Observing Wirtanen

Specific upcoming events: comets, meteors, supernovae, eclipses, etc.
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Apollo XX
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Re: Observing Wirtanen

Unread post by Apollo XX »

Wirtanen is still holding its own. 10x50's did the trick again tonight, about 3* above Muscida it was. Sky was clear but wind was kicking fierce. Hope to try later this week. Curious how long this thing will hang in as a bino object.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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Pete
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Re: Observing Wirtanen

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Your sky is so much better in Lakeville than here in Barrington. Envious.....
Pete P.
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Apollo XX
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Re: Observing Wirtanen

Unread post by Apollo XX »

Got out for awhile last night (Jan9) and Wirtanen is definitely fading now. Super easy to find at just 2* removed from Muscida, but getting difficult in 10x50's and not very impressive in a 4" refractor either. This may not have been the flashiest comet we've ever had, but it was very well placed and watching it travel from the deep southern realms of the sky all the way to the circumpolar zone has been a lot of fun. It won't be viable past this moon cycle though, so if you haven't seen it and want to catch a glimpse, this weekend is probably the last hurrah for this apparition of comet 46P/Wirtanen.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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NGC7000
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Re: Observing Wirtanen

Unread post by NGC7000 »

I think you were a great motivator for finding, observing and imaging Wirtanen, Mike. Getting out into the cold evening air, managing a few images here and there between mostly cloudy skies, or clear skies with the glaring light of the moon, were all challenges I might not have bothered to meet-were it not for you.

In fact, I am certain I would have avoided it entirely had it not been for your posts. Instead, I would have spent the evening in front of the tv in a warm den surrounded by loved ones sipping on, "my beverage of choice", as ol' Pete likes to say. But where's the fun in that?

So thank you for your enthusiasm, and I look forward to the next 7.6 magnitude lost cause, I mean comet, that you decide to follow. I'll be right there with you, because that's name of the game- Astronomy! :D

Tom
Tom H
"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and intelligence." - Louis Pasteur
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