[vsnet-chat 1808] Re: Yellow Alert from Eta Carinae

[reinder j bouma <rjbouma@wxs.nl>]

Hi Fraser,
 
> I've been getting visual magnitudes of 5.1-5.2 for the last couple of
> months.  To continue the historical context, last time Eta Car was
> this bright, my place was unexplored territory inhabited by the
> Ngarrindijeri aboriginies, gold had just been discovered in the
> colony of New South Wales, and John Tebbutt was still basking in the
> fame of discovering the Great Comet of 1831.

I suppose you misread your notes when you typed in the last sentence.
John Tebbutt was born in 1834, so discovering a comet in 1831 was pretty
impossible. I suppose you had in mind the great comet of 1881 (C/1881
K1).
For lovers of history AND comets: Wayne Orchiston recently published a
fine article on this spectacular object in Irish Astr. J., 26(1), 33-44
(1999).

Best regards,
Reinder 

---------------------------------------------------
Reinder J. Bouma          email: rjbouma@wxs.nl
Bekemaheerd 77            phone: +31 (0)50-5418227
9737PR Groningen
The Netherlands
---------------------------------------------------

VSNET Home Page

Return to Daisaku Nogami

---

vsnet-adm@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp