Spica & Comet ISON Rising, Nov. 20, 2013

November 20th, 2013 by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.


Time lapse video of Spica and Comet ISON rising, Nov. 20, 2013, over northeast Alabama. It was very windy, so there is a little camera shake as it zooms in from full frame to 130% crop. Composed of 326 frames from a Canon 6D, Canon 200mm f/2.8 lens (@ f/5.6), ISO 1600, 30 sec exposures. Tracking with AstroTrac. Note the movement of the comet past the neighboring stars late in the video.


13 Responses to “Spica & Comet ISON Rising, Nov. 20, 2013”

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  1. BooS says:

    These are some great videos!

    I understand that the comet can now be seen with the naked eye, is that correct?

    As a layman to space watching, is there a way, or website, you know of to tell us where to look in the night sky from a particular location, at a particular time?

    Apologies if you have already answered this question.

    • RAH says:

      THE place for a layman to get introduced to the night sky. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/
      It’s where I started many years ago and I visit the site once a week still today. This is not the only resource by any means but as far as I’m concerned it’s the best single place for a person to get started. Check out the menu on the left hand side. Notice “This Weeks Sky at a Glance” and click the link.

    • Roy Spencer says:

      I’ve heard that, but I think you would need really good eyesight. I could make it out in my 6×30 binoculars as a fuzzy spot with a hint of a tail. Most people trying to see it without a telescope or good camera will be disappointed.

      • BooS says:

        RAH, Thanks for the Link! I will take a look.

        Roy, I have a decent pair of field glasses which I will try. But unfortunately, its cloudy out there tonight!

  2. Fulco says:

    Roy,

    This one is particulary interesting for you:
    How a climate model (KNMI) creates a new small iceage.
    Climate(model) can cause and explain large changes on it’s own.

    http://www.klimaatgek.nl

    Klimaatmodel KNMI ‘maakt’ nieuwe Kleine IJstijd
    Climate model KNMI creates new small iceage

    You can translate the text into english.

  3. don penman says:

    I saw this comet at sunset today with naked eye as I was driving and it was very clear ,it looked just like pictures i have seen of comets ,it seemed to be motionless with a small tail.

  4. don penman says:

    I have just read above that it was visable towards sunrise ,not sure what I observed now.

  5. Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your website in web explorer.

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