Posts Made By: K. Michael Malolepszy

This weekend the asteroid Vesta is very close to Jupiter in the sky, making it easy to find:

From the article at:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/9427376.html

"....At closest approach, on August 29th, Vesta appears just 0.4° from Jupiter, less than four times as far as Callisto, Jupiter's outermost moon. And the asteroid will be within 0.6° of the planet from August 28th to the 31st..."

From http://www.cometchasing.skyhound.com/index.html

C/2007 F1 (LONEOS) has reappeared and is bright.

A far-northern morning comet visible in binoculars. This comet was observed for the first time in many months in mid-September. It was seen at magnitude 9.8, with a 4' coma. It may continue to brighten rapidly, moving into Coma Berenices by month's end.

Finder chart at

http://www.cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2007_F1.gif

Recent Comet Brightness Estimates at

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/icq/CometMags.html

has no recent reported magnitudes. However the Spaceweather page for Oct. 2, 2007 says:

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"Comet LONEOS (C/2007 F1) is here!" reports Tony Cook of Leeds, UK, who took this picture on Sept. 30th:

"Over the next month this comet is predicted to increase in brightness to 4th magnitude--barely visible to the naked eye but an easy target for backyard telescopes," he says.

Comet LONEOS is not a frequent visitor to the inner solar system. One analysis suggests it was last in the neighborhood 42,000 years ago. It's equally possible, however, that the comet has never been close to the sun before; this could be its first plunge. The uncertainty adds suspense to Oct. 29th when LONEOS will approach the sun almost as close as Mercury. Will fresh veins of ice newly heated by sunlight burst forth to produce surprisingly bright jets and clouds? Stay tuned!

Cook's Sept. 30th image "was taken under bright moonlight just before dawn," he adds. "Even under these difficult conditions a fine but faint linear tail can be seen. As the moon departs and the comet gets closer to the sun, the view can only get better and brighter!"

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Orbital elements & Ephemeris at

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2007F1.html

Pics at http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2007F1/pictures.html and

http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2007F1/2007F1.html

See

http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=549252&poll_id=&news_id=

Comet C/2007 F1 (LONEOS) Brightening? See

http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=549252&poll_id=&news_id=

HOT NEWS: Astronomers in Japan, Persia and Europe report that Comet 17P/Holmes is undergoing a spectacular eruption. The 17th magnitude comet has brightened by a factor of five hundred thousand or more during the past 24 hours becoming a naked-eye object in the evening sky. Look for a yellow 2.5th magnitude fuzzball in the constellation Perseus after sunset. [sky map] [ephemeris] [3D orbit]

"This is unbelievable!" says Iranian astronomer Babak Tafreshi. "I was amazed to find Comet Holmes so easily with the naked-eye in the light-polluted skies of metropolitan Tehran." Click on Tafreshi's photo to pinpoint the comet:

The outburst may signify a breakup of the comet's core or a rich vein of ice suddenly exposed to sunlight--no one knows. At present the comet looks more like a star than a comet; it does not have a discernable tail, but it might grow one as the outburst continues. Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor developments using binoculars and backyard telescopes. Stay tuned for updates!

Charts at http://www.cometchasing.skyhound.com/

17P/Holmes: An all-night comet visible to the naked eye

This comet is in super outburst, having brightened by many magnitudes on the night of October 24. It is currently (as of 17:00 UT October 24) in Perseus at magnitude 2.8 (and brightening!). Look for a nearly stellar coma in the telescope. It appears as a new star in Perseus to the naked eye. How long this outburst will last is anyone's guess, but according to Gary W. Kronk's Cometography 17P was discovered during a similar outburst in November of 1892. During that outburst it was a naked-eye object for several weeks.

17P is in naked-eye super-outburst! On October 24 this comet brightened to naked-eye visibility! This comet is currently well placed for northern observers in Perseus. It appears very star-like with a reported DC of 9. As of 17:00 UT Seiichi Yoshida (Japan) reports it has brightened to magnitude 2.8. See below for more info and a finder chart.

http://www.cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/17P.gif


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [AAVSO-DIS] [cvnet-outburst] Comet Holmes is brilliant object in Perseus
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:38:17 +0100
From: Keith Geary
To: , ,
"Baavss"
CC: vsnet alert
References:

Wow!!!!! This is the single most strangest comet I have ever seen in my Life, earlier today, an alert went out that this comet had suddenly brighened from a predicted magnitude 17 to magnitude 3 - incredible, I wonder how this has happened? I quickly set up my 15x70mm binoculars and I easily found it in the constellation Perseus, just about 5 degrees from Alpha Persei at magnitude 1.8, also the star Delta Persei is at magnitude 3.0, from these two stars, I can see the comet at about magnitude 2.5 !!!!! I could immediately see that it is very much yellow in colour, just like the planet Saturn, and it is definitely non star like, with a slighty elongated shape east-west, with no sign of a tail, especially since the near full moon is shining brightly.

This can easily be mistaken for a nova, and is easily visible with the naked eye ! Here is a quick shot that I took.....this will grab many headlines over the next few days...

Keith....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2277/1731958125_87c03db8e8_o.jpg

----- Original Message -----
From: cnj999
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 7:25 PM
Subject: [cvnet-outburst] Comet Holmes is brilliant object in Perseus


It is perhaps appropriate to warning observers that the 2nd magnitude object visible in northern Perseus is not in fact a new nova but rather Periodic Comet Holmes, which is undergoing an enormous photometric outburst. Undoubtedly, there will be multiple reports of it as a nova (since it appears stellar) as some unsuspecting European observers spot it dramatically altering Perseus' appearance when darkness falls over the continent.

JBortle

http://www.astromart.com/forums/viewpost.asp?forum_post_id=553614&poll_id=&news_id=

Just when I thought Iapetus had to be the weirdest moon in the known universe - Saturn produces some flying Saucers:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22133290/

http://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/6125.php

http://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/6123.php

Something that summarizes the scientific consensus so far and worth reading no matter what your stance, by a former Greenhouse effect skeptic:

Case Closed: The Debate about Global Warming is Over

Climate Change, Energy Security, Environment, Global Environment, Technology

Gregg Easterbrook, Visiting Fellow, Governance Studies

Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution

http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2006/06energy_easterbrook.aspx

Here's the short version of everything you need to know about global warming. First, the consensus of the scientific community has shifted from skepticism to near-unanimous acceptance of the evidence of an artificial greenhouse effect. Second, while artificial climate change may have some beneficial effects, the odds are we're not going to like it. Third, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases may turn out to be much more practical and affordable than currently assumed.

This brief will address the three points above and, in an appendix, offer non-jargon explanations of the most important recent findings of greenhouse science. But the pressing point of this briefing is not so much scientific as it is practical—that action against artificial global warming may not prove nearly as expensive or daunting as commonly believed. Greenhouse gases are an air pollution problem, and all air pollution problems of the past have cost significantly less to fix than projected, while declining faster than expected. This gives cause to hope that artificial greenhouse gases can be controlled reasonably cheaply and without wrenching sacrifices to the global economy. And if there is a chance of an economical approach to greenhouse-gas reduction, then what are we waiting for? Let's start now.

Geophysicists: Theory of Global Warming 'Well Established'

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325688,00.html

How much air and water does the earth have? To get an
idea, see:

http://blog.phiffer.org/post/27344630