Look! Up in the Sky!
John C. Broman, Jr. (john.broman@gsfc.nasa.gov)
Fri, 22 Mar 1996 09:00:35 -0500
Pardon he if I post someting a bit off subject, but....Did anyone else see
the comet Thursday night? It was cloudy all evening, but at a quarter after
midnight, I poked my head out the door before retiring. Yup, there it was.
Comet Hyakutake (Hya - Koo - Tak - Ee) VERY obvious to the naked eye! It
was at azimuth 100 deg (almost due east) and 50 deg elevation. Five degrees
above it was Arctuarus, a bright reddish star, the brightest in that region
of the sky, and a good landmark. A quick glance at the eastern sky was all
it took, it was THAT noticable. It was a big fuzzy ball, one of those things
that you notice more out the corner of your eye than when looking directly
at it. The halo around it is quite large, and the only visible sign of a
tail is the observation that the halo seems more offset to the right. Wow.
The brightness should be increasing each night, the tail becoming more
pronounced, and the rise time earlier. Supposedly Sunday should be the best
night to view due to the close pass. So check it out. You'll thank me in
the morning.
___________________________________________
John C. Broman, Jr.
Orbital Launch Services Project Office
Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 470
john.broman@gsfc.nasa.gov
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
John C. Broman, Jr.
Orbital Launch Services Project Office
Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 470
john.broman@gsfc.nasa.gov
___________________________________________