Comet of the Century

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It cleared today and I figured this was my one and only chance to observe the comet PanStarrs, so I sojourned to the site of Lew’s Garage, proper, this night of March 13, 2013. There I did observe the comet, and managed to obtain this image of it, although I must say it’s a little rough around the edges, and certainly doesn’t do justice to the entire experience. It was getting colder and the ice in the fields was freezing hard and letting me know about it with a background of crackling sounds. I might have thought I was in the arctic. I certainly felt cold enough.

It looked a little better through my Celestron 9X63 binoculars than the image would indicate, but it was fleetingly visible, as it was on the verge of being obscured on the horizon just as the sky darkened sufficiently to see it. So, all in all, a major triumph.

5 thoughts on “Comet of the Century”

  1. I’m glad you got to see it! It has been visible to the naked eye in Kentucky since Tuesday I think. I wonder if I will still be able to see it tonight out in the country?

    • I think that “naked eye” information is suspect. It was expected to be brighter, and the viewing info that was disseminated was on this basis. My Starry Night software shows an impressive representation of the comet’s tail spanning many degrees, but this long tail is completely invisible, being much thinner than expected or hoped for.

      Also, viewing conditions are roughly comparable between Lexington and Chicago, and actually slightly favorable for Chicago as the comet has moved to the north.

      I saw a photo online taken a few days ago from NM, IIRC, and the photographer stated that it was not visible to the naked eye, even though it looked pretty impressive in the photo. So your best shot was few days ago, and even then it was not a case of “go out and look to the west”. You had to have a low horizon and binoculars.

      “Trust me I know what I’m doing.”

      • You were right. It was not visible. That was disappointing still I am glad you got such a nice picture!

  2. Nice pic, Dad! I’m glad it cleared and you were able to get a shot before it disappeared. A triumph indeed!