| Subject: Pair of comets set for spring sky show |
Author:
Betty
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Date Posted: 21:54:44 03/01/04 Mon
In reply to:
Betty
's message, "Hubbble telescope to die & be destoyed" on 12:26:05 02/15/04 Sun
A pair of comets could become plainly visible in the night sky this spring.
Each comet is currently visible in telescopes. Scientists can't say for sure how bright they will get, but there is some optimism that both might reflect enough sunlight to be visible to the unaided eye at the same time.
For viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, the odds look good for at least one interesting spectacle. It will be a few weeks, however, before firmer predictions can be made of the other comet.
If they brighten as predicted, then both may be visible to the naked eye in late April and part of May. It would be unusual for two comets to be visible in the sky at once.
They will likely be referred to commonly as comets NEAT and LINEAR.
On the scale of brightness used by astronomers, smaller numbers represent brighter objects. Very bright stars are magnitude 1 or 2. The dimmest objects visible under very dark skies are around magnitude 6.5, but in the bright lights of the city, you'd need good binoculars to even see something that dim. Without binoculars in or near cities you may have to strain your eyes to see something of a 4th magnitude on a clear night.
7x50 binocolars are best for on-the-go quick astronomy. They brighten up dim objects a lot at low magnification. Low magnification is easy to hold the view steady in your hands. High magnifications are almost impossible to keep steady without a tripod.
Beginners should just get a cheap pair of Bushnell 7x50s or 10x50s at your local k-mart or Target stores for about $50. 10x50s offer a little more magnification, with only a little less brightness. But you won't enjoy them more than 7x50s until you learn to prop your body or elbows against something & breath slowly to steady the image. If you got big bucks you can go to Canon image stabilization binos. For that kind of money I'd rather invest in big astronomy binos & a tripod.
Don't buy the telescopes from those stores or from the toy department... even if they say they maginfy at 450x power! They won't do as good as binoculars for the same price! You'll get a good view of the moon, Jupiter, & Saturn, (because they're big & bright) but nothing else.
The great thing about binos is you can take them on trips for sight-seeing in the daytime, or observe wildlife better at nights on cloudy days when you can't point them upwards. I keep a cheapie 10x30 pair in my glove compartment all the time. Not exactly good for astronomy, but better than naked-eye viewing, & a wonderful sight-seeing & spy tool! They're small enough to fit in any pocket.
You don't need to be an expert. Just point them up on a dark clear night, & scan the sky. You'll see a breathtaking view of colors, stars, close or large planets, & clusters. But be prepared tor some disappointments. In the bright city, & nearby burbs, you'll only see a hint of galaxies, globular clusters, & nebula. You'll also won't ever see views like those pix taken from mountaintop observatories or Hubble, even from dark, clear, countryside skies.
The bigger the objective lens (the main lens, or mirror on astronomy telescopes) the better. But don't waste your money on something too big... esp. if you're a beginner. The fancier they are, the bulkier, & require more maintenace & set up time. So you should weigh in factors of convinience & ease. $1,000-$5,000 binoculars or scopes that set in the closet most of the year because they're a pain in the ass to take care of or haul around are useless.
Your best observing tool will be the one you enjoy using the most. Start with 7x50 or 10x50 binos.
My first good observing tool was Bushnel 10x50s, Then an Orion 80mm scope, then Orion 20x80s, then multi-power Orion 100mm binos, then an Orion 6" mirror scope, then Pentax (top of the line) 7x50s, & finally my pocket-sized 10x30s. My most-used tool is the Pentax 7x50 binos, but happily used the cheap Bushnel binos with my friends for years as a kid.
Comet NEAT could brighten to 1st or 2nd magnitude in late April and remain that bright through mid-May.
Comet LINEAR may become visible to the naked eye in mid-March for experienced observers under dark skies.
Astronomers think both comets are making their first trips through the inner solar system, so it is impossible to predict with certainty how bright they will become.
Comets do a lot of things that are unpredictable, some break apart, losing any chance of great brilliance. Others experience sudden outbursts that can make them far brighter than expected. Others remain unimpressive for reasons not well understood.
Comet NEAT will first be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. It shows up for viewers north of the equator in early May.
Comet LINEAR will also be visible from the Southern Hemisphere, and depending on how much it brightens it might be seen just before sunrise in late April and early May by Northern-Hemisphere observers.
Comets making their first loop around the inner solar system have a tendency to fall short of expectations.
Skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere are looking for a good sky are pinnig their hopes on Comet NEAT. Comet LINEAR will remain rather close to the Sun and very low down near the eastern horizon all through April and early May, making it rather difficult to see.
Comet NEAT should vault high into the western evening sky during May making it much easier to sight. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere will have an advantage in that both comets will be fairly high up and easy to spot.
As usual, the Aussies & South Africans will have the best views of most astronomical events.
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