Re: Comet Hyakutake

[Joel.Alpers@xxxxxxxxxxx]

#
#Joel Alpers mentioned that he took photos of The Comet about 
#an hour apart, in hopes of getting enough movement for 3d.
#Last I heard, the comet is moving at about 20 degrees a day,
#so that it would move about one degree in an hour.

An update: I overlayed the 6x7 negatives taken 1 hour, 10 min
apart, and there was a deviation of the comet's position of
almost 1.0 mm.  Recall that for a MF stereo slide, Ferwerda
gives a max divergence of 2.5mm, so this is only a mild
stereo effect. BUT this is in only 1 hour, so photos taken
two nights apart would have WAY too much divergence. Also, these
were taken Thursday night. The speed of the comet's track across
the sky is increasing. 

#That's really moving along, I believe, in astronomy terms.  Maybe
#people should try pictures at intervals of two or three or four 
#hours, and then they will get a more pronounced stereo effect.

At this point I'd recommend bracketing shots from 1 to perhaps
three hours apart, based on my results.

#   For just viewing Hyakutake, 7X binoculars are great.  Find 
#a place as dark as possible, and let your eyes adjust before
#you start saying that there's nothing to see.   Turn off your 
#own houselights, if you're in your backyard.

DO get out to a dark site if at all possible! This is something
to see (at least if you can get over your jaded Hollywood idea
of what a comet looks like ;)

Last night (Sunday night) it was clearly visible to the naked
eye from my in-town location. With binoculars and a little time,
I could make out the brightest part of the tail. I didn't go
out to a dark site, as it was frigid cold and a very brisk
wind would have made photos impossible without anchoring
the tripod legs in concrete. Perhaps tonight...

#   I believe that tomorrow night (Sunday) it will be closest to
# Earth for viewers in the Northern hemisphere.   It's well worth
#a look.


Joel Alpers
Rocky Mountain Memories - Equipment and Supplies for the 3D Photographer
rkymtmem@xxxxxxxx
http://www.frii.com/~rkymtmem


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