Let's "commemorate" Comet McNaught ...

rlow · Post by **rlow** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:36 pm

Sure, Jiahao, but the weather is not cooperating today. See how tomorrow, I may try from my place at Bt Batok. I will PM you my hp no.

boothee · Post by **boothee** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:48 pm

Wow! What a bright beautiful comet!

I just come back from comet observation. We observe only after sunset. It was really bright. We can easily find the tail even with the naked eyes. We used just 2 binoculars to observe. After a few minutes it clouds come up and comet disappear.

Tomorrow we will observe again soon after sunset using telescopes . . . .

I wish all of you could find and observe the comet too!

Cheers!!!

boothee

starfinder · Post by **starfinder** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:35 pm

boothee wrote:Wow! What a bright beautiful comet!

Hi boothee,

Congrats on seeing the comet! Lucky you.... Unfortunately for us in Singapore, the weather has been uncharacteristically atrocious the past 4 weeks.
Cloud cover has been 100% for about 2 days now.

It seems from the news reports that this one is quite spectacular, though it is difficult for most to spot due to proximity to the Sun.

Here is a photo from a news website, searched using "Google News".

rlow · Post by **rlow** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:52 pm

Thats beautiful! Hope we have better luck tomorrow...

starfinder · Post by **starfinder** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:25 pm

Let's attempt to spot Comet McNaught from Singapore!

I've just done some checking with a planetarium software and compared it with a Google Earth view of Singapore.

Below is a screenshot from a planetarium program for Singapore on Monday 15 Jan 2007 at 6:45pm. Sunset will be 7.15pm. Notice Venus and Mercury nearby.

The comet would be heading "left", i.e. in the direction of south, as the week progresses.

First, in the next several days, the Comet will be best seen from Singapore at about the time of sunset. It will only be about 5-10 degrees from the Sun, so extreme caution needs to be taken and telescopes should not be used.

Second, as the comet will be low in the horizon just before sunset, it would be best to get an unobstructed view of the West-south-west down to the horizon.

One of the best places would be Labrador Park, which is right by the sea, off Telok Blangah Road, since it faces SW. A few years ago, I went there to try to spot a comet, but could not. I think it was Ikeya-Zhang, so I saw it anyway a few days later at Mersing.

Anyone who manages to see Comet McNaught from Singapore, please notify here immediately!

(PS: If the screenshot can be seen, please let me know. I can't see any of the posted picture files; something wrong with my web browser setting)

rlow · Post by **rlow** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:32 pm

Yes Gavin, I can see your screen shot. Thanks for sharing the info and suggesting Labrador Park, which looks like a convenient location near my office.

starfinder · Post by **starfinder** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:38 pm

Ok, thanks Richard.

Folks, here is a satellite view of Labrador Park taken from Google Earth.

As can be seen, it faces the southwest out to the sea.

boothee · Post by **boothee** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:48 am

Oh! You've got nice observation site!

Here is our sites. . . . The reason we moved to a bit right is to get more space

boothee

Post by **weixing** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:05 pm

Hi,

Anyone who manages to see Comet McNaught from Singapore, please notify here immediately!

I saw it in my dream yesterday night... does it count???

With all these raining and cloudy days, we can only observe in our dreams...

Have a nice day.

jiahao1986 · Post by **jiahao1986** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:38 pm

Now there are many foreign obserers managed to see the comet in broad day light evening with naked eye!!! We might have missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a daytime comet...

Here is one photo taken by Mark Vornhusen in broad daylight.