The year 2015 kicked off with a new comet incoming. Comet C/2014 Q2 is still on its approach towards the sun and is expected to be closest to the sun on 30th Jan. Right now it is just inside the constellation Eridanus Just below Orion.
Cutting the mumbo-jumbo out:
The details of the comet can be described well using the standard astronomy related terminology, but that may not mean much to non-astronomers. I thought I might as well put down a basic Q&A in as least technical words as possible :)
1. Is it visible yet? Is it visible in Sri Lanka
Yes it is. But...
It is just below the constellation Orion. Orion is one of the most recognised constellations in the sky but in case you are not too sure about it, here's how it looks.
The comet is below the constellation Orion, but it is very faint right now. According to what we know right now, if the sky is very clear and if you are looking at it from a place where absolutely no light pollution, you could see it with naked eyes.
2. Wow! So this is going to have a tail and all right?
Theoretically, yes, it has a tail. But you will not be able to see it yet. Some of the long exposure photographs have managed to capture a really nice tail. But this requires quite a bit of equipment (a tracking mount and a camera that supports long exposures and perhaps a telescope).
Right now what you will see is just a green dot among many stars.
3. Is it going to get any better?
Possibly yes. Comets grow a longer tail as they approach the sun. However once you get very close to the sun the comet can get destroyed as well.
This comet will be closest to the sun by 30th of Jan. However by this time it will be too close to the sun that you cannot actually view it. The best viewing opportunity may be on 19th Jan when the moon is completely out. If you have a pair of binoculars, would be even better.
Today has a star chart that shows the path of the comet throughout the month of January at http://www.universetoday.com/117794/finding-lovejoy-how-to-follow-the-path-of-comet-2014-q2-through-january/.
4. So up until then nothing?
Pretty much. But as the moon starts waning, the viewing conditions should get better. Once the comet passes the sun, we may have a better view or we may have lost it altogether.
So that's about it mostly. But I am quite excited because I do think that I managed to get a photo of it. The camera was not tracking the movement of the stars and had a 5 second exposure time at 18mm and ISO400 (f/3.5). The photo below is what it looks like when you put 30 of those photos together.
Here's the cropped version of that photo, focusing on the comet.
>
Yes I know, not very impressive. But let's see how the next few days will turn out to be.
Cutting the mumbo-jumbo out:
The details of the comet can be described well using the standard astronomy related terminology, but that may not mean much to non-astronomers. I thought I might as well put down a basic Q&A in as least technical words as possible :)
1. Is it visible yet? Is it visible in Sri Lanka
Yes it is. But...
It is just below the constellation Orion. Orion is one of the most recognised constellations in the sky but in case you are not too sure about it, here's how it looks.
The comet is below the constellation Orion, but it is very faint right now. According to what we know right now, if the sky is very clear and if you are looking at it from a place where absolutely no light pollution, you could see it with naked eyes.
2. Wow! So this is going to have a tail and all right?
Theoretically, yes, it has a tail. But you will not be able to see it yet. Some of the long exposure photographs have managed to capture a really nice tail. But this requires quite a bit of equipment (a tracking mount and a camera that supports long exposures and perhaps a telescope).
Right now what you will see is just a green dot among many stars.
3. Is it going to get any better?
Possibly yes. Comets grow a longer tail as they approach the sun. However once you get very close to the sun the comet can get destroyed as well.
This comet will be closest to the sun by 30th of Jan. However by this time it will be too close to the sun that you cannot actually view it. The best viewing opportunity may be on 19th Jan when the moon is completely out. If you have a pair of binoculars, would be even better.
Today has a star chart that shows the path of the comet throughout the month of January at http://www.universetoday.com/117794/finding-lovejoy-how-to-follow-the-path-of-comet-2014-q2-through-january/.
4. So up until then nothing?
Pretty much. But as the moon starts waning, the viewing conditions should get better. Once the comet passes the sun, we may have a better view or we may have lost it altogether.
So that's about it mostly. But I am quite excited because I do think that I managed to get a photo of it. The camera was not tracking the movement of the stars and had a 5 second exposure time at 18mm and ISO400 (f/3.5). The photo below is what it looks like when you put 30 of those photos together.
 |
| Untracked, 30x5sec ISO 400 |
Here's the cropped version of that photo, focusing on the comet.
 | |
| Untracked, 30x5sec ISO 400 - Moratwa, Sri Lanka |
Yes I know, not very impressive. But let's see how the next few days will turn out to be.
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