New Zealand Local Weather Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: kaihoka on January 11, 2015, 04:05:05 PM
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This may help those looking for the comet.
How to Find and Make the Most of Comet Lovejoy (http://www.universetoday.com/118069/how-to-find-and-make-the-most-of-comet-lovejoy/)
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Thanks for that - likely to be cloudy again here tonight, but will keep an eye out
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OK, it took some while getting to register the star groups in the sky for reference. The link provided above was the northern hemisphere map so spin it around 180 degrees (ie up-end it). The Pleiades cluster is above our North horizon, best seen looking slightly away from it as a soft glow structure of several stars. Find the "Pot" more easily recognised in the southern hemisphere skies!! Now, that is way too far up from horizon (say 60deg) and nearer to NNE away from the comet.
Using Pleiades as a guide, and using 10 x 50 binoculars, go to about 45degrees elevation and more to the west - ie about NNW and you will see the comet as a large soft glow rather than a pin point of light. It seemed round in the binoculars and not streaky with a tail at all at that magnification. I hope this helps others - and I hope what I saw was the comet haha! I could not see it with my eyes and i could not easily just go to the spot, but needed Pleiades as a guide.