There are reports that 12P has suddenly increased by about a magnitude between April 2 and April 3. This is a significant event, and will make it a lot easier to spot and quite a bit larger in the telescope. At least one observer has reported seeing it very faintly to the naked eye.
Finally got my first view of 12P on Saturday night, very low in the western horizon and I used Jupiter as a reference, it was just a smudge but did have a brighter core. Looking forward to the other 2 comets brightening over the coming months, these should be more favourable for southern hemisphere observers.
Well, 13P will continue to get better, but it doesn't pay to look farther ahead. Most months bring at least one comet bright enough for binoculars or small telescopes.
12P Update: things can change quickly with comets, especially one like 12P. Observers are now reporting that they can see a significant dust tail, more than three degrees long in the telescope! I suspect that this corresponds to an increase in activity, so this is a great time to go have another look.
This is a very complex question, and without knowing anything about your equipment it impossible to answer, except to say that you just want to avoid overexposing the sky. Also, we make software designed to answer that question: skyhound.com
2 nights ago, I got pictures of 12P comet with my Seestar. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see it with my eyes or binoculars. I could see from where the Seestar was pointing, where I should be looking.
It has brightened significantly since then. Last night I saw it clearly in binoculars, including a short tail. The three of us there we able to spot the comet with the naked eye and a very faint, slightly fuzzy star.
Hello, smaller trackers, like those used for DSLR astrophotography, don't typically handle tracking comets, so most are tracking the stars instead. But at those image scales, comets don't usually move fast enough to require super short exposures to avoid the comet trailing. For 12P its been in pretty heavy twilight, which is also going to drive people to use shorter exposures, so again, its not going to be an issue. Even those with sophisticated mounts that can track the comet, sometimes people track the stars anyhow. I track the comet when I want to get really deep in a dark sky, like when I want to detect a coma around a faint minor planet that is suspected of being a comet.
There are reports that 12P has suddenly increased by about a magnitude between April 2 and April 3. This is a significant event, and will make it a lot easier to spot and quite a bit larger in the telescope. At least one observer has reported seeing it very faintly to the naked eye.
Finally got my first view of 12P on Saturday night, very low in the western horizon and I used Jupiter as a reference, it was just a smudge but did have a brighter core. Looking forward to the other 2 comets brightening over the coming months, these should be more favourable for southern hemisphere observers.
Awesome!
Thank you for another useful video.
You are welcome!
going to a deep sky site on the 21st, hoping to see 12P!
Its going to be pretty low by then if you are in the northern hemisphere. The farther south you are by then the better.
@@Comet_Chasing im in maryland, i used stellarium to check if i could see it, i should be able to view it.
700th subscriber
Excellent presentation and amazing images! Ill probably miss this one due to clouds in Ore... is there anything good coming this summer?
Well, 13P will continue to get better, but it doesn't pay to look farther ahead. Most months bring at least one comet bright enough for binoculars or small telescopes.
12P Update: things can change quickly with comets, especially one like 12P. Observers are now reporting that they can see a significant dust tail, more than three degrees long in the telescope! I suspect that this corresponds to an increase in activity, so this is a great time to go have another look.
I missed 12p due to obstruction from a mountain. Hoping to get a different comet.
Well keep at it. You never know what's coming.
What is the best setting for trying to image the comet when the sky is still bright from sunset??
This is a very complex question, and without knowing anything about your equipment it impossible to answer, except to say that you just want to avoid overexposing the sky. Also, we make software designed to answer that question: skyhound.com
2 nights ago, I got pictures of 12P comet with my Seestar. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see it with my eyes or binoculars. I could see from where the Seestar was pointing, where I should be looking.
It has brightened significantly since then. Last night I saw it clearly in binoculars, including a short tail. The three of us there we able to spot the comet with the naked eye and a very faint, slightly fuzzy star.
Dallas looking south east of Sun 12p possible outgassing. Tail length very much longer. Naked eye visible after 3p Dallas.
We think maybe you saw a jet contrail. 12P is only faintly visible naked eye even after dark.
Does anyone track the comet when imaging?
All I see are star tracked….
Hello, smaller trackers, like those used for DSLR astrophotography, don't typically handle tracking comets, so most are tracking the stars instead. But at those image scales, comets don't usually move fast enough to require super short exposures to avoid the comet trailing. For 12P its been in pretty heavy twilight, which is also going to drive people to use shorter exposures, so again, its not going to be an issue. Even those with sophisticated mounts that can track the comet, sometimes people track the stars anyhow. I track the comet when I want to get really deep in a dark sky, like when I want to detect a coma around a faint minor planet that is suspected of being a comet.