Got Hale-Bopp above my neighbor's roof this morning
It is exhibiting a markedly condensed coma, giving the
impression
of a nearly-visible stellar center. The comet was conveniently
bracketed by stars tonight, and using multiple repetitions
of the
old focus, defocus, compare, etc, routine, I was able
to
determine a magnitude of 6.5. It appeared exactly as
bright as
the star SAO 219577 which was conveniently close by.
It was
noticeably brighter than a nearby 6.7 magnitude star.
Averted vision gave the impression that the coma was slightly
elongated; the nearly stellar condensation was not entirely
centered in the coma's haze, nor was the coma perfectly
round,
but rather slightly elliptical. The position angle of
the
elongation appeared to me to be nearly 90; I will call
it 75 on a
rough guess at the eyepiece.
Now, honestly, this is _really_ the last time I will be
looking
for this comet. Really. No, I mean it this time!
-- Jeff Medkeff | If a little knowledge is a dangerous An Amateur Astronomer | thing, where is the man who has so in Sierra Vista, AZ | much as to be out of danger?
From: Alexandre Millot milalex@canl.nc
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 23:36:20 +1100
Subject: Hale-Bopp still with us
Bonjour from Noumea-Magenta airport.
This morning, a friend of mine asked me if the comet is still visible and what are its coordinates. After a short check on my computer, I gave him the info.
This evening, the sky was clear westside and I checked to be shure I gave the right position to search for Hale-Bopp.
Sunset time : 17:17 Observation time : 18:05 Instrument : 7x50 binos Seen H.B. at azimuth 281 and 10 deg above horizon Est.mag.2.5 Nucleus : fuzzy Tail : fan shaped, 1.5 deg long, pointing up 45 deg.
I will continue to watch the comet as often as possible until it will be lost in the sunset glare.
Eagle Eyed Alex
B.P.3977 98846 NOUMEA-CEDEX
tel.: (687) 43.20.33
From: Maxine & Michael oliri@ozemail.com.au
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 06:26:45 +0930 (CST)
Subject: Hale-Bopp from Adelaide
G'day
Delighted to see Hale Bopp myself this evening. Took the binocs (ubiquitous
7x 50s) and the dog down to the beach at sunset expecting to have a 15
min search or so as there was some thickish patches of cloud about. Faced
NW, raised binocs 7 deg above horizon , BINGO, there it was. Took binocs
away and it was visible with the naked eye.
Problem, three hours earlier on same spot I had been interviewed by channel 10 TV crew where I had explained where to look for it and stated I had not personally seen it since August 96. I opined would not be all that easy to find through binocs. Trouble is, that interview is not going to air until Thursday evening. Half Adelaide will have seen it with the naked eye by then.
Cheers
Michael.
_--_|\ / \ \_/--*_/ Greetings from Adelaide v
From: Anthony Beresford starman@CAMTECH.NET.AU
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 19:49:11 +0930 (CST)
Subject: Hale-Bopp from South Australia
This evening at 0850UT ( 18:20 standard time , 1806 local
Mean time) I saw Comet hale-Bopp . Observed with binoculars ( 7x50).
Seen as a 6 arc min blob, with central star-like nucleus.
No tail visible while looking for 5 minutes.
Observer position 34.97S, 138.65 E.
Another observer some 25Km further north in a slightly higher vantage point
followed it till 0905UT at which point some tail was visible to naked eye.
Tony Beresford
From: BRENT WATSON bjwatson@IOMEGA.COM
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 13:43:11 -0600
Subject: A pleasant starry night
I had a fun experience I thought I'd share with the list. I am teaching, or more appropriately, helping a group of 16 people grind mirrors in Duchesne UT, about 125 miles east of my home. They are moving along very well, and I needed to travel there to help pour pitch laps.
What more could I ask for? I got in my airplane at 5:00 and took off for the 45 minute flight. This by itself is enough to put a smile on my face! To think I got to work on telescopes also on the short trip is only icing on the cake. When I finished for the evening, I returned to the airport for the return trip. It was already fairly dark. As I took off and rolled out in my departure climb I noticed there was a great sight out the front of the plane. Although primary guidance was done with VOR and GPS, Hale-Bopp was the beacon by which I steered to return home. After turning the illumination down in the cockpit, I had a great visual observing session at 12,500 feet.
Not all things that happen to a person in a lifetime are good. I will remember this one for a long time to come.
Brent
UT, USA
From: Doyle Beaty dbeaty@ECNET.ec
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 09:56:22 -0500
Subject: Re: A pleasant starry night
Hi All,
After reading Brent's account of a wonderful night with H/B I felt I should
share an unforgettable experience I had with some Indians and Hale/Bopp
in the jungle. Friday I was off working in a small jungle town, the weather
was unusually nice ( not raining ) so I was looking at H/B which displayed
a 5deg tail without optical aid and 4 more degs with the scope. After H/B
set I was looking at the moon when a group of teachers passed by my observing
site. The following day they were off to visit a group of ( Shuar ) indians
deeper in the jungle. These indians are not as hostile and are slightly
more civilized than the ( Huorani ) indians. For those of you in the States,
the Hourani are the ones who are usually displayed on PBS T.V. They asked
if I would like to accompany them to visit the indians. Of course, I replied.
So on Saturday, after a 9 hr canoe trip down river we arrived.
We spent the next couple of hours introducing ourselves and exchanging gifts, by this time the sun was setting and I was searching for the fuzzy mark of H/B. This is where the fun started. When I found it, I pointed it out to the teachers who in turn pointed it out to the indians. The indians started getting a little nervous. 1/2 hr later H/B could be viewed in all its splendor, I was enjoying it but the indians were even more nervous and started chanting and calling for the Shaman ( local witchdoctor ) The Shaman shows up and everybody joins in the chanting and started a kind of dance in unison. The Shaman was chanting and blowing smoke while brushing everyone with some ceremonial leaves. The teachers told me the comet was a bad sign for them and that the evil spirits brought with the comet needed to be cleaned from everyone. So I was cleansed also ( I feel much better by the way ). After everyone was cleansed, the indians brought out the Che-Cha. This is a home brew made from either Yuca or Chonta ( both popular foods in the jungle ). The beauty of this drink is you don't wake up the next morning with a headache, but its kind of disgusting how its made.
Anyway H/B finally set and everyone calmed down I was able to coax a few indians into looking at the moon thru the 60mm. Although I couldn't understand them, the expression on their faces after viewing the craters up close said it all, they were impressed. The comet is providing people with some interesting and wonderful experiences, I won't forget this one.
Clear skies and cleansed bodies
Doyle
,____ /` 0 __\ ( . \ \ . | /******************^*\./**********************************************\ |* /|\ | *| |* Doyle Beaty ( | ) | In the Jungle anything is Possible *| |* Email: dbeaty@pi.pro.ec | *| |* ECUADOR, SA. | LATITUDE 0 *| |* 78d 29'W , 0d 11'S | Viewing the best of Both Hemispheres *| |* | *| \*********************************************************************/
From: Bill Hollenbach ah52@solo.pipex.co.za
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 21:42:48 -0200
Subject: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE COMET!!!
Gentlemen and Ladies of the north.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE COMET!!!!
WHEN WE SENT IT TO YOU, IT WAS A LOVELY LITTLE FLUFFY BALL.
Now, we get it back and it is broken. It is all shredded and long threads
hanging off it, and if that is not bad enough, someone has stuck a blue
pin in it.
This will be reported to the Grand Supreme Court on Almathea and the Galactic
Prosecutor President, Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Serious...
We spotted the comet about three degrees above the W/NW
horizon, over the sea.
The comet was in the Sunset glow and what could be a tail. The coma and
stellar appearance is very visible but it is too bright to distinguish
any form of the tail. With averted vision, a tail could be imagined/seen.
From down here, the nucleus of the coma was brighter than Deneb, that skimms
the northern horizon.
I hope the comet will put up a great display like West
and Hyakutake. Let's hope, it goes crazy after crossing the ecliptic like
the other great comets.
Thanx for all you Northerners did for us. I hope that one day, we could
reciprocate.(WOW , a big word!!! Let's hope it is spelled right. :-)) Cheers
Bill Hollenbach
Cederberg Observatory
http://aztec.co.za/exinet/travel/misc/cederobs.html
http://www.cs.uct.ac.za/~iwebb/obs/
Lat: 32:30.11' (S) Long: 19:15.20' (E) GPS POSITION
" We are stardust "