One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: June 13, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1985_0830-0903_BlancaEllingwoodLB.htm)
(Originally posted to newsgroup:
/* hpfcla:net.astro / ajs / 1:35 pm Mar 17, 1986)
Andy Goris and I spent the night on Horsetooth Mountain (7255') just west of Fort Collins (~5000') on March 5-6. We watched Halley's Comet and the crescent moon rise through some haze and partial clouds (low to the horizon) at about 0440 local time. It was barely naked-eye visible, due to the haze and city lights, until about 0535.
I did manage to get some stunning pictures (if I may say so :-) with an ordinary 50 mm lens, f/1.7, ISO200 film, 30-60 sec exposures. They show the moon glowing yellow through clouds, the comet clearly visible in a blue break in the clouds, some stars, city lights, and some long streaks from cars on the roads below.
(I wrote back then:) Unfortunately it's been cloudy since the 9th or so and promises to remain that way the rest of this moon-free window... Sigh. I was planning to spend a night out in the grasslands (east, on the plains) to see it again.
Too bad it's not around in July-September. It would be a dynamite thrill to see it from Longs Peak (14255').
From ajs Mon Mar 24 10:27:53 1986 To: hpcea!osborne, hpcea!steven, jdc, mh Subject: Halleys Comet Cc: hpcea!brigham, hpgrla!davee
My April issue of Sky & Telescope arrived over the weekend and I'm suddenly all fired up about trying to see the comet from the Cupertino area while there for the conference two weeks from now. The latitude is about 37 north. That's three degrees south (better) than here (Fort Collins), and April 7-10 is prime viewing time.
One of the three nights we are there (probably not Tuesday, as I arrive pretty late and have to give a paper the next afternoon), if the weather is halfway decent, I want to drive "somewhere", and either spend the night, or go up and return during the night. "Somewhere" must be less than about 90 minutes drive from Cupertino, well above the city lights, with the clearest possible view (no hills, trees, or lights) to the southeast to southwest.
I am writing you to see if you are interested, get opinions and advice, and share information (see below). Kathy and Steven, do you know of any good "somewheres"? The only place that comes to mind is the Los Trancos open space near the end of Page Mill Road up to the west. I remember it's pretty clear to the north, but can't remember what the southern horizon looks like from there (rolling hills? How high?) I seem to remember that there are no (or few) lights to the south, and it's pretty well above the Valley.
I'm going to bring at least a camera, tripod, binoculars, and of course Sky&Tel magazine. If any of you know any decent camping places, such that we can be back at the conference in time the next morning, and want to join me, I'll also bring a sleeping bag and air mattress (in my carryon luggage:-), and we'll go for it. Or, if you prefer going to bed real early and then driving up during the night, I'm game for that too.
What time of night, you ask? Culminations (highest crossings due south) on the mornings of these dates are, local time (at 120 west, so about eight minutes later at 122 west):
April 8 Tue: 0301 April 9 Wed: 0232 April 10 Thu: 0202
The magnitude is about 2.2, altitude about 7 degrees, at culmination all three nights. That's not a very good altitude, it means atmospheric extinction is about two magnitudes, even with crystal clear skies, and a clear view south is essential. On the bright side, the tail should be 20-30 degrees long and point at about 1-o'clock (up and to the right).
Also, closest Earth approach on the outbound leg occurs at 1:43:35 pm PST April 10, probable error +/-10 seconds, at a distance of 38,785,500 +/-500 miles. That's just after the conference ends. Too bad, I was fantasizing a timely announcement, just for fun. :-)
Maybe we can get together a "field trip" for Conference attendees? We could announce it Tuesday morning, then go that night or the next (the most clear one). It would probably be a drive up and back, not a camping expedition, so we'd definitely need local expertise on where to go and how to get there fastest. (I just decided to CC Ellen on this.)
Anyone interested or have good advice?
Thanks,
Alan
From brucet Thu Mar 27 10:04:51 1986 remote from hpgrla
To: davee, hpfcla!ajs, hpfcla!hpcea!osborne, hpfcla!hpcea!steven,
hpfcla!jdc, hpfcla!mh
Subject: Re: Halleys Comet
Cc: hpfcla!hpcea!brigham
Seeing the comet.....
I called the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton this morning (3/27) and got some not so encouraging news. Currently the moon is so bright it is blocking out any sighting of the comet. They could see the comet up until last night when it was lost in the moonlight. The comet will continue to move south on the horizon until April l0th when it will start moving back north. The moon will not be out of the way until sometime after April 8th. This means if we will be able to see it at all, it will be very low to the horizon.
I cheated and ordered an 8x10 glossy photo of the comet for $3.25 that was taken last April by the Observatory. To order call the main office of the Observatory at the Univ of Cal at Santa Cruz at 1-408-429-2513.
I have been up to the Observatory twice and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get there from the Red Lion Inn. Do not take a lunch with you to eat in the car. There are 365 turns in the 10 mile road! The best viewing time according to the Observatory is about 4:30-5:00. I checked and there is no problem invading the place at night because it is a state highway.
I would still like to go and try my hand at getting my own photo of the comet. It looks like April 9th would be the best as we are leaving the afternoon of the l0th.
Keep me informed!
Bruce Thompson
/ GLD
hpgrla!brucet
From ajs Thu Mar 27 17:02:15 1986 To: hpgrla!brucet Subject: Re: Halleys Comet CC: hpcea!brigham, hpcea!osborne, hpcea!steven, hpgrla!davee, jdc, mh
Currently the moon is so bright it is blocking out any sighting of the comet.
Yes, I observed that yesterday morning. It's quite expected, but still disappointing.
The comet will continue to move south on the horizon until April 10th when it will start moving back north.
I'm sorry you had to call the Observatory to find this out. I should have mentioned that I subscribe to Sky & Telescope, and have lots of very precise and useful information on the subject. (Not that you are wrong, but there is a lot more to be known about it.)
The moon will not be out of the way until sometime after April 8th.
Sky&Tel thinks the "window" opens on April 5. That's the first date the moon is out of the sky at prime viewing time. It's still up before sunrise, but the comet will move clockwise towards west, from the dawn sky, and rise earlier.
This means if we will be able to see it at all, it will be very low to the horizon.
Yes, but that's precisely my excitement about being in California then. It's not Australia, it's only three degrees south of here, but every little bit helps. (Bruce, did you see my first letter? I detailed some of this.)
I cheated and ordered an 8x10 glossy photo of the comet for $3.25 that was taken last April by the Observatory.
Yeah, we can all get much better pictures such as in Sky&Tel than we can take ourselves. That's why I've focused (pardon the pun) on normal-lens, no-clock-drive photos of larger scenes including the comet, and have lucked out on two occasions, getting some really good pictures.
I have been up to the Observatory twice and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get there from the Red Lion Inn. The best viewing time according to the Observatory is about 4:30-5:00.
Great! Someone who knows the way there, if none of the locals are interested. By the way, culmination (highest in the sky) is about 0309 on April 8, 0240 on April 9, and 0210 on April 10, corrected for longitude.
It looks like April 9th would be the best as we are leaving the afternoon of the 10th.
Well if I wasn't arriving late Monday and giving a paper the next day, I'd be doing it Tuesday morning. I'll take Wednesday and/or Thursday, as the opportunity (that is, weather) permits.
Alan
(/* hpfcla:fsd.rec / ajs / 10:04 pm Apr 12, 1986)
That iceball has cost me a lot of sleep in the last several months. :-)
I got good looks at it most recently on April 5 in Fort Collins (due south across Warren Lake, about 0500) and April 9 (south from Mount Hamilton, east of San Jose, California, about 0230). On both occasions it was visible through binoculars with a clear but unimpressive (and short) tail. Due to haze on 4/5 it was not naked-eye visible. On 4/9 I could see the head (only) quite clearly as a dim, fuzzy blob.
If you haven't seen it yet, you must soon, or lose the chance. It's moving back to the evening sky and fading fast. The moon is back in the way starting 4/15 (Tuesday), and the next moon-free period it will be much dimmer and smaller. Culmination (highest southern crossing) is at the following dates and local times: 4/13, 1236; 4/14, 1210; 4/14, 2346; 4/15, 2323; 4/16, 2303. It will be about 10 degrees up on the 16th, with a tail at about 11-o'clock.
I've taken photographs of it on at least seven occasions, but captured it only in the last five outings (3/6, 3/18, 3/21, 4/5, 4/9). None of the photos is great, but those from 3/6 and 3/18 are "decent". The best are from 3/18, and were taken from my front porch in Fort Collins!
The most recent ones, from Mount Hamilton, were disappointing. There was little tail visible. I suspect there just wasn't one that morning! It was very clear but the tail was short, even in binoculars. Also it was very low, even at 37.5 degrees north latitude.
(/* hpfcla:fsd.rec / ajs / 7:32 pm Apr 13, 1986)
(What's one more response? :-)
Update: I got a look at the comet last night about 2345, from my house in Fort Collins, before transit (culmination). Due to haze it was so faint that it could only be seen with binoculars, barely. To find it now, you will need:
(/* hpfcla:fsd.rec / ajs / 12:17 pm Apr 15, 1986)
Last night... From a dark rural location, I could barely see a tail with binoculars.
Ditto, coming back from Denver with binoculars handy I stopped for quick looks from I-25 exit 259, and from Timberline just south of Harmony, at about 2300. [2024: It must have been empty and dark back then! Not for many years now.] It had a large (about one degree wide), bright central nucleus, but no clear tail. If anything there were two tails spread apart at about 10-o'clock and 1-o'clock. Through binoculars it was easily distinguished from any star or nebula, and easily findable after you saw it the first time. The crescent moon will definitely interfere starting tonight.
(/* hpfcla:fsd.rec / ajs / 10:54 pm Apr 28, 1986)
I saw the comet again from our bedroom window about 10:30 last night.
Ditto, from the front yard. It was the first clear night in a week. I took another set of photos. :-)
I found it by scanning the southern sky to the right of the crooked box with binocs.
A very apt description of the constellation Corvus. It might still be hard to find, depending on your binocular's field of view. Transit (due south) is at about 2200 local time. Look a good bit east of Corvus, below a pair of dimmer stars aligned like this (sort of)... [ASCII art deleted!]
(Next trip report: 1986_0607-08_MountDemocrat.htm)