APOD: Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill (2013 Dec 09)

APOD Robot · Post by **APOD Robot** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:06 am

Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill

Explanation: Lovejoy continues to be an impressive camera comet. Pictured above, Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) was imaged above the windmill in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire in southern France with a six-second exposure. In the foreground is a field of lavender. Comet Lovejoy should remain available for photo opportunities for northern observers during much of December and during much of the night, although it will be fading as the month progresses and highest in the sky before sunrise. In person, the comet will be best viewed with binoculars. A giant dirty snowball, Comet Lovejoy last visited the inner Solar System about 7,000 years ago, around the time that humans developed the wheel.

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Nitpicker · Post by **Nitpicker** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:41 am

Vive la France. A beautiful picture.

(And I never knew they had wind-powered scopes at Observatoire de Haute-Provence. Those Europeans are so advanced!

)

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:58 am

Nitpicker wrote:Vive la France. A beautiful picture.

(And I never knew they had wind-powered scopes at Observatoire de Haute-Provence. Those Europeans are so advanced! )

I never knew they had lavender in December! I'm green with envy.

And the cyan color of Comet Lovejoy adds to the beauty to the picture!

Ann

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 12:46 pm

There really is an observatory (of sorts):

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... 2F&act=url

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 1:03 pm

Hi all,

I was thinking, 6 seconds exposure: easy! then I looked at the exifs: 3200 iso and a f/1.4 lens... not for me.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 1:50 pm

Guest wrote: then I looked at the exifs: 3200 iso and a f/1.4 lens... not for me.

Where did you find the exif ?

Great pic. by Jens, beautiful sky
.... not for me, neither ,,, clouds clouds clouds

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:21 pm

APOD Robot wrote: Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill

Explanation: Lovejoy continues to be an impressive camera comet. Pictured above, Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) was imaged above the windmill in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire in southern France with a six-second exposure. In the foreground is a field of lavender. A giant dirty snowball, Comet Lovejoy last visited the inner Solar System about 7,000 years ago, around the time that humans developed the wheel.

Chris Peterson · Post by **Chris Peterson** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:40 pm

Ann wrote:I never knew they had lavender in December! I'm green with envy.

It kind of looks like a harvested field of lavender.

Charliepatriot · Post by **Charliepatriot** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:06 pm

Need a little help (for the grandson). What time and direction is best to see Lovejoy from southern Ohio.?

geckzilla · Post by **geckzilla** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:14 pm

Charliepatriot wrote:Need a little help (for the grandson). What time and direction is best to see Lovejoy from southern Ohio.?

Just after sunset to the west northwest or just before sunrise to the east northeast. A star chart like the one Astrobob made can help you narrow down where to look by finding constellations when you go out.
http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2013/11/ ... t-lovejoy/

Lovejoy into December_edited-1 by cometlynx, on Flickr

Ron-Astro Pharmacist · Post by **Ron-Astro Pharmacist** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:21 pm

Meanwhile it’s Comet Lovejoy Quixote tilting at a windmill. What giant may be on its mind?

“That Sun is coming up too fast and it’s hot, hot, hot.

I’d rather go down there by that cool windmill smelling the lavender!!!”

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:48 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Chris Peterson wrote:
Ann wrote:
I never knew they had lavender in December!
I'm green with envy.
It kind of looks like a harvested field of lavender.

Anthony Barreiro · Post by **Anthony Barreiro** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 7:52 pm

Lovejoy is a beautiful sight in binoculars, visible even from a city. It's much easier to see before and during dawn than in the evening -- higher above the horizon and climbing rather than setting. This photo gives an unrealistic impression of how bright it appears -- at least from my urban location it is not at all visible to the naked eye. You need to know where to look to see it through binoculars.

If this comet was in the inner solar system 7000 years ago, why are we calling it Comet Lovejoy? No offense to Terry Lovejoy, but this comet could have been discovered by somebody living in India, the Middle East, or Central America in 5000 bce, and the records lost or not properly translated.

Nitpicker · Post by **Nitpicker** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 8:18 pm

neufer wrote:There really is an observatory (of sorts):

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... 2F&act=url

Yes, a very good one, ~2km North of the township.

See:
http://www.obs-hp.fr/welcome.shtml

And:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haute-Provence_Observatory

Nitpicker · Post by **Nitpicker** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 8:23 pm

Guest wrote:
Guest wrote: then I looked at the exifs: 3200 iso and a f/1.4 lens... not for me.
Where did you find the exif ?

If you download the full resolution image file, the camera settings are set as file attributes.

Nitpicker · Post by **Nitpicker** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:04 pm

Nitpicker wrote:
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote: then I looked at the exifs: 3200 iso and a f/1.4 lens... not for me.
Where did you find the exif ?
If you download the full resolution image file, the camera settings are set as file attributes.

Bad Nitpicker! More correctly, the camera settings are embedded into the image file, in standard Exif format, which many programs, including Windows Explorer, can display and modify.

geckzilla · Post by **geckzilla** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:13 pm

Now if you can find a thing to nitpick about your nitpick then we can have a Nitpicker nitpicking a Nitpicker nitpick. A fine display of recursion.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:18 pm

Nitpicker wrote:If you download the full resolution image file, the camera settings are set as file attributes.

Thanks, got it now.

Alt. caption for Art's cartoon :-
"My name is Cassegrain, what is yours,
you can call me Laurent,
would you like to see my new telescope ? "

Alt2. :-
" My name is Cassegrain,
I used to make mill-stones for French windmills
but then I had a bright idea for a telescope"

I'll get my coat , , ,

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:30 pm

Nitpicker wrote:Bad Nitpicker! More correctly,

No worries, I got your meaning !!
I had, earlier, copied (to clipboard) the high def image and then Paste into IrfanView,
but no exif showed up, I'm sure that has worked in the past (?!), so instead, on your prompt, I saved it to file then opened in IrfanView and Lo! exif intactus

If I do much more of this I must get round to reg.ing!
Thanks,,

Anthony Barreiro · Post by **Anthony Barreiro** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:43 pm

Guest wrote:If I do much more of this I must get round to reg.ing!

Yes pls.

geckzilla · Post by **geckzilla** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:51 pm

I'm sure everyone loves kittens, puppies, bunnies and whatever else I put in but you don't have to type that very silly CAPTCHA answer anymore if you register.

Anthony Barreiro · Post by **Anthony Barreiro** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:53 pm

geckzilla wrote:I'm sure everyone loves kittens, puppies, bunnies and whatever else I put in but you don't have to type that very silly CAPTCHA answer anymore if you register.

Oh, so that's the answer! I've never been able to figure out what doesn't fit in the list. Everybody knows space is full of all kinds of creatures, in tiny little space suits!

Prospero · Post by **Prospero** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 12:38 am

geckzilla wrote:everyone loves kittens, puppies, bunnies and whatever

Argh, shhh, now anyone will be able to post !lol!
Actually, I only had to type it once, then my windoze/vista/AI would fill it in after I remembered to type a "K" !

Greetings to all, from he who was a guest, nice to meet you,
howzat Anthony ?

PS 'Prospero', the one and only satellite launched by the UK, but we are still giving aid to those who go to Mars ???duh, how did that happen ?

neufer · Post by **neufer** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:19 am

Prospero wrote:
PS 'Prospero', the one and only satellite launched by the UK,
but we are still giving aid to those who go to Mars ???
duh, how did that happen ?

The UK is the 2nd biggest contributor to EUMETSAT
The UK is the 3rd biggest contributor to CERN
The UK is the 4th biggest contributor to ESA
(The UK is also a member of ESO.)

Before the advent of cube/nanosatellites it was rather wasteful for non-superpowers
to launch and fly their own spacecraft but feel free now to join:

First Canadian nanosatellite
First of 4 Denmark CubeSats
First of 2 Ecuadorian satellites
First Estonian satellite
First Hungarian satellite
First Italian CubeSat
First Polish satellite
First Romanian satellite
First Swiss satellite

Prospero · Post by **Prospero** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:50 am

neufer wrote: The UK is the 3rd biggest contributor to CERN
The UK is the 4th biggest contributor to ESA
(The UK is also a member of ESO.)

Yep, quite so,
now how about persuading the Indians to join in, to mutual benifit ?

Mind u, if I am not mistaken, the present aid arangements will, because of recent understandings, soon expire.

In respect of littlesats cubesats etc., I did have some involvement in UoSats (both amateur and professional) (at Surrey Uni on the back of AMSAT and other fundings) and things Intelsat, Giotto and Ulysees etc. of yesteryear, so I know well the UK participation in space activities IN COLLABORATION with other nations, I just dont appreciate go-it-alone-macho on the back of grants & stuff

Starship Asterisk*

APOD: Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill (2013 Dec 09)

APOD: Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill (2013 Dec 09)

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