Starship Asterisk*

by **neufer** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:49 pm

http://www.universetoday.com/106995/subaru-telescope-captures-the-fine-details-of-comet-lovejoys-tail/#more-106995 wrote:
Subaru Telescope Captures the Fine Details of Comet Lovejoy’s Tail
by Jason Major on December 6, 2013

<<Comet ISON may be no more than just a cloud of icy debris these days but there’s another comet that’s showing off in the morning sky: C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy), which was discovered in September and is steadily nearing its Christmas Day perihelion. In the early hours of Dec. 3, astronomers using the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii captured this amazing image of Lovejoy, revealing the intricate flows of ion streamers in its tail. (Click here extra awesomeness.)

[b][color=#0000FF]Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) imaged by the Subaru Telescope on Dec. 3. Image credit: NAOJ with data processing by Masafumi Yagi (NAOJ)[/color][/b]
According to a news story on the NAOJ website:
At the time of this observation, at around 5:30 am on December 3, 2013 (Hawaii Standard Time), Comet Lovejoy was 80 million km distant from Earth and 80 million miles away from the Sun. The entire image of comet Lovejoy was made with the Subaru Telescope’s Suprime-Cam, which uses a mosaic of ten 2048 x 4096 CCDs covering a 34′ x 27′ field of view and a pixel scale of 0.2”.

“Subaru Telescope offers a rare combination of large telescope aperture and a wide-field camera,” said a member of the observation team, which included astronomers from Stony Brook University in New York, Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Johns Hopkins University, and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. “This enabled us to capture a detailed look at the nucleus while also photogenically framing inner portions of Comet Lovejoy’s impressive ion tail.”

by **ta152h0** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:30 pm

is it possible to characterize comet ISON's dust cloud by watching ( with instruments ) any possible occultation ?

by **Anthony Barreiro** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:54 pm

This is a lovely picture, the comet is very well framed! Lovejoy is beautiful in binoculars, I hope everyone is looking for it. Here's a good finder chart for the rest of December.

by **PacRim Jim** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:00 am

FYI, the castle was built in the 14th c. and abandoned in the 18th c.

by **Ann** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:56 am

According to that Mörby Castle link, the Mörby castle ruin is a favorite hangout for bats.

A green-headed bat, maybe?

Ann

by **Boomer12k** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:40 am

Neat Picture!

Lot of Comets.....coincidence? Or Warning?

:---[===] *

by **Beyond** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:24 am

Is that a Microsoft Window

INCOMING! er... OUTGOING!

Who wudda thought that a dilapidated place like that would have green tinted windows.

by **APOD Robot** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:06 am

Comet Lovejoy through Morby Castle Ruins

Explanation: This new comet is quite photogenic. Comet Lovejoy, discovered only three months ago, was imaged through ruins of ancient Mörby Castle in Sweden last week sporting a green-glowing coma and tails trailing several degrees. The past few weeks have been an unusually active time for comet watchers as four comets were visible simultaneously with binoculars: ISON, Lovejoy, Encke, and LINEAR. C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) comet is currently visible to the unaided eye from a dark location. As Monday's new Moon will provide little glare, the next few days provide a good time to see Comet Lovejoy as it reaches its peak brightness. In two and a half weeks, Comet Lovejoy will reach its closest approach to the Sun at a distance just inside the orbital distance of the Earth.

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