COMET & CONJUNCTION (Updated)

Location:  Front deck, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 8, 2018 1830-0005hrs

Weather:  Went from -12C to -13C with a reported windchill of -20C.  Wind picked up till about 2100hrs, then died off. Mostly clear to clear.

Equipment:  Canadian Telescopes 80 ED/APO on motorized tracking mount, 32mm eyepiece, 20x80 binoculars on tripod, Canon Rebel with 18-55mm lens and attached to telescope at prime focus.  Images processed on PhotoShop.

Attendance:  David McCashion

Objective:  To view and image a Mars/Neptune conjunction and the Comet 46P Wirtanen.

Report:

• Viewed and imaged the Mars/Neptune conjunction.  Mars was easy enough to find, but Neptune was not picked out amongst the back ground stars, even in the images.
• Comet 46P was very easy to find in the binoculars.  It was huge, greenish and diffuse with a brighter central region.  It moved eastward towards Taurus, approximately 5 degrees from where it was two nights ago.
• Was able to see the comet with averted vision, for the first time.  Its huge and reminds me of M31 when viewed with unaided eye under dark skies.
• Nearest bright star to Comet 46P is the 4.5 magnitude star Menkar in the Constellation Cetus.  According to Richard Hinkley Allens' "Star Names Their Lore and Meanings", Menkar is Arabic for"Nose of Cetus".

Comet in the SW sky just after midnight.  Camera with 18-55mm lens, 30 second exposure.

Facing South, Camera with 18-55mm lens, 25 second exposure.

Camera attached to telescope at prime focus, 2 minute exposure.

• Five shooting stars were seen directly with three more out of the corner of my eye.

COMET WIRTANEN 46P

Location:  Front deck, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 6, 2018 1730-2200 hrs

Weather:  Mostly clear, no wind, temps dropped from -5C to -10C during observing time.

Attendance:  David McCashion

Equipment:  Canadian Telescopes 80 ED/APO with 32mm eyepiece, motorized mount, 20x80 binoculars, Canon Rebel Xsi with 18-55mm lens and attached to telescope at prime focus.  Images processed with PhotoShop.

Objective:  To view and image Comet Wirtanen 46P which has been reported to be in the faint constellation Eridanus.

Report:

• Clouds threatened all day, right up to about a half hour after dark.  Finally, the clouds cleared, and the Moonless evening was very dark and clear.  Today is New Moon.
• Searched for a long time with telescope and binoculars to the east of where the comet was located.  Comet was in an area of sky where there aren't many bright stars, which makes the non naked eye comets harder to find.

Image taken with Camera and 18-55mm lens, 20 second, ISO 1600

• Found the Comet to be huge in the eyepiece, very diffuse and greenish with no tail.

Next to a bright star in the faint constellation Eridanus.  Image taken with camera attached to telescope at prime focus, 2 minute exposure, ISO 1600

• Comet was most impressive in the binoculars.  Absolutely massive.  Full Moon size.  
• Could not see Comet with unaided eye, even with averted vision.  It was next to an unnamed, faint(barely visible with unaided eye) star in the large, faint constellation Eridanus.
• Three shooting stars were seen, in quick succession, during beginning of observing session.  No satellites were seen.