[BAA Comets] C/2011 L4 (PanSTARRS) update

[Richard Miles]

Picking up on what makes comets especially interesting from an observer's 
point of view.

We might suppose that comets are akin to asteroids with a few extra points 
of interest:-

They have tails which extend through space in three dimensions and which 
undergo significant changes night-to-night. Their elliptical orbits often 
bring them close to the Earth, and especially close to the Sun. That not 
only kicks off all manner of unusual phenomena but also represent an 
observing challenge as we have to box clever when observing them at low 
solar elongations. Getting the most out of deep sky observing requires 
attention to detail and the same is true of comets. But deep-sky stuff 
usually has an infinitely long observing window or one that can be revisted 
time after time, whereas the drama that is this comet has been unfolding 
over days and weeks, never to be repeated, and so that makes it particularly 
amenable and interesting to study. Near-Earth asteroids on the other hand 
usually have a fleeting window of opportunity and can be gone in a day or 
two.

If I get another chance of picking up C/2011 L4 in a properly clear sky, I 
know exactly how I will try to observe it, hitting  it hard by windowing 
down the CCDs on my two scopes to take as many images as possible during 
late twilight before it disappears behind a badly-positioned tree.  Nothing 
like the thrill of the chase.

Here's to some clear skies then,
Richard


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nick James" <ndj at nickdjames.com>
To: "OWEN BRAZELL" <o.brazell at btinternet.com>; "BAA Comets discussion list" 
<comets-disc at britastro.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 7:27 AM
Subject: Re: [BAA Comets] C/2011 L4 (PanSTARRS) update


> Owen,
>
>> Denis this rant does not become you. I have seen many comets over thirty 
>> + years and although I have seen L4 three times now at no point (yet) has 
>> it become naked eye from my location.
>
> I wouldn't characterise Denis' comments as a rant. I think he, like I,
> found your comments a little negative. This is particularly so since
> I've heard you get excited about a faint deep sky object that is at the
> limit of visibility in a large Dob and which doesn't change from one
> year to the next!
>