| Comment | C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy Jan 6th / 7th 2015 Bray Co Wicklow Ireland
Latitude 53 11 N -6.06 E
Three sketches of the comet within the same sketching
frame /FOV over time.
25X100 binoculars 25X Conte and gel pen on black paper
Seeing 2 - Comet magnitude estimate 4
perhaps brightening a little more at one point. ( middle sketch of comet)
I used Starmap Pro for iPhone to ID the stars in the FOV specific for my location
I used Comet an App which gets its data from the Minor Planet Centre
direct to my phone
DSM - Dark Sky Meter App for iPhone for Sky Quality
My first view of C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy on January 6th was so exciting as it appeared larger and brighter than my view on January 1st. The coma was wider and was itself much brighter , the condensed central mass was noticeably distinguished and more pronounced than before.
The green tint was not visible to me on this occasion , the central mass seemed to dominate the view . Its glow or activity seemed to be lighting up the particles in the coma.
The tail was not visible to me but the asymmetric nature of the comet was.
Earlier in the day I decided that the most interesting thing I could do with this session was to sketch the comets movement over time. Placing the comet in the same FOV for three separate times was a plan aimed at making a short video showing the motion of the comet over time. The three stars above Lovejoy HIP 2047IA HIP 20431 and HIP 20407A were a perfect reference set.
A small triangle of stars which I deliberately placed outside my sketching circle were also very useful for judging the changing position of the comet as it moved during my observations. |
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