Astronomy, Photography and Weather

General Category => Astronomy & Space => Topic started by: martinastro on April 06, 2009, 03:42:45 pm



Title: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 06, 2009, 03:42:45 pm
I have been studying reports since early this morning on the comets mailing list and the BAA about a new object at mag +10 in Cassiopeia in the northern circumpolar sky. The new object has not been designated yet but is suspected to be a comet. I cannot find any other info yet at this early stage but it certainly looks interesting to hunt down. It was discovered by SWAN. Waiting for further info so this is just a quick heads up.  :)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Tyler on April 06, 2009, 09:28:13 pm
Thanks for the news Martin! Circumpolar is good to know too! Keep us updated.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Big Dipper on April 07, 2009, 12:46:16 am
Yes, that's news to me too. Thanks for the 'heads up'.



Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: davegrennan on April 07, 2009, 11:12:38 am
Guys,

This 'object' appeared on the Minor Planet Center NEO confirmation page yesterday.  Myself and Carl imaged this last night and I have submitted data to the MPC to hopefully assist in the confirmation and designation process.  From my measurements, it clearly is a comet, I do think mag +10 is a bit optimistic, it is currently about mag +12(ish).  It is currently listed as 'SWAN09' therefore I assume this will be C/2009 F? (SWAN) when the MPC designate it hopefully today.  The problem of course will be that cassiopeia is approaching lower culmination at the prime observing hours.

Anyway there is a big bright coma surrounding this one and its fairly speeding along (approx 3"/min currently)
Hopefully it will be designated today I will let you know as soon as I do.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 07, 2009, 02:41:17 pm
Thanks Dave and nice job following this guy up  ;)

Got some info, yesterday it was designated G1 but today it's known as C/2009 F6 SWAN. It has just been observed at visual m1 8.1 dia: 7' D.C:5 using 25x100mm binos.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: davegrennan on April 07, 2009, 03:21:11 pm
...and here's the discovery MPEC

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/mpec/K09/K09G21.html


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: John9929 on April 07, 2009, 03:57:03 pm
Well done Carl and Dave, would love to see your image!


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Roman White on April 07, 2009, 07:35:27 pm
Again and again it happens to me - I haven't been onliine for a few days - and a new comet arrives  ;D

Very nice news! Unfortunately, strong moonlight & cirrus will prevent me from viewing it tonight but I hope to see it very soon (if it will stay at 8mag).  :)

Meanwhile, C/2009E1 is currently at 7.5mag.

Who wished to have a new bright northern comet? - here it is!!  ;) ;) ;)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Roman White on April 07, 2009, 07:38:33 pm
I still cannot understand: is it F6 or G1?


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 07, 2009, 07:58:06 pm
I think it's F6 now Roman.

Thanks for the link Dave.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: davegrennan on April 07, 2009, 10:49:36 pm
Hi Guys here's a quick process taken from a couple of Carl's frames.  Showing F6 pre-designation.  Only 3 short frames, but it does show the coma nicely.

(http://www.webtreatz.com/images/F6.jpg)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 07, 2009, 11:06:28 pm
Wonderful image Dave!!, great to see the first good image of this comet taken from Ireland. Looks like a lovely classic coma. Thanks very much for sharing it and well done again with the follow up. I heard it has now been designated C/2009 (Yi-SWAN) according to the Eph.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: davegrennan on April 07, 2009, 11:24:50 pm
Here's a quick chart guys;

(http://www.webtreatz.com/images/F6_Chart.jpg)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 07, 2009, 11:34:55 pm
Good man Dave, that's extremely helpful. Thanks a million. Congrats also to Carl for the confirmation work. You guys make a great team! Keep hunting.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Roman White on April 08, 2009, 01:56:41 pm
Thanks for the chart, Dave

Oh, I smell comet hunting on this weekend when the Moon will go away and the sky must be clear...  ::)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 08, 2009, 06:32:19 pm
I can't see the image Roman, any chance of a re-post?  :)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Roman White on April 08, 2009, 06:43:34 pm
Michael Jäger's image from April 7th
(re-uploaded via Tinypic)

(http://i43.tinypic.com/t0545d.jpg)

and a trajectory for a longer period (April-May 2009):
(http://i43.tinypic.com/6xt45i.gif)

P.S. Note that it passes now across the same area where 8P/Tuttle was in Dec.2007. But the last one was quickly heading southwards, and the new one will stay circumpolar until late May - early June, while slowly moving to SE - towards the Sun (minimal elongation 1.5deg. in July)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 08, 2009, 07:12:53 pm
Thanks Roman. That's a beauty!.  Yi-SWAN also passes below the double cluster making for a nice wide field photo opp  :)

Here's an article from Sky & Telescope magazine...

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/proamcollab/astroalert/42672257.html


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Roman White on April 08, 2009, 08:02:37 pm
Thanks for the useful link, Martin
Quote
On Saturday evening, April 11th, the comet passes just 0.4° south of Schedar (α Cassiopeiae), so they'll be in the same low-power telescopic field.
:)

by the way,
Quote
The proper pronunciation of the name " 이 " in South Korea is "E" as in the letter in English -  [i:]
(...) Although in North Korea the name is is still spelt as "리" pronunced as Lee
(...) The name is sometimes also transliterated as Yi (...)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_%28Korean_name%29
(I had some problems transliterating it in Russian, English transliteration isn't much clear too)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: jgs001 on April 08, 2009, 09:03:11 pm
Thanks for the info, and good luck everyone. I can't see Cassie this time of year... She's hiding in the trees...


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: jjb on April 12, 2009, 02:26:46 pm
Observed comet last night in the big binos it was a wispy patch with a greenish tinge to it below the bottom star in the w of cassie it was good to finally track this one down.


jonathan.


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: martinastro on April 12, 2009, 09:11:28 pm
Congratulations Jonathan!. I have been hampered by street lights these last two nights. Maybe round 3 this evening. Good luck with your future observations.  :)


Title: Re: A New Comet In Cassiopeia!
Post by: Roman White on April 17, 2009, 01:25:14 pm
Now I understood that circumpolar not always mean easy.  ;D I made my first attempt to find it on Apr.11 evening (21:30 EEST) with 20cm refractor at Poltava gravimetric observatory.

The comet was only 20' S from alpha Cassiopejae, also (as C/2008 T2) in a Milky Way area rich with stars.

The altitude was only 18oN and some haze was quite noticeable (NELM<4.0). The stellar ML (telescope) was 12.0m. Possibly there was something very dim and hazy (noticed by me & other observer) but it was as good as a result of imagination  ;)
IMHO the comet was not brighter than 9.0m.