionized gas pushed away from the comet by the solar wind. The ion tail points almost directly away from the sun.
To the left of the coma is the comet's dust tail. Like Hansel and Gretel leaving bread crumbs to mark their path through the forest, Comet Lulin is leaving a trail of comet dust as it moves through the solar system. The dust tail traces the comet's curved orbit and does not point directly away from the sun as the ion tail does. Because the two tails point in apparently opposite directions, they are called the "tail and anti-tail." More anatomy may be found in the gallery:
PHOTO BELOW IS A CLOSE-UP OF THE PHOTO ABOVE:
by Greg Bryant and Alan MacRobert of SKY and TELESCOPE
MORE ON THIS COMET AT THE TOP OF THE CURRENT SKY EVENTS PAGE AT LEFT MENU
Comet Lulin was showing mere ghosts of a tail and an antitail on January 19, 2009, when Michael Jaeger took this image from Austria. He used an 8-inch f/2.8 astrographic camera for exposures through LRGB filters totaling 10 minutes.
Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin), discovered in July 2007, should be the highlight comet of this season. It's predicted to reach about 5th magnitude in late February, so it should be easily seen in binoculars. It may even become detectable with the unaided eye in a dark, moonless sky.
Click below to download a printable finder chart in PDF format for the appropriate date range:
Below is a calendar of the comet's doings in the coming weeks (and here's an ephemeris). But don't assume that the brightnesses are trustworthy. The comet's brightness behavior may be unpredictable, because it's on a nearly parabolic orbit that suggests this is its first visit to the inner solar system. You never know what a pristine comet might do.
January: Pre-dawn, and Brightening
The comet spends January rapidly getting higher and brighter in the morning sky, as it moves westward from Libra into Virgo. The best time to look is just before the start of morning astronomical twilight. (To find this time for your location, make sure your location and time zone are up to date in our online almanac.)
The beginning of January found Comet Lulin glowing at 7th magnitude, not quite as bright as predicted. It was at perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on January 10th, at a solar distance of 1.2 a.u. (181 million km). But rather than fading after perihelion, Lulin should brighten as its diminishing distance from us more than compensates for its moving away from the Sun.
Update Jan. 17: Mariano Ribas in Argentina writes: "Despite Moon interference, the comet right now is an easy target for amateur telescopes of 10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) and big binoculars here in Buenos Aires, a city with strong light pollution (limiting magnitude about 4). Today, 1½ hours before sunrise, I saw the comet again and estimated its visual magnitude about 7.0, with a coma 3′ in diameter and moderately condensed (DC: 5/6). But no signs of tail."
Update Jan. 21: "Quite visible in 10x50 binocs in spite of the crescent Moon being close," reports Amar Sharma in Bangalore, India. "20x80 binocs gave a better view as a fuzzy globular, and the 8-inch scope did reveal a condensed fuzzy coma ~4–5 arcminutes in diameter."
Update Jan. 22: Still only about mag 6.8 or 7.0 according to reports, about 1 magnitude below predictions.
Update Jan. 25: "I picked it up instantly with 10x30 binoculars this morning," says S&T's Tony Flanders, who was under a dark country sky. "It seemed comparable in overall brightness to M53 [a 7.7-magnitude globular cluster in Coma], but bigger and with lower surface brightness. In a 12.5-inch Dob at 227×, it was a very bright circular blob getting continuously brighter toward the center. I couldn't make out a stellar nucleus. I thought I saw an antitail, but it might well have been my imagination."
February: Peak Brightness, Peak Speed
As Comet Lulin nears Earth its speed across the sky will increase. The beginning of February sees the 6th- or 7th-magnitude comet rising around midnight, and it passes within 1° of the wide binocular double star Alpha Librae on the night of February 5–6. Initially moving at about 1° per day, Lulin will be creeping westward at 2° per day by February 11th, when it crosses into Virgo and passes within a quarter degree of Lambda Virginis.
Five days later, on the 16th, comet Lulin — now perhaps 5th or 6th magnitude — will pass 3° north of Spica, and the comet’s speed will have increased to 3° per day.
On the night of February 23rd, near its peak brightness, Comet Lulin is passing 2° south-southwest of Saturn.
Lulin’s closest approach to Earth, 0.41 a.u. (61 million km), occurs on February 24th, when the comet may reach a peak of magnitude 5. By now it's visible in late evening (after rising around the end of astronomical twilight) and remains in view for the rest of the night.
On the night of February 25th the comet goes through opposition, nearly 180° from the Sun in our sky.
And it's speeding along at just over 5° per day! That's about 1 arcsecond every 5 seconds of time, enough to show obvious motion during a short telescopic observing session. Similarly, that's 1 arcminute per 5 minutes of time if you're using binoculars.
After that Lulin moves away from both Earth and the Sun, so it fades quickly. The evening of February 27 will see it at 5th or 6th magnitude within 1° of Regulus.
Weird Orbital Geometry
Strangely, as you may have noticed on the charts, this comet is traveling almost exactly along the ecliptic — backward! Could this really be just be a coincidence? The comet's nearly parabolic orbit indicates that it has never much interacted with the planets at all. Yet its orbital inclination is 178.4°, meaning that it's orbiting in the opposite direction from the planets just 1.6° from the ecliptic plane. (Manipulable 3-D orbit diagram).
Tails and Antitails
Because the comet stays nearly on the ecliptic, its tail (which points away from the Sun) aligns with the ecliptic and with the comet's own direction of motion across the sky. This is indicated by the direction the tail is pointed on the comet symbols on the finder charts linked to above.
Moreover, because Earth remains in the comet's own orbital plane, we're likely to see the comet with a very thin tail and an antitail, a spike pointing in almost the opposite direction from the main tail, for months on end. Why? In three dimensions a comet's dust tail is often wide but it's always thin, confined to the comet's orbital plane. When we are in or near this plane, we can sometimes see parts of the wide, thin dust tail on opposite sides of the comet's head. We pass through most comets' orbital planes briefly. But this time, the situation will last and last.
And indeed, as of January 7th Lulin did have an antitail, as shown in this image taken by Karzaman Ahmad in Malaysia with a 20-inch scope (image courtesy Spaceweather.com.) Here's another image, from Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero and Paul Camilleri, taken January 8th. Here's an animation by Guido and Sostero showing the comet's motion between two images taken Jan. 16th and 17th, antitail and all. Here's a photo gallery of more.
A comet's blue-green gas tail, on the other hand, always points nearly in a straight line away from the Sun in space. Cometary gas is blown directly away from the Sun at high speed by the solar wind.
March: Following Lulin Out
Comet Lulin crosses from Leo into Cancer at the beginning of March and, having passed opposition, is now better seen in the evening than the morning sky. The night of March 5 sees the 6th-magnitude comet within 2° of both Delta (δ) Cancri and the Beehive Cluster (M44). This will make for a fine sight, particularly in high-powered binoculars. Think photo opportunity.
Another nice conjunction occurs on March 16th when the comet, now around 7th or 8th magnitude (and best seen in early evening), is 1° from Delta Geminorum.
As Comet Lulin recedes, its passage across our sky will slow. Indeed, from the end of March to the end of May (when Lulin may have faded to 11th magnitude) it will stay within a narrow, 3° strip of sky bounded by Epsilon (ε), Mu (μ), and 36 Geminorum. By May's end it will be lost in the afterglow of sunset.
Comet Lulin won’t return again to the inner solar system for more than a thousand years.
Cooperative Discovery
Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) was discovered by Quanzhi Ye, a student (age 19) at Sun Yat-sen University in mainland China, as an apparently asteroidal object on images taken by Chi Sheng Lin (National Central University, Taiwan) with a 16-inch telescope at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan on the night of July 11, 2007. A week later, confirming images revealed the telltale presence of a coma. In China and Taiwan, the comet has been hailed as the "Comet of Cooperation."
Lulin was one of 223 comet discoveries on images taken from the ground and in space in 2007, an all-time record.
For a gallery of images and a light curve, check the Comet Lulin page on Seiichi Yoshida's Weekly Information about Bright Comets.
http://www.astrodrayer.com/lulin
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FROM SPACEWEATHER.COM
Summary: Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3), discovered in 2007 by a Strait-bridging team of astronomers from Taiwan and China, is swinging around the sun and approaching Earth. Right now, Comet Lulin is gliding through the constellation Libra in the southeastern sky before dawn. It glows like an 8th magnitude star, so a mid-sized backyard telescope is required to see it. Visibility will improve in February as the Earth-comet distance shrinks. At closest approach (0.41 AU) on February 24th, the comet should brighten to about 5th magnitude--dimly visible to the unaided eye and an easy target for binoculars. Surprises are possible. The hyperbolic orbit of Comet Lulin suggests this could be the comet's first visit to the inner solar system. How it will react to increasing sunlight is anyone's guess. [sky map] [ephemeris] [3D orbit]
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VISUAL REPORTS: "Last night, Feb. 24th, I was extremely impressed by comet Lulin no matter what I used to observe it," reports Martin McKenna of Maghera, N. Ireland. "With the naked eye I could see the comet as a large elliptical 5th mag haze 2 degrees below Saturn. Furthermore, using averted vision I managed, just once, to glimpse the anti-tail without optical aid as a fine streak pointing away from Saturn! The view of the anti-tail in the 8.5" F/7 reflector with wide angle eyepiece was absolutely incredible. The anti-tail spike could be seen extending across the entire field towards the Sun. It was extremely bright with well defined edges and reminded me for all the world like a glorious bright green blade or sword among the stars."
Photographer, Location
Linn County, Kansas.
Feb. 23, 2009
Theriot, Louisiana, USA
Feb. 24, 2009
Photographed from Kelly, NC
Feb. 23, 2009
Cleveland, Missouri, USA
Feb. 22, 2009
Tijeras, New Mexico
Feb. 24, 2009
Comments
It was completely cloudy at sunset, and I had little hope of imaging Comet Lulin. At 9:00 pm, CST, the infrared satellite image showed a hole in the clouds over north-central Kansas moving SE and get larger, so I headed out to Linn County. By the time I was ready to shoot, all that remained were thin, high clouds that added just a touch of softness to the images, yielding aereoles around the bright stars and Saturn. In the last image, a faint corona can be seen around Saturn. Canon Rebel XTi with 50, 85, and 135mm lenses @ f/2.8, 2.8, and 4 respectively; exposures all 2 minutes at ISO 100.
Comet Lulin buzzed past Saturn on Tuesday morning. Equipment used included a Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II Camera Lens at f/2.8 and Canon XTi piggybacked on a C8. Exposure was 30x60 sec @ ISO 1600.
This is Comet Lulin around 11pm Feb 23, 2009. Photographed with a Tak FSQ refractor, using a Canon 5D MarkII, ISO 3200, 10, two minute exposures combined.
Comet Lulin's fantastic ion tail shows quite a difference from one hour to the next. An dark object below the ion tail is unusual. I'm not sure what this is (tail disconnect?). The bright star at lower left glows from the foggy gases of the ion tail. These were taken on the morning of the 22nd from the Midwest, using a Canon 300mm f/4 lens on a CCD-Labs Q543 camera. The 06:45 UTC image was 40, 1 minute exposures, the 08:00 UTC was 6, 10 minute exposures.
The image above was a four minute shot. It looks like everything is racing into the Sun, but the simple reality was there were clouds illuminated by the skyglow of Albuquerque zooming past while I was out shooting the comet and Saturn early this morning so the movement made this crazy effect. It�s kinda cool don�t you think? You can see all of Leo in this shot. Ceres is in this image as well, It's somewhere above Leo's tail. ISO 400 Nikon D70 on Losmandy mount F/4.5 24 mm lens
more images: from Ginger Mayfield of Divide, Colorado; from Tom Murdic of Franklin, TN; from Francisco A. Rodriguez of Observatorio Montana Cabreja (Vega de San Mateo, Gran Canaria - Canary Islands); from Ari Koutsouradis of Westminster, MD; from Jeff Greenwald of Laramie, Wyoming; from Nicki Mennekens of Pingelly, Australia; from Efrain Morales Rivera of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; from Ehsan Rostamizadeh of Kerman, Iran; from Fredrik Broms of Kvaløya, Norway;
©2009 Spaceweather.com. All rights reserved.
This is page 1
Photographer, Location
Shaver Lake, CA
Jan. 8, 2009
Ellisville, MO
Jan. 8, 2009
Langkawi National Observatory, Malaysia
Jan. 7, 2009
Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero & Paul Camilleri,
remotely from New Mexico
Jan. 8, 2009
Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona, USA
Jan. 9, 2009
Comments
Jan 8.57 UT, 2009: Photographed from Sierra Remote Observatories in morning twilight using RCOS 16" f/8.9, total 10min unguided. 1/2degree wide field. Surprising tail structure in ion and anti-tail. Had to image quickly to beat the brightening sky.
Comet Lulin in the morning twilight passing the magnitude 5.9 star 47 Librae. LRGB image 6:6:6:6 for a total of 24 minutes.
Comet Lulin image was taken by me from Langkawi National Observatory, Malaysia this morning (Jan 7, 2009) shows its bright 'tail' and 'anti-tail'. Photo details: RCOS 20", STL11000, LRGB combined, total exposure 24 minutes.
Comet Lulin imaged on 08 January 2009
I'm primarily a visual observer, so I usually sketch my observations. The attached image is a drawing of the comet based on my observation this morning (Jan 9, 2009 - 13:00 UT). I drove northeast of Flagstaff to Sunset Crater National Monument and arrived there shortly after 5 am with the moon blazing away and lighting up the snow-covered landscape. The head of Scorpius was rising, and Antares was flickering with a rusty light just over the tops of the cinder cones. While the sky was still bright with moonlight, I shot a few photos of the landscape, and then set up my 8 inch Dobsonian. The comet was a snap to find at low power (37.5X) and readily pierced the moon-washed star field as a round glow with a nicely condensed core. [extended report]
more images: from Bill Gucfa of Rehoboth, Massachusetts; from Riccardo Di Nasso of Pisa, Italy; from Babak Tafreshi in the Alborz Mountains of Iran;
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Photographer, Location
Ellisville, MO
Jan. 24, 2009
Chris Brennan,
Barbados
Jan. 24, 2009
Martin Mc Kenna,
Maghera, Co. Derry, N. Ireland
Jan. 23, 2009
Observatorio Monta�a Cabreja (MPC J45) Vega de San Mateo. Gran Canaria. Canary Islands
Jan. 25, 2009
Comments
Comet Lulin has brightened but its tail and anti-tail are quite dim. Here's a false color image that shows the tails slightly better than a monochrome image.
just before dawn from Barbados on Jan 24. double tail noted ! TAK 180/SXV H16
Here's a sketch I made of C/2007 N3 Lulin before dawn this morning using a 8.5" F/7 reflector with 32mm 2" SWA eyepiece. My immediate impression was that the comet was very bright. It struck me just how healthy and active the coma looked even at a casual glance. The coma was at least 7' in dia with a very intense white-coloured and disk-shaped central condensation with star-like false nucleus at centre. The outer coma was an obvious green colour. On several occasions I seen at least one jet within the coma pointing to the S. The anti-tail was very faint and elusive and required good dark adaption and averted vision. I had to move the scope in various directions to pick out the faint details so I'm not 100% certain about what I saw. I found the colourless anti-tail to be at least 20' long but I suspected it to be much longer. The gas/ion tail was much brighter and pointed in a generally S direction. To me this tail was green and sported a smooth profile and seemed to broaden with distance away from the coma much like a search beam. I could easily see the tail for a minimum of 1 degree but again I'm sure it's much longer that this. Seeing both tails at the same time was quite a treat! Despite the very poor quality of my binoculars I was still able to find the comet easily. I also tried very carefully to detect it with the naked eye but I just couldn't convince myself that it was visible. However, I suspect that with excellent sky conditions the first naked eye observations will be reported very soon. As for a magnitude estimate, I didn't really make one because I was trying to ferret out the details within the tail but based on the ease of which I could see the coma in the scope I would say approx mag +6.5, give or take a mag or so on either side. I think this comet could very well put on a good show in Feb!
8" GSO Reflector F/4 + Orion ATLAS Mount CCD StarShoot V1 Color. 48 x 60s
more images: from Michael Rosolina of Friars Hill, West Virginia; from Günther Strauch of Borken, NRW, Germany; from Jim Saueressig of Burlington, Kansas; from Msgr. Ron Royer of Springville, California; from Dennis Put of Brielle, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
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Photographer, Location
Ci.A.O. Cimini Astronomical Observatory - Soriano - Italy
Jan. 30, 2009
Norbert Mrozek,
Hagen Germany public observatory
Jan. 26, 2009
Alejandro Tombolini,
Trenel, La Pampa, Argentina
Jan. 24, 2009
Austria
Jan. 26, 2009
Comments
I saw this comet this morning at 05:00 LT with -4�C . Only with a 8x56 binocular was visible as a diffuse green star. In the picture the double tails are visible. Baker-Schmidt Zen 750/250 10" at F/3 + Sbig STL6303E 5 min LRGB of exposure.
I photgaphed Comet N3 Lulin with a Canon EOS450D unmodified 10x100s working at 800 ASA Date: 2009 Jan 26 5:19 UT Instrument was 20" f3 Hypergraph In the image you can also see a trail of asteroid Medusa
Animation of comet Lulin starting at 07:54 UT to 09:06 UT on January 24, 2009. Taken with Canon 350D camera and William Optics 132 FLT telescope. Stars aligned and frame cropped. Acquisition and processing collaboration: Enzo De Bernardini.
TMB 105/650 Camera: STL 11K LRGB L4x3min RGB each 2min Date: 26.01.2009
more images: from Günther Strauch of Borken, NRW, Germany; from Ron Wayman of Tampa, Florida; from Efrain Morales Rivera of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico;
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Photographer, Location
Langkawi National Observatory, Malaysia
Feb. 2, 2009
using a remotely-controlled telescope in New Mexico
Feb. 2, 2009
Arizona Sky Village Portal
Feb. 1, 2009
Scottsdale, Arizona (image taken under surburban skies near Phoenix)
Jan. 27, 2009
Comments
Beside anti-tail, Comet Lulin now showing triple tails. This 2 images (was taken on 7th January and 2nd February 2009) shows as comparison it progress. Optic:20" telescope; Imager:STL11000 & STL1001E
RAS Observatory in New Mexico, Newton 250/850 ccd ST10Xme, bin 2x2 color filters
Still not quite naked eye with my retired eyes, however imaging with my 14" HyperStar at f2 is quite another matter.
The tail and anti-tail of Comet Lulin now clearly show in CCD images, as the comet continues to brighten. This image was stretched to bring out the faint tails. Image taken with a Takahashi Epsilon 180ED and an SBIG ST-8XE CCD. The focal ratio was f2.8.
more images: from Jayme Hanzak of Cedar Grove, North Carolina, USA; from Yandong Hu of Mt.Tianhuangping, Zhejiang, China
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Photographer, Location
Ellisville, MO, USA
Feb. 4, 2009
Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero & Paul Camilleri,
remotely from New Mexico
Feb. 4, 2009
Sierra Remote Observatories, California, USA
Feb. 4, 2009
Maurice, Louisiana, USA
Feb. 4, 2009
Tremonton, Utah, USA
Feb. 3, 2009
Comments
Comet Lulin had a disconnect in its tail on the morning of 2/4/09. This is a sequence of images during the disconnect.
We were lucky enough to capture an intriguing phenomena: in our images is clearly visible a nice disconnection event (DE) in the plasma tail of the comet (evidenced by a red circle in this rendition). The DE indicates that the comet has recently passed through a disturbance in the magnetic field carried by the solar wind, that destroyed the original plasma tail, creating a new one. The separation of the two ion tails indentified by the DE, is visible in our image as a kind of elongated and diffuse "knot" along the plasma tail
I noticed a smudge at the edge of the field in the close up shot with the 16" scope. The image taken widefield showed a portion of the tail disconnected. Have photographed this before in other comets, and always exciting to grab images when it happens. The closeup taken at Feb 4.52. The widefield taken at Feb 4.55
I finally had a chance to shoot Comet Lulin! It was just before twilight and right after a cold front had passed through, so it was crystal clear. Equipment used included a TV-85 refractor, Hutech Canon XS, IDAS-LPS filter and an Atlas EQ-G w/EQMOD. Exposure was 15x180 sec @ ISO 1600.
[movie]
This is an animation of Comet Lulin, taken between 5:03 and 6:22 AM, on the morning of February 3rd, using an ASA N8 astrograph.
more images: from James Champagne of Ramah, Louisiana; from Paul Klauninger of Near Marathon, Ontario, Canada; from John McClintock of Johnsville, Ohio;
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Photographer, Location
Ramah, Louisiana, USA
Feb. 5, 2009
Turmkogel, Austria
Feb. 5, 2009
Baguio, Philippines
Feb. 5, 2009
at the drawing board!
Feb. 5, 2009
Comments
Comet Lulin is making its approach to double star Zubenelgenubi. It also appears that Comet Lulin has regrown its ion tail after the disconnect from yesterday. Equipment used included a Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II Camera Lens at f/2.8 and Canon XTi piggybacked on a C8. Exposure was 15x240 sec @ ISO 800.
8"/2.8 Astrograph CCD Sigma 6303 L 2x4 min RGB 130/130/140sec
It was easy to find through 7x50 binoculars and appeared as a fuzzy ball
This diagram shows the geometry of Comet Lulin's tail and anti-tail.
more images: from Alessandro Dimai of Moorook, Australia; from John Stetson of Portland, Maine; from Becky Ramotowski of Tijeras, New Mexico;
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FIRST REPORTS OF NAKED-EYE VISIBILITY: Comet Lulin is now visible to the naked eye from dark-sky sites. "This morning, Feb 6th, I noticed a faint smudge above Zubenelgenubi," reports Jeff Barton from the Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus in West Texas. "I then trained my 9x63 binoculars on the fuzzy patch. Yep, nailed it! I was thrilled to finally bag Comet Lulin without optical aid."
Another naked-eye sighting report comes from Martin McKenna of Maghera, Northern Ireland: "I went out for a look at Comet Lulin this morning, Feb. 6th, before dawn with my telescope and binoculars. The Moon was very low, so I stood within the shadow of my house and tried to see the comet without optical aid. Using averted vision, I was able to glimpse the comet perhaps a dozen times! It looked like a large grey patch of light very close to Zubenelgenubi. The sight gave me a warm glow on such a frigid frosty night."
Photographer, Location
Ellisville, MO
Feb. 6, 2009
Maurice, Louisiana, USA
Feb. 6, 2009
using a remotely-operated telescope in New Mexico
Feb. 6, 2009
Kapanca - Mudanya - Bursa, Turkey
Feb. 6, 2009
Payson, Arizona
Feb. 4, 2009
Comments
Comet Lulin passing just north of the bright star Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae) on 2/6/09
Comet Lulin on Feb 6th, 2009, 11:20 UT. I woke up at 4:30 am and started taking pictures soon afterward. It was a beautiful morning, very clear and not too cold. While the camera took the images, I got a view of the comet in binoculars. Wow, it was nice!
Photo details: 15 x 4 min @ ISO 1600, TV-85 at F/5.6, Hutech Canon XS, IDAS-LPS, Atlas EQ-G w/EQMOD.
Photo details: apo 106/530 ccd STL11000 in bin 2x2 L=180s B=120s G-R=60s
Photo details: Canon Rebel XT - Hutech modified - Sigma APO DG 70-300 ( 300 mm )- f/ 5,6 - ISO 800 - 11 x 60 sec. - Home-made mount - ImagesPlus, Photoshop CS2
This is actually a very challenging photographic object because it is moving fast against the background stars. Brillianat cyan in color this 6th magnitude object is currently within 5 degrees of orbital plane crossing and we can see an stubby anti tail on the left side of this image. Now for the interesting part as far as processing. Normally when you shoot a moving comet with a filtered CCD, your star trails are RGBRGB beads of light, when you stack the nucleus of the comet. Here, I tried a new technique to bring most of the color back to the stars, and not see the rather undesirable rainbow streaks. But how was this accomplished? You can read more on my web site...
more images: from Rob Stinson of Perth, Australia; from Bill Gucfa of Rehoboth, Massachusetts; from James Champagne of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; from Martin Wagner of Sonnenbuehl-Genkingen, Germany; from Guilherme Grassmann of Americana, São Paulo, Brasil; from Catalin M. Timosca of Turda, Romania;
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COMET LULIN BRIGHTENS--VISUAL REPORTS: "Today, Feb. 17th at 4 am, I observed the comet with my 3.5-inch refractor," reports Mariano Ribas of Buenos Aires, Argentina. "It is much brighter than it was just a few nights ago. I estimate the magnitude at +5.6. If this brightening continues, Lulin could reach magnitude +5.0 or even brighter during its closest approach next week."
"I observed comet Lulin before dawn this morning, Feb. 17th, and I found it in an instant using 10x50 binoculars," says Martin Mc Kenna of Maghera, N. Ireland. "The comet was very bright and large with a coma 20 arcminutes in diameter. Despite the glare of the last quarter Moon, I was very impressed to see the comet easily with the naked eye with even a hint of green colour. From a dark country site, Lulin should be an easy naked-eye object, a view which can only get better at close approach to Earth."
"Lulin is bright and it is moving fast!" adds Fredrik Broms of Kvaløya, Norway. "On Feb. 17th the comet was easily detected in a simple pair of 8x42 binoculars, and with a bit of patience it could just be made out with the naked eye. The comet moved a noticable amount during my 4-hour observing session."
Photographer, Location
Arizona Sky Village Portal
Feb. 18, 2009
Deer Trail, Colorado, USA
Feb. 17, 2009
Langkawi National Observatory, Malaysia
Feb. 17, 2009
W. Borghini, M.Rivera, G. Cornara, L. Torlai,
B66 Casasco Observatory Italy
Feb. 17, 2009
Ellisville, MO
Feb. 16, 2009
Hortoneda, Lleida, Spain
Feb. 17, 2009
Comments
Comet Lulin is growing larger and will not fit in my field of view.
Three luminance image movie frames taken over an hour and a half showing tail disconnection event. SBIG ST-2000XM CCD camera, luminance filter. 110mm @ f5.6 and f4 Mamiya RZ lens modded to camera. Each frame is of two consecutive 5 minute lum exposures.
Comet Lulin passing by a spiral galaxy on 17 February 2009. The second image shows an airplane transiting the comet. 22:11:59 UT. TMB152+STL4020
Comet Lulin moving through what appears to be a large quantity of space debris. Taking multiple exposures of comet Lulin obtained with a 102 mm refractor telescope equipped with SXV-H9 CCD. We saw a numbers of objects apparently moving in the backgound. From 22.42 U.T. to 23.45 of Feb.17th. In reality angular velocity of objects was about 15�/hour so they are surely geostationary.
Comet Lulin is brightening and moving faster across the sky. The anti-tail seems quite a bit brighter than the ion tail and has a distinctly reddish hue.
Lulin has brightened so much, telescopic amplification is no longer needed to photograph it. Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, Alex Roca of Hortoneda, Spain, caught the comet passing 4th-magnitude star theta Virginis on Feb. 17th. "I mounted the camera, a Nikon D40, on the back of my telescope to track the stars," he says. "Otherwise, the telescope played no part in this 10 minute exposure."
Photo details: Nikon D40, f 5.6, 1600 ISO, exposure 10 minutes
more images: from Arthur Stevens of Port Richey, Florida; from Willian Souza of Sao Paulo, Brazil; from Guilherme Grassmann of Americana, São Paulo, Brasil; from Pitterle Markus of Heinfels, Austria, Europe; from Martin Mc Kenna of Maghera, Co. Derry, N. Ireland; from Fredrik Broms of Kvaløya, Norway; from Aga Boron of LaGrange, North Carolina; from Andrea Mantero of Bernezzo, Italy
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