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Monday 27 August 2018

Fwd: [CometObs] Digest Number 3468

2 Messages

Digest #3468
1
Visual 21P by "José J. Chambó" jjchambo
2
21P Vis by danilam130

Messages

Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:22 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"José J. Chambó" jjchambo

21P/Giacobini-Zinner

2017 Aug. 20.08 UT: m1=7.4, Dia.=4', DC=4, Tail: 0.1 deg. in PA 268 deg; 20x60 B; José J. Chambó (Hoya Redonda, España)

________________________________
José J. Chambó

blog: cometografia.es<http://cometografia.es/>
twitter: @PepeChambo<http://twitter.com/PepeChambo>
facebook: <https://facebook.com/JoseJChambo> JoseJChambo<https://facebook.com/JoseJChambo>
instagram: @cometografia<https://www.instagram.com/cometografia/>

Wed Aug 22, 2018 6:40 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

danilam130

Hi all!

VIS:
21P:
2018 Aug. 22.95 UT: m1=7.5, Dia.=3', DC=5, Tail 8' in RA 255 ....25-cm L, F:5 (42x,70.5x) ...Danil Sidorko (Korenovsk, Russia)





--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (August 25, 2018)

Dear comet observers,
  We have prepared the following new charts:      C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) :
 - a 1.8x2.4 degrees chart for the period 29 August - 16 September 2018  
  21P/Giacobini-Zinner :    - three 7.5x10 degrees charts for the period
 25 August - 10 September 2018
They are now available in the charts section of our homepage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro    Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk
--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Wednesday 22 August 2018

Fwd: [CometObs] Digest Number 3467

2 Messages

Digest #3467
1
21P, 29P, 37P, 38P, 48P, 64P, 66P. by "Juan Jose Gonzalez" jjgsgp
2a
21P by danilam130

Messages

Tue Aug 21, 2018 7:39 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"Juan Jose Gonzalez" jjgsgp

21P/Giacobini-Zinner:
2018 Aug. 20.03 UT: m1=7.5, Dia.=6', DC=6/, 10x50B.
[In 25x100B : m1=7.8, Dia.=5', DC=6, Tail: 0.4 deg. in PA 260 deg,
Sidgwick method. Tycho-2 comparison stars.SQM : 21.3. ].

29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann:
2018 Aug. 20.09 UT: m=10.7:, Dia.=5', DC=1, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ In evolution after the recent minor outburst. Brighter inner coma
magnitude was difficult to estimate due to close mag. 11.7 (Tycho-2) star.
Faint and diffuse outer coma diameter : 5', providing m=10.7: (Tycho)..
This faint outer coma is a remnant of previous outbursts. Sidgwick method.
Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.5. ].

37P/Forbes:
2018 Aug. 20.10 UT: m1=10.5, Dia.=6', DC=1, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ Observation made under better conditions, providing a wider diameter
and brighter magnitude estimate in comparison with my previous Aug. 15
observation. Faint tail difficult to separate from the coma. The bright
estimate (10.5) is related to the 6' observed width of the coma and tail.
Sidgwick method. Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.5.].

38P/Stephan-Oterma:
2018 Aug. 20.15 UT: m1=10.5, Dia.=5', DC=2/, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ Sidgwick method. Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.1.].

48P/Johnson:
2018 Aug. 20.12 UT: m1=9.6, Dia.=7', DC=2, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ Mag. 11.5 (TK) star in coma. Altitude: 19 deg. Sidgwick method.
Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.2.].

64P/Swift-Gehrels:
2018 Aug. 20.06 UT: m1=13.1, Dia.=1.1', DC=4, 20 cm SCT (133x).
[ In evolution after the recent outburst. Brighter inner coma diameter :
1.1',
providing m=13.1 (APASS). Very faint and diffuse outer coma diameter :
7',
providing m=10.7:(Tycho). Sidgwick method. SQM : 21.5.].

66P/du Toit:
2018 Aug. 20.13 UT: m1=11.5, Dia.=5', DC=1/, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ Faint tail difficult to separate from the coma. The bright estimate
(11.5)
is related to the 5' observed width of the coma and tail. Sidgwick method.
Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.2.].

( Alto del Castro, Leon, Spain; Alt. 1720 m, 42º 54' N, 5º 48' W;
SQM 21.5 at zenith.).

----------------------------------------------------------

ICQ Format :

21 2018 08 20.02 S 7.8 TK 10.0B 25 5 6 0.4 260 ICQ XX
GON05

21 2018 08 20.03 S 7.5 TK 5.0B 10 6 6/ ICQ XX GON05

29 2018 08 20.09 S 20.3T10 77 ICQ XX GON05

37 2018 08 20.10 S 10.5 TK 20.3T10 77 6 1 ICQ XX GON05

38 2018 08 20.15 S 10.5 TK 20.3T10 77 5 2/ ICQ XX GON05

48 2018 08 20.12 S 9.6 TK 20.3T10 77 7 2 ICQ XX GON05

64 2018 08 20.06 S 13.1 AQ 20.3T10 133 1.1 4 ICQ XX
GON05

66 2018 08 20.13 S 11.5 TK 20.3T10 77 5 1/ ICQ XX GON05

----------------------------------------------------------

J. J. Gonzalez

----------------------------------------------------------

Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:32 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

danilam130

Hi all!


VIS:
21P:


2018 Aug. 21.88 UT: m1=7.6, Dia.=8', DC=3, ...13-cm L, F:5 (25x) ...Danil Sidorko (Korenovsk, Russia)






--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Friday 10 August 2018

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (August 7, 2018)

Dear comet observers,    We have prepared the following new chart:    C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) : 
- a 3.0x4.0 degrees chart for the period 8 - 24 August 2018
It is now available in the charts section of our homepage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro 

Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

[BAA-ebulletin 01015] Meteor observers wanted - No experience necessary!

BAA electronic bulletin

METEOR OBSERVERS WANTED: NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

Always the summer's main attraction for meteor enthusiasts and casual observers alike, the Perseids are one of the year's most active meteor showers. This year the peak coincides with New Moon so conditions are very favourable and maximum activity takes place over a long weekend which is also most convenient.

Many people may be intending to go out and observe the Perseids this coming weekend, but they may not be planning to collect any data.  This is a shame because meteor observing requires the minimum of equipment and even newcomers can obtain results of value. So why not give it a try this weekend?

With maximum expected early on Monday, August 13, the period from Friday evening through to the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday morning is likely to yield the best observed rates.


OBSERVING METEORS VISUALLY

First find a dark site away from town lights, and recline on a deckchair or sun-lounger so you can comfortably look at the sky.  All you need is an accurate watch or clock, a dim red torch and something to record information with – either a notepad or a digital voice recorder. Warm clothing is essential; it can be quite chilly even on August nights!
Then just watch. It doesn't matter what direction you look, but do make a note of the sky conditions in terms of the amount of cloud and the stellar limiting magnitude if you can estimate this. Write down the date and time you started observing and whether you are using BST or UT, to avoid confusion later.

When you see a meteor, note down the time and what kind of meteor it was. Was it a Perseid or a sporadic meteor? You can work that out by tracking the path of the meteor back to see if it came from the shower radiant. Meteor watches should ideally be of an hour's duration or longer (in multiples of 30 minutes). Then have a break and start again. Note the start and end times for each new watch, making sure it's clear what the date is when it changes at midnight.

You can also work in a group, such as with other members of your local astronomical society. Set yourselves up so you're all covering a different piece of sky and record your observations as individuals. The Meteor Section welcomes reports from such groups as well as individual observers. Please send them to: meteor@britastro.org.

In its simplest form, a list of times and meteors seen (Perseids or sporadics) in each watch, with details of the observer's location and the date and time of each watch can be of value. The BAA's visual meteor report forms, available as downloads in both pdf and Excel formats from https://www.britastro.org/node/4944, may be used to record the details of each meteor seen.

More experienced observers may attempt to measure the brightness of the meteors by comparing them with nearby stars. You might also note if the meteor flared or fragmented in flight, or had an obvious colour, or if you saw a persistent train and how long it lasted (the Perseids are rich in persistent trains).


IMAGING METEORS WITH A DSLR

The Perseids are well known for the abundance of bright, swift meteors in the five-day interval centred on the maximum. This makes them an excellent target for digital imaging, particularly given the lack of interference from moonlight this year.

With a tripod-mounted camera, lens (usually a wide-angle) at full aperture (f/2.8 or similar) and a high ISO setting, one hopes that a bright meteor will flash through the field of view while the shutter is open. DSLR cameras are very efficient at collecting background light from the sky, particularly at a setting of ISO 1600 or 3200, so exposures should be kept short – no more than 30 seconds' duration in a really dark, rural location, and probably only 10 to 15 seconds from a more typical observing site. Such short exposure times also aid the identification of aircraft and satellite trails which may sometimes be confused with those of meteors. A meteor trail will usually appear on only one frame; a satellite or aircraft trail may overlap several consecutive frames.

Such a camera set-up, under good sky conditions, can capture meteors of magnitude 1 and brighter. Ideal aiming directions are about 30-40 degrees to either side of the radiant at 50 degrees altitude above the horizon – Cygnus in the early evening, the Square of Pegasus later in the night, or towards the north celestial pole, for best results.
With some DSLRs, the camera can be operated in 'continuous' mode or using a programmable timer attached to the shutter control to take repeated exposures one after the other for as long as required, provided the battery is fully-charged beforehand.  Ideally, run the camera for an hour or longer in 'continuous' mode making a note of the start and end times of each run.  Beware of dew forming on the lens front element, even in the summer. Later, check the frames carefully for meteor trails and compile a list of the times of any trails recorded and whether they were of a Perseid or member of a minor shower/sporadic.

Please remember to accurately set the clock on your camera to UT, so it is possible to link meteor trails captured from different observing sites, and do send a summary of your results to meteor@britastro.org.

Happy meteor hunting!

This e-bulletin issued by:

Dr John Mason
Director, BAA Meteor Section
email: docjohn@dircon.co.uk

8th August 2018

BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2018 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Sunday 5 August 2018

[BAA-ebulletin 01013] HERE COMES THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

BAA electronic bulletin

HERE COMES THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

With the generally fine, clear weather that we have been experiencing across
much of the British Isles, observers are reporting increasing Perseid meteor
activity. The Perseids are one of the most reliable showers of the year,
producing an abundance of fast, bright meteors, many with persistent trains.

This year observing conditions are ideal because there will be no
interference at all by moonlight, with New Moon occurring on August 11 only
two days before the peak, and the maximum occurs mainly over a weekend which
is very convenient.

Video meteor observer David Dunn (Livarot, Calvados, Normandy, France)
recorded his first Perseid meteor on July 16 and rates are now rising
slightly night-by-night. The shower will continue to be active until about
August 24. The shower's activity displays a marked 'kick' around August 8-9
and steadily increasing observed rates are likely from then until the peak,
which is expected at around 01h UT (02h BST) on Monday, August 13 this year.
This means that the three nights of Saturday night to Sunday morning (August
11-12), Sunday night to Monday morning (August 12-13) and Monday night to
Tuesday morning (August 13-14)should all be highly productive for observers
in the British Isles.

Observers watching after 2100h UT on August 12-13 should experience
increasing activity towards midnight and in the pre-dawn hours of August 13,
as the shower radiant at RA 03h 11m,  Dec. +58° (near the Double Cluster, on
the Perseus-Cassiopeia border) climbs higher in the eastern sky. Activity
should be starting to decline by the time darkness falls on Aug 13-14.

It is hoped that, weather permitting, observers will cover shower activity
on the nights to either side of the maximum, including the Friday night to
Saturday morning (August 10-11) the first night of the peak weekend. The
Perseids are an ideal target for digital imaging due to the relative
abundance of bright meteors, although exposures will need to be kept quite
short if you are imaging from a site with any light pollution.

The best observed rates are found when the Perseid radiant is highest in the
sky during the pre-dawn hours, but even in the mid-evening from 2100h the
radiant is already at quite a favourable elevation above the horizon. Under
cloudless skies, from a dark site, observers can expect to see between 40
and 60 meteors each hour near the peak. Even in towns or cities observed
rates may still be around 10 to 20 an hour in the early morning hours when
the radiant is high.

Observations in recent years have revealed noticeable variations in activity
from year to year and there was a brief but well recorded outburst in
Perseid rates in 2016 (see J. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 126(5), 264-265). No such
enhancements are expected in 2018, but there may possibly be an encounter
with an accumulation of dust grains in a mean-motion resonance at around 20h
UT on August 12, although whether this will be detectable is uncertain. 

We shall just have to wait and see what is in store for us in 2018.

Meteor observing should be viewed, first and foremost, as a source of
enjoyment for the observer(s). Whatever the approach and specific techniques
applied, meteor observing can still produce unexpected results, and the only
way to make sure you don't miss out is to go out and observe!

By whatever means you observe the Perseids this year, please submit your
results to the BAA Meteor Section via meteor@britastro.org.

Please note that the Section Director will be away on Dartmoor from August
5th to 13th.

This e-bulletin issued by:

Dr John Mason

Director, BAA Meteor Section

email: docjohn@dircon.co.uk

4th August 2018

BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin

(c) 2018 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/

-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/

Saturday 4 August 2018

Fwd: [CometObs] Digest Number 3453

1 Message

Digest #3453
1
C/2016 R2, C/2018 N1, 21P. by "Juan Jose Gonzalez" jjgsgp

Message

Fri Aug 3, 2018 8:10 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"Juan Jose Gonzalez" jjgsgp

C/2016 R2 (PANSTARRS):
2018 Aug. 1.90 UT: m1=11.3, Dia.=2.5', DC=2, 20 cm SCT (77x)..
[ End of astronomical twilight. Altitude: 18 deg.
Sidgwick method. Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.0.].

C/2018 N1 (NEOWISE):
2018 July 31.90 UT: m1=8.5, Dia.=12', DC=1/, 20 cm SCT (77x)..
[ Very diffuse and wide coma. Altitude: 16 deg. Sidgwick method.
Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 20.8; 21.5 at zenith.].

2018 Aug. 1.91 UT: m1=8.5, Dia.=11', DC=1/, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ Altitude: 18 deg. Sidgwick method. Tycho-2 comparison stars.
SQM : 20.9.].

21P/Giacobini-Zinner:
2018 Aug. 1.92 UT: m1=9.3, Dia.=5', DC=5, 20 cm SCT (77x).
[ Sidgwick method. Tycho-2 comparison stars. SQM : 21.4.].

( Aug. 1 : SQM 21.6 at zenith.).

( Alto del Castro, Leon, Spain; Alt. 1720 m, 42º 54' N, 5º 48' W).

----------------------------------------------------------

ICQ Format :

2016R2 2018 08 01.90 S 11.3 TK 20.3T10 77 2.5 2 ICQ
XX GON05

2018N1 2018 07 31.90 S 8.5 TK 20.3T10 77 12 1/ ICQ XX
GON05

2018N1 2018 08 01.91 S 8.5 TK 20.3T10 77 11 1/ ICQ
XX GON05

21 2018 08 01.92 S 9.3 TK 20.3T10 77 5 5 ICQ
XX GON05

----------------------------------------------------------

J. J. Gonzalez

----------------------------------------------------------


-- 
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Lyra Main Website: http://www.lyra-astro.co.uk/