[vsnet-chat 471] re: C/1997 O1

[Fraser Farrell <fraserf@dove.net.au>]

G'day all,

   >Congratulations to Justin Tilbrook on his discovery of a comet!

He says he will start buying lottery tickets from now on... <g>

   >Hope we could have direct internet connection with him.

It would save a few trees.  Justin claims that his fax machine printouts this
week could wallpaper his house ;)  I know I have sent him a few!

   >> I think Albert Jones (New Zealand) is the only
   >> other variable star observer to accidentally discover a comet?
   >I believe there may be others; at least Kaho (Japan) discovered a
   >comet while he was observing the R LMi field (if I remember correctly).

How long ago was this?  Surely one of the many Japanese comet hunters would have
seen it first, if it happened recently?

   >Very unfortunately, the sky of many contemporary
   >Japanese variable star observers is so light-polluted that even
   >brighter comets hardly emerge from the bright background.  When
   >P/Crommelin passed Mira many years ago, I tried in vain to search
   >for the comet (;_;).  The condition apparently has become even
   >worse...

But P/Crommelin is now many AU from the Sun... :)

Seriously, this problem is world-wide.  Most Australians missed C/1996 B2
Hyakutake and many have yet to see C/1995 O1 Hale-Bopp.  Sometimes the light
pollution is self-inflicted.  I learned recently that my local football club did
a "Hale-Bopp evening" a few weeks ago; invited many members and supporters - and
left their car park and stadium floodlights _on_ to help people see better in
the dark!!

   >How about Peltier's (AAVSO) comets?

I thought that he searched for these comets? Apart from his variable star work.




cheers,
Fraser Farrell

http://vsnet.dove.net.au/~fraserf/   email: fraserf@dove.net.au
traditional: PO Box 332, Christies Beach, SA  5165, Australia

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