Tuesday, March 12, 2013

A quick update with one more image from Dexter taken yesterday.

I realize I mentioned my hand being in part of the photo, showing where three fingers, actually my thumb and three fingers were used to show a distance above the tree line and my estimate of the true horizon in Dexter Michigan, west side of down town.
This is overlooking the boardwalk near the Creek, riverbed.
The tree line is up to at most six degrees above the horizon.
If it was clear and the comet was ten degrees up and dark enough, one would see it four degrees above the tree line.




If you google "Arizona Panstarrs" you will find links with some recent photos of the comet from the USA.
If we look at something like the Clear sky chart we will see the following for our area of Michigan. Near Detroit.
Notice the clear sky chart for Hector J Robinson observatory shows clouds as the sun sets today and tomorrow.




The clear sky chart is often correct, sometimes it makes mistakes.
If we look at the chart for a position far away from the Midwestern storms we are seeing, like in Memphis Tennessee we will see a much nicer clear sky chart for tonight for that location. So in theory astronomers and the public near Memphis will be able to see the comet tonight and tomorrow night if the clear sky chart is accurate.








The dark blow boxes at the top of the clear sky chart are symbols that the sky should be completely clear of clouds. This may be not 100 percent accurate. But in the case of someone really wanting to see the comet it might make a drive to Memphis or that area of Tennessee worth it.
That's a lot of gas expense and traveling however to see the comet.
It will be rising more and growing fainter as the days go by. Eventually being a nice target for the C14 inside the observatory, when it's about 20 degrees or higher in the sky. In the mornings before sunrise will probably be the necessary times for HJRO observing from inside our observatory.
Here's a close up of one of the hours of the evening with the cloud predictions for Lincoln Park.
As the sky is starting to get dark during the 20th hour, we see the cloud cover in Lincoln Park being completely overcast, white. This means we won't be seeing the comet from our area, Wednesday evening.
If the chart is correct our chances of seeing the comet for Wednesday, from Allen park or other nearby locations are zero.




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