Report in Advance, well hopefully!

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helicon United States of America
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Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#1

Post by helicon »


Supposed to be clear tonight, though windy with a mass of arctic air settling over the region. Will have the telescope ready (Celestron XLT this time around) for 2022 ZTF (comet) visible this eve in Ursa Minor, only a few degrees from Kochab. Being pretty far north I should have a fighting chance to finally see it!!!!!! Here's a customized skymap for 48.75 north latitude. I sent it in an email to myself and some other significant folks including my nephew who works at Tesla in Austin, TX. Well, he's about 18 degrees further south. He's been asking for tips on how to see it. Launch the link on the phone and quickly find the comet! (magnitude 5.2 visually this eve).

https://theskylive.com/planetarium?obje ... 573|fov|74
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#2

Post by JayTee »


If not tonight Michael, definitely tomorrow night when the comet is at its brightest! Although tomorrow night is supposed to be frigid.

Fingers crossed.
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
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∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#3

Post by helicon »


The comet was just behind the angle of the roof which bissected Ursa Minor! Will try tonight a bit earlier.

Tonight the comet forms an isosceles triangle with Kochab and Polaris (beta and alpha ursae minoris) - should be easy to find.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#4

Post by Bigzmey »


Good luck Michael!
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#5

Post by helicon »


A couple of our local club members were able to observe 2022 ZTF last night despite the wind and posted their sightings in our clubs' google groups page. I'll be taking the XLT down to the intersection below the house where there is some flat ground by the side of the road. So may get in some outreach as well. I'm texting a few neighbors about my plan if they want to peek at it tonight.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#6

Post by helicon »


Well, I did manage to catch 2022 ZTF last night (eve of the 29th). I set up after sunset at the corner of the intersecting street that runs perpendicular to my street, which heads up a hill. While I was waiting for it to get dark enough to see the stars of Ursa Minor the temperature, which was about 32 when I started kept dropping. Meanwhile an array of thin clouds appeared above the tops of the distant trees. Fortunately as the darkness crept in these interlopers disappeared. And I was blessed with clear skies and no wind.

While I was waiting for the gradual darkening effect I whipped the 102 XLT around and observed Venus (sort of at gibbous phase) and Jupiter (two central belts seen, some festoons, two satellites on each side of the planet). My neighbor came out after 6:00 pm and asked if I had the comet in view yet. I explained to her that it was still not quite dark enough (Patience, patience). Actually it was taking longer than I thought. I told her I would text her when I had it in the field of view. Opening up the sky map on my phone I checked the position of the comet again, making, as it did an isosceles triangle with Kochab and Polaris. That kind of shot the dark adaptation, oh well.

Finally it was getting to the point where third and fourth magnitude stars were appearing and the Double Cluster could be seen as a hazy patch off to the side of Cassiopeia. By now it was after 6:30. I then started the search in earnest by dead reckoning where the position of the comet should be. As it so happens, I had not aligned the finder scope yet so that was useless. I also didn't have a pair of 10x50s with me. So just had to find it the old fashioned way.

Sweeping through one patch of stars after another and enjoying the pinpoint images created by the glass of the Celestron XLT I also noticed the eye relief of the 25mm Plossl I was using was much shorter than my 30mm SuperView Erfle, which actually helped keep extraneous light out of the image path and created seemingly a more optimal observation. Suddenly [bang] a diffuse elliptical shape popped into view with a noticeable greenish tint, appearing as perhaps, as green as some of the nebulosity of the Orion Nebula does at the eyepiece. There was some central brightening and if watched carefully for a time, a hint of a short tail kind of like a tadpole, but a very faint effect.

I grabbed my phone and texted my neighbor I HAVE FOUND IT. Meanwhile a SUV pulled up and the driver asked if I was looking at the comet. I said yes and he responded "Cool man" and sped off. My neighbor came out and headed over to the eyepiece. On the third try and as her eyes were better adapted she saw it off to the right side of the center, while I commented "look for the cottonball shaped object in the center" and re-centered the image. Then it became obvious.

After that, I grabbed the scope in one hand and slung the Twilight II over my shoulder with the other and trudged up the hill to the house, just glad that it had been a successful session.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#7

Post by messier 111 »


i am glad for you , now put your name for vrod , thx .
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#8

Post by Bigzmey »


Congrats on catching the comet Michael!

+1 for VROD nomination. :)
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#9

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Excellent observation Michael, good to see you are putting the 102 mm to work :)
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#10

Post by Unitron48 »


Congrats on your capture, Michael! SkyLive is a great tool for locating comets!!

Dave
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#11

Post by helicon »


Unitron48 wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:36 pm Congrats on your capture, Michael! SkyLive is a great tool for locating comets!!

Dave
Agreed it was very helpful!
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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#12

Post by John Baars »


Very nice. Nominated for a VROD, another one!
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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#13

Post by Makuser »


Hi Michael. This is a case of close, closer, and bullseye. I am glad that you finally succeeded in your quest of viewing Comet 2022 ZT and also did some fine outreach too. Thanks for posting this fun read report Michael and I too add another vote for a much deserved TSS VROD Award.
Marshall
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Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
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Re: Report in Advance, well hopefully!

#14

Post by Unitron48 »


Unitron48 wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:36 pm Congrats on your capture, Michael! SkyLive is a great tool for locating comets!!

Dave
Congrats on your VROD recognition!!

Dave
Unitron (60mm, 102mm), Brandon 94
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http://www.unitronhistory.com

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Post by John Baars »


Congratulations on the VROD!
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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