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I saw it yesterday morning in a good dark sky. The guy I was with said it was magnitude 7.
Once you knew where to look it was not too hard to pick out with binoculars.
Article: <4oami6$mdp@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
John D. Sabia
Without the moon in the sky the Milky Way can bee seen in the constellation of Sagittarius. Limit
magnitude near the comet is determined to be 5.1 magnitude. Found comet Hale-Bopp easily with
binoculars. It appears as a very fuzzy nebula, without tail . The degree of condensation is estimate to
be a value of 1 and size of the coma at 8.0 minutes of arc. Using the star SAO 162669 of
magnitude 7.4 amd SAO 162682 of magnitude 7.9 , the comet is placed at magnitude 7.5 .
Article: <618375939wnr@garym.demon.co.uk>
I was observing same for the two nights previously whilst on holiday in Portugal Lat 37N Long 7W with
scopes 5.5 inch F3.6 and 20 inch F5 and took photographs through both. I agree with your estimate
but add that the neucleus is very tight but with a low central brightness. Parabolic arcing coma
condensation upwind and no apparent streaming in tail. Intergrated magnitude estimates are
tricky to make at best and of little use to observers at worst.
Article: <31A9F4D2.7404@indirect.com>
RTMC '96 - My Two Cents ... Alan Hale's talk focused on using Comet Hale-Bopp as an
opportunity to bring scientific literacy to the general public. He and Charles Morris fielded a
number of questions after the talk. On that stage were two of the most prolific comet observers to
be found. Their answers reflected that experience. ... RTMC presents amateurs with the
opportunity to meet some folks who have contributed over the years. I met Charles Morris, whose
Comet Observation Home Page is one of the finest services provided on the World Wide Web. He
had estimated Comet Hale-Bopp as magnitude 6.6 in the morning of the 26th. ....
Article: <1996May29.154500.1876@llyene.jpl.nasa.gov>
The people that have reported naked eye sightings of Hale-Bopp, including myself, are all
experienced observers that would not be fooled by a close double star. When I observed it (May
26 UT), I was at 7500' at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference. The comet was magnitude 6.6 in
10x50 B at the time.
Charles Morris
P.S. I will post Gordon's image today.
Article: <4mqbpb$9e9@dfw-ixnews7.ix.netcom.com>
I made a special trip up to Fremont Peak State Park (near San Juan Bautista, Calif.) to view
whatever I could of the occultation of Comet Hale-Bopp and our astronomy friend, the Moon. My equipment basically consisted of a 10" Meade LX200, bunches of eyepieces, and an ST6 CCD (just in
case). Conditions were fairly good: very dry, very clear, and an estimated limiting magnitude, before
moonrise, of about 6.0 (no fog covering valleys, so sky glow relatively prominent). Being the only "fool on
the hill", I had my pick of locations and decided to set up next to the observatory (housing the FPOA 30"
amateur alt/az Challenger Telescope). Wrong. As soon as most everything was setup, aligned, focused and
nailed to the ground, the wind picked up. It picked up my observing log, my S&T May issue, my tarps, my
box of hotwings, you get the picture. But hey, that's amateur astronomy. I love it. But I digress. I did many
things before the bewitching hour of 1000 UT, when the event was close at hand. From moonrise at
around 0725 UT to then, I observed many fantastic lunar features along the terminator, with eyepieces
giving me over 250X down to widefield 60X. Just marvelous, if you consider a extra-terrestial debris
strewn pox-marked comet-cratered asteroidal bombarded battleground marvelous. But I digress. I also
observed the re-appearance of several brighter stars from the dark limb, just like in the predictions, and
that double star system was just a keen sight. I was having tremendous reflection problems near the cusp,
but could easily make out the edge of the dark limb as the stars completed their occultations. I keenly
observed the predicted zone of the limb where the comet should re-appear, but I had no sighting it,
or even a hint of it. I observed that area from 0955 UT until 1030 UT (well, after 1005, I started
looking off the limb too) and no Hale-Bopp to be seen in my 10". Maybe some with larger telescopes
or other instruments to reduce reflections, increase constrast, or sensitive video equipment had more
success. I hope to hear about that on s.a.a. real soon. But I digress. Now for the But.... part. I saw a
sight that will remain with me for as long as I live, or maybe for a day or two. For about two minutes,
around 0800 UT (0100 PDT), I rode the Flaming Chariot of Zeus into Leo. As I was doing something at
the eyepiece, out of the corner of my eye, I see this small brillant red-orange ball low on the southeast
horizon. It grew more brillant by the second and was moving westward at a tremendous speed. I grabbed
my binoculars and sighted it in, and I was awestruck. A more brillant red-orange I have never seen
against the black of the night sky. The trail of this object, also flaming orange several arcminutes wide
and extending for several degrees, lit up the southwestern sky like a hundred Antares going supernova. I
followed it for a least two minutes, watching it trail fire and occasionally emit or cause huge puffs of
smoke to swirl in the orange trail. It crossed Virgo, just about melted the top of Corvus,flamed above
Crater, and barbecued Leo. But alas, the visible journey terminated somewhere in the heart of Leo at
0704.5 UT. The flaming chariot was no more, but this 'fool on the hill' had seen quite a spectacular sight,
albeit all alone on this hill with no one to share it with. I did manage a Wow or two and I am glad to be
able to share it with you. I would like to think it was the greatest fireball that one could ever see, but I put
my money on a missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California. They sure know
how to put on a show. Comet occultation or not, it was a memorable night at Fremont Peak. But I digress.
Then there's Jupiter on this very night, but that's another Wow.
Article: <4pq586$9lj@engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM>
Jay Reynolds Freeman
Try a bit later. I saw it last Friday night, June 7, from the observatory at Foothill College in Los Altos, but
only after 12:45; I tried twice before that, and even through the 16" I couldn't see anything (pointing at
exactly the same spot where I later found it). At 12:45 I could just barely convince myself something was
there in 8x30 binocs, but it was very obvious in the 16", roughly comparable in size and brightness to M81
(it's probably much better an hour later).
Article: <1996May14.165454.9286@ohstpy>
Finally got some clear skies last night, so I went out with my new 10x50 binoculars at around 1 AM to try
to get a limiting magnitude estimate in the light polluted skies of Euclid, OH. Vesta was very easy to find,
and shines brightly in the 10x50s. However, I definitely saw Ceres and will be following it over the next
few weeks. This is at around magnitude 7 at opposition, and relatively easy to find. This weekend,
weather permitting, I am going to go to a dark site around 2:30 AM and try to see Uranus, Neptune,
Hale-Bopp and Kopff all in one session. I fure I should be able to see them all with the binos.
Subject: OBS Hale-Bopp 5/15/96 0700 GMT
Hale Bopp was looking good this morning in a 10" f/6.3 SCT. Easy find, upper left of Jupiter.
Not sure of the magnitude..looked like 7 or 8 still a bit diffuse. However, there is some central
condensation towards the nucleus and it has some similarity to Hyakutake early February. Only the
slightest hint of elongation/tail. Best viewed at around 75-100 x. This was from Eastern Ma. in
somewhat light polluted skies, no filter
Article:
"David W. Knisely"
I was able to hold it naked eye it about 50% of the time last week after it had mocved away from the
brighter stars, and also I needed to hide Jupiter from view with my hand. My sky is very dark with the
zodiacal band usually fairly easy to see, and Hale-Bopp was at the zenith. A new image (photograph)I
took recently should appear on the Comet Observation Home Page when it is updated.
Article: <1996May27.031526.9339@ohstpy>
In article <4obj4s$o4s@iac2.ltec.net>, "David W. Knisely"
I looked for it two nights ago with 10x50s in light polluted yet very clear skies and couldn't see
it. I did see, however, Jupiter (+Gaynamede, Callisto and Europa), Ceres, Vesta, Uranus AND
Neptune in one 45 minute session. Couldn't detect anything for Hale-Bopp though. I am sure if I
drive to darker skies it will help ALOT though. I didn't even try to see Kopff since I figure if I
couldn't see HB... - (fuel for the Zetas??? :)
Subject: Re: OBS Hale-Bopp 5/15/96 0700
GMT
From: david@cows.midland.co.nz (David James Riddell)
Date: 19 May
1996
>From: toddg@weatherman.com (Todd Gross)
>Subject: OBS Hale-Bopp 5/15/96 0700
GMT
>Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 10:30:10 GMT
>Hale Bopp was looking good this morning in
a 10" f/6.3 SCT. Easy find, upper
>left of Jupiter. Not sure of the magnitude..looked like 7 or 8 still
a bit
>diffuse. However, there is some central condensation towards the nucleus and
>it has
some similarity to Hyakutake early February. Only the slightest hint of
>elongation/tail. Best viewed
at around 75-100 x
>This was from Eastern Ma. in somewhat light polluted skies, no filter
Subject: Hale- Bopp Observation 22
May
From: sabiajohn@aol.com (SabiaJohn)
Date: 26 May 1996
Sender:
root@newsbf02.news.aol.com
Observation of Comet Hale-Bopp C/1995O1
Location - Clarks Summit , PA.
USA
Date : May 22, 1996 UT
Time : 7:45 UT
Scope / binoculars : 10 x 50 Binoculars
From: Gary Marriott
Subject: Re: Hale- Bopp Observation 22 May
Date: Mon, 27
May 1996 00:52:41 GMT
Subject: RTMC '96 Observations
From: Tom
Polakis
Date: 27 May 1996
From:
csm@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE (Charles Morris)
Subject: Re: Hale-Bopp
naked eye
Sender: news@llyene.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 15:45:00 GMT
csm@encke.jpl.nasa.gov
Comet Observation Home Page
(http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov)
Subject: Negative Sighting On Hale-Bopp,
But...
From: snyder@ix.netcom.com(Douglas Snyder)
Date: 08 Jun 1996
From: akkana@colibri.Eng.Sun.COM (Akkana
Peck [CONTRACTOR])
Subject: Re: Hale-Bopp Sighted: Its Big!
Date: 13 Jun 1996 22:37:58 GMT
>On the evening of
Sunday, June 9, I tried looking for it from my home
>in suburban Palo Alto, CA, at
about
>midnight, with an 8x25 monocular
>and with 7x35 binoculars,
and could not find it.
Subject: Saw Ceres last night
From:
vancleef@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu
Date: 14 Jun 1996
Organization: The Ohio
State University, Department of Physics
From: toddg@weatherman.com (Todd
Gross)
Date: 16 June 1996
Article:
Subject: RE: Hale-Bopp naked
eye
From: Gordon Garradd
Date: 27 Jun 1996
>I saw a
couple of claims of naked eye viewing,
>but there is a double star near it which could
mimic the comet.
>I hope it gets a little brighter.
Subject: Re: Hale- Bopp Observation 22
May
From: vancleef@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu
Date: 27 May
1996
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Physics
Hi there.
I tend to agree on the magnitude (and am glad it is close to what I got
recently (+7.3). I have seen
several claims of a magnitude brighter than 7.0, but
from my observations, I just can't quite buy
that. My 10" showed it to be about 5'
wide, by 7' long, with faint extensions out to about 10' of arc
(tail). I saw a
> couple of claims of naked eye viewing, but there is a double star near it which
could mimic the comet. I hope it gets a little brighter.
David Knisely