COMETS & COMET HUNTING
By RAHUL ZOTA
KUTCH AMATEUR ASTRONOMER’S CLUB-BHUJ
WHAT ARE COMETS?
• OFTEN POPULARLY DESCRIBED AS “DIRTY-SNOW
BALLS”
• THEY COME IN TWO MAIN PARTS, A HEAD AND A
TAIL
• THE HEAD IS KNOWN AS THE NUCLEUS AND IS
ENVELOPPED BY AN ATMOSPHERE KNOWN AS THE
“COMA”
• THE NUCLEUS IS COMPOSED OF ICES OF WATER,
AMMONIA, CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE
WITH DUST MIXED IN
STRUCTURE OF A COMET
• WHEN THE COMET APPROACHES THE INNER SOLAR
SYSTEM, SOLAR RADIATION CAUSES THE MATERIALS
WITHIN THE COMET TO VAPORIZE AND STREAM OUT
THE NUCLEUS CARRYING THE DUST AWAY FROM
THEM.
• THE DUST AND GAS FORM A HUGE ATMOSPHERE
AROUND THE COMET CALLED THE COMA
• THE TAIL FORMS DUE TO SUN’S RADIATION
PRESSURE AND SOLAR WIND. THE TAIL POINTS AWAY
FROM THE SUN
• BOTH THE COMA AND TAIL ARE ILLUMINATED BY
THE SUN AND THUS BECOME VISIBLE FROM
EARTH WHEN THE COMET PASSES THROUGH THE
INNER SOLAR SYSTEM
COMET’S ORBIT
• COMETS COME IN TWO TYPES OF ORBITAL PERIODS,
1) SHORT-PERIOD AND 2) LONG PERIOD
• SHORT PERIODIC ORIGINATE IN THE KUIPER BELT
• LONG PERIODIC ORIGINATE IN THE OORT CLOUD
• COMETS PLUNGE IN THE INNER SOLAR SYSTEM
BECAUSE OF GRAVITATIONAL PERTURBATION
CAUSED BY EITHER MASSIVE PLANETS OR PASSING
STARS
• THE ORBITAL PERIOD OF SHORT PERIODIC
COMETS IS LESS THAN 200 YEARS
• THE ORBITAL PERIOD OF LONG PERIODIC COMETS
IS GREATER THAN 200 YEARS
• COMETS ARE DISTINGUISHED FROM ASTEROIDS
BY THE PRESENCE OF A COMA & A TAIL
A COMET’S ORBIT AROUND THE SUN
COMET’S ORIGIN
NOMENCLATURE
• P/2010 V1 IKEYA-MURAKAMI IS THE NAME GIVEN
TO THE LATEST VISUALLY DISCOVERED COMET
• P/ INDICATES A PERIODIC COMET (ORBIT LESS
THAN 200 YEARS)
• 2010 INDICATES THE YEAR OF ITS DISCOVERY
• V1 INDICATES THE HALF-MONTH OF THE
DISCOVERY AND THE NUMBER “1” INDICATES THE
ORDER OF DISCOVERY
P/2010 V1 IKEYA-MURAKAMI
• SUCH AS “P” THERE ARE ALSO LETTERS LIKE “C”, “X”, “D” &
“A”
• C/ INDICATES A NON-PERIODIC COMET
• X/ INDICATES A COMET FOR WHICH NO RELIABLE ORBIT
COULD BE CALCULATED (HISTORICAL COMETS)
• D/ INDICATES A COMET WHICH HAS BROKEN UP OR BEEN
LOST
• A/ INDICATES AN OBJECT THAT WAS MISTAKELY IDENTIFIED
AS A COMET, BUT IS ACTUALLY A MINOR PLANET
SOME NOTABLE COMETS
OF RECENT YEARS
C/1996 B2 HYAKUTAKE
MAGNITUDE PEAK: 0 DISCOVERED IN JUNE 31, 1996
C/1995 O1 HALE-BOPP
MAGNITUDE PEAK: 2 DISCOVERED IN JULY 23, 1995
C/2004 Q2 MACHHOLZ
MAGNITUDE PEAK: 4 DISCOVERED IN 27 AUGUST 2004
C/2006 P1 MCNAUGHT
MAGNITUDE PEAK: - 5.5 DISCOVERED IN AUGUST 7, 2006
THE BRIGHTEST IN LAST 40 YEARS! REFFERED AS “THE GREAT COMET OF 2007”
17/P HOLMES
MAGNITUDE PEAK: 4 DISCOVERED IN NOV 6, 1892
THE COMET’S OUTBURST OCCURED IN OCTOBER 23, 2007 AND SHONE @ MAG 4
C/2007 N3 LULIN
MAGNITUDE PEAK: 5 DISCOVERED IN JULY 11, 2007
103P HARTLEY
MAGNITUDE PEAK: 6 DISCOVERED IN 15 MARCH 1986
FATE OF COMETS
SHOEMAKER-LEVY 9 COLLIDED WITH 73P SHWASSMANN-WACHMANN
JUPITER IN JULY 1994 BROKE INTO FRAGMENTS IN MAY 2006
COMET HUNTING
WHY DISCOVER COMETS?
• PROFESSIONAL SURVEYS LIKE SWAN, LINEAR,
NEAT etc ARE MAKING MOST OF COMET
DISCOVERIES THESE DAYS
• THEY KEEP THEIR EYE ON THE SKY TO WATCH
FOR ASTEROIDS & COMETS IN ORDER TO
PROTECT EARTH FROM THEIR IMPACTS
• DURING AUTOMATIC SKY SCAN THEY CAPTURE
NEW COMETS
• THEY FIND AN AVERAGE NUMBER OF 150-200
COMETS PER YEAR
• FOR AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER A COMET
DISCOVERY IS FOR NAME & FAME!
• COMET HUNTING IS A WAY OF OBSERVING THE
NIGHT SKY IN A NEW MANNER!
• VISUAL COMET HUNTING IS AN ADVANCED PART
OF AMATEUR ASTRONOMY
• FOR AMATEURS THERE IS A YEARLY EDGAR
WILSON PRICE OF $ 20,000 TO BE DEVIDED
• NOBODY INDIAN FROM THE INDIAN SOIL HAS
DISCOVERED A COMET YET
• VAINU BAPPU DISCOVERED A COMET FROM U.S.
• POGSON DISCOVERED A COMET FROM INDIA
HOW TO DISCOVER A NEW COMET?
BASIC PREPARATIONS
• AN OBSERVER SHOULD BE MASTER OF DEEP-SKY
OBJECTS
• AN OBSERVER SHOULD BE FULL OF PATIENCE!
• AN OBSERVER SHOULD BE A DEEP-SKY LOVER
• SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED AT LEAST ONE
MESSIER MATATHON
REQUIREMENTS
• A SITE FREE FROM LIGHT POLLUTION
• HORIZONS WITH LESS LIGHT POLLUTION
• THE SITE THAT SHOWS AT LEAST 4 mag STARS
THROUGH NAKED-EYE NEAR THE HORIZONS
• A TELESCOPE WITH AT LEAST 5-INCH DIAMETER
• ALT-AZIMUTH MOUNT IS MOST PREFERABLE
• A SMALL BINO (8X40 or 10X50) IS A GOOD
COMPANION, SO IT SHOULD BE KEPT ALONG WITH
THE TELESCOPE
• A NOTE-BOOK AND PENCIL FOR QUICK DRAWINGS
• SKY ATLAS BOOK
• AN ASTRONOMICAL SOFTWARE
A GOOD SITE, FREE OF LIGHT POLLUTION IS IDEAL FOR COMET HUNTING
FEW WEBSITES TO REFER
• FOR LATEST COMET DISCOVERIES
www.comethunter.de (THE COCD HOMEPAGE)
• FOR COMET UPDATES (CURRENTLY PRESENT IN
THE SKY) www.cometchasing.skyhound.com
• SKY COVERAGE PLOTS
www.scully.harvard.edu/~cgi/SkyCoverage.html
• IAU MINOR PLANET CENTER
www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/mpc.html
SKY COVERAGE PLOT OF DECEMBER 2010 SHOWING THE ENTIRE SKY
COVERED BY PROFESSIONAL SURVEYS
COMET HUNTING TECHNIQUES
• COMETS ARE BRIGHTER WHEN NEAR THE SUN
• SEARCH THE AREAS IN THE VICINITY OF SUNRISE
AND SUNSET POINTS
• THE SKY WITHIN 80 DEGREES SOLAR ELONGATION
IS KNOWN AS “THE COMET HAYSTACK REGION”
AND IS MOST FERTILE REGION TO DISCOVER NEW
COMETS
JANUARY’S PRE-DAWN SKY IN WHICH REGIONS CLOSE TO THE ECLIPTIC PLANE
WITHIN LIBRA IS THE MOST FERTILE. EXCEPT THAT, REGIONS AT N-NE-E ARE ALSO
WORTH TO SCAN
COMET HUNTING TECHNIQUES
• SEARCH IN THE WEST, NORTH-WEST, SOUTH-WEST
AND SOUTH IF YOU ARE CONDUCTING EVENING
SEARCH
• SEARCH IN THE EAST, NORTH-EAST, SOUTH-EAST AND
SOUTH IF YOU ARE CONDUCTING MORNING SEARCH
• START YOUR PURSUIT 45 MINUTES AFTER SUNSET IN
THE WESTERN SKY
• START YOUR PURSUIT 1-2 HOURS BEFORE THE
BEGINNING OF TWILIGHT IN THE EASTERN SKY
• BY LOOKING THROUGH THE EYEPIECE MOVE THE
TELESCOPE IN EITHER HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL
STRIP IN THE SKY
• USE A WIDE-FIELD EYEPIECE AND SPEND 2-5 SECONDS
IN EACH FIELD-OF-VIEW (FOV)
• AFTER COMPLETING EACH STRIP MOVE THE SCOPE
EITHER EASWARD OR WESTWARD AND CONTINUE IN
THE REVERSE DIRECTION
• OVERLAPE THE 30% FOV OF THE PREVIOUS STRIP FOR
NOT TO MISS THE SUSPECT LURKING IN THE EDGE
VERTICAL SKY SWEEPING PATTERN
COURTESY: SHIGEKI MURAKAMI
COMET HUNTING TECHNIQUES
• TRY TO COVER AN AREA OF 200-300 SQUARE
DEGREES OF THE SKY IN YOUR SINGLE SESSION
• STAY AWAY FROM THE MOON!
• PUT A PIECE OF CLOTH OVER YOUR HEAD
COVERING THE EYEPIECE TO AVOID THE
EXTERNAL LIGHTS AND TO KEEP YOUR BOTH
EYES OPEN
APPEARANCE OF A NEW COMET
DEGREE OF CONDENSATION
EACH NUMBER STATES THE
D.O.C. VALUE OF COMET. THE
D.O.C. VALUE STATES HOW
SOFT THE COMA IS ON A SCALE
OF 0-9
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FINDS ONE?
• A NEW COMET WILL APPEAR LIKE A FAINT, FUZZY
PATCH OF LIGHT
• FIND OUT THE OBJECT’S EXACT LOCATION
• CONFIRM THAT THERE IS NO KNOW DEEP-SKY
OBJECT OR ANY KNOWN COMET IN THAT
LOCATION
• MAKE A ROUGH DRAWING
• SPEND TIME TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE OBJECT
IS MOVING OR NOT
COMET’S MOTION
HOW TO REPORT A COMET DISCOVERY?
WRITE UP AN E-MAIL MENTIONING THE FOLLOWING DETAILS
• 1) THE EXACT DATE AND TIME OF YOUR
OBSERVATION
• 2) YOUR TELESCOPE’S SIZE AND THE SITE USED
• 3) THE OBJECT’S PRECISE COORDINATES
• 4) ITS RATE AND DIRECTION OF MOTION
• 5) ITS ESTIMATED MAGNITUDE
• 6) INCLUDE YOUR NAME, POSTAL ADDRESS,
PHONE/FAX, AND E-MAIL
• 7) SEND THIS MAIL TO
[email protected] MY COMET HUNTING PURSUIT
• I BEGAN VISUAL COMET HUNTING IN MAY 2007
• I BEGAN TO TAKE INTEREST IN COMETS AFTER
OBSERVING COMET MACHHOLZ IN 2004 DURING
GEMINID METEOR WATCH
• IN 2005 WHILE OBSERVING SATURN, I STUMBLED
UPON NGC 2392 (THE ESKIMO NEBULA). THIS
INCIDENT MADE ME MORE BUOYANT TO START
SYSTEMATIC COMET SEARCH
• IN DECEBER 2005 I JOINED A COMET HUNTING
WORKSHOP HELD IN PUNE AND LEARNED
TECHNIQUES FROM MR. VISHNU REDDY, THE
FAMOUS ASTEROID HUNTER
• I PURCHASED AN 8-INCH NEWTONIAN TELESCOPE
IN MAY 2007
• I ALSO PURCHASED GIANT 25X100 (4-INCH) I.F.
BINOCULARS IN JULY 2009
MY EQUIPMENTS
8-INCH NEWTONIAN TELESCOPE 25X100 I.F. BINOCULARS
MY OBSERVING SITES
• I USE MY HOME’S TERRACE AND BALCONY FOR
MOST OF MY COMET HUNTING
• I OCCASSIONALY GO OUT CARRYING MY 25X100
BINOCULARS
• FROM MY CITY, BHUJ (INDIA), I CAN SEE 5.5 MAG
STARS THROUGH NAKED EYE
• JUST TRAVELLING 10 KM FROM THE CITY GIVES
BEST SKIES (6.5 MAG N.E.L.M.)!
MY HOME’S BALCONY FROM WHERE I SPEND MOST OF THE TIME NOWADAYS
THE SKY AS APPEARS FROM MY HOME’S OBSERVING SITE
MY COMET HUNTING LOG
TILL JANUARY 2011
• YEAR 2007 --------- 5:01 HOURS
• YEAR 2008 -------- 17:07 HOURS
• YEAR 2009 -------- 58:19 HOURS
• YEAR 2010 --------- 13:10 HOURS
• JANUARY 2011 ----- 3:50 HOURS
SESSIONS: 127
HOURS: 97:27
SATELLITES: 163
METEORS: 78
OBJECTS (COMET MASQUERADERS): 84
FEW COMMENTS
• NOVEMBER 2008 WAS MY FIRST PROLIFIC MONTH IN WHICH I
SPENT 7:22 HOURS (MY BEST IS 13:29 hrs IN FEB 09)
• ON 23-1-09 I SWEPT UP COMET LULIN (MAG 7) WHILE
SEARCHING
• ON 17-2-09 I SWEPT UP A FAINT GLOBULAR NGC 5286. THIS
MADE ME VERY MUCH EXCITED I THOUGH IT SHOULD BE A
NEW COMET!
• ON 14-3-09 I COULD HAVE DISCOVERED COMET C/2009 E1
ITAGAKI. IT WAS NEAR VENUS AND I WANTED TO SCAN
THERE BUT COULDN’T SWEEP THAT PART DUE TO MY
BROTHER’S ARRIVAL!
SOME SUCCESSFUL COMET HUNTERS
WILLIAM BRADFIELD
(AUSTRALIA)
18 COMETS
DONALD MACHHOLZ (U.S.) DAVID H. LEVY (ARIZONA, U.S.)
DISCOVERED 11 COMETS VISUALLY DISCOVERED 9 COMETS VISUALLY
THANK YOU!
www.comethunting.blogspot.com
RAHUL K. ZOTA
www.skygazersbhuj.blogspot.com
BHUJ, INDIA
www.jaincosmos.blogspot.com [email protected]
