C/2002 V1 (NEAT)

C/2002 V1 (NEAT) photo 2003/2/12

2003/2/12 18:55 EST Comet C/2002 V1 NEAT is extremely low in the west, less than 2 degrees above horizon! I managed to find the comet with the 8" Dob, and took short exposure several pictures through the telescope. Shown here is a stack (average) of 5 2-second photos. Horizon is at upper right. The red background is due to light pollution near horizon. 8"/f6 Dob + 18mm eyepiece/adaptor + Nikon coolpix 995 camera, F2.6, ISO 800. The frame is about 1 degree high.

2003/2/11 18:30 EST Cloudy and snow all day. During a short break in the sky, I saw comet c/2002 v1 neat with binoculars. It's quite low, just above the thick layer of clouds on horizon, with a short (1 to 2 degrees) tail pointing towards north west. The comet was not very bright and I didn't have time to estimate its magnitude, probably around 3. I also saw it in a 8" scope. It's definitely brighter than a few days ago, and the tail is more fanned out. From Green Tree, Pittsburgh.

C/2002 V1 (NEAT) sketch 2003/2/5.

2003/2/5 19:20 EST. Finally I was able to see its tail in 8"/f6 dob with 25mm eyepiece. The field is 1 degree wide. The bright part of the tail is about 1/4 degree long, but the fainter part extends all the way out. Diameter 4', DC=7. Easy to find in 7x50 binoculars, but no tail there (I'm observing from suburban). The comet is at RA 22h 42m 45s, Dec 5d 36' 50" N. North at top and west at right. The star at center is at mag 8.5, the one closest to comet is at mag 8.9. From Green Tree, Pittsburgh.

00:32 UT, 5.3 seconds

00:38 UT, 12.4 seconds

01:04 UT, 25.0 seconds

2003/1/31 0:30--1:05 UT (1/30 19:30--20:05 EST local time). Comet C/2002 V1 NEAT from Wagman observatory, Pittsburgh, PA. Very hazy with bad light pollution in the direction where the comet is. Comet is visible in binoculars, but not the tail. No tail is visible with the 20" scope either. These frames are about 15'x20', centered at RA 23h 5m 32s, Dec 7d 28' 38", north is up, west at right. The brightest star to the lower right of the comet has magnitude 9.1, the fainter star below has mag 10.8. Photos taken with Manka 20"/f5 reflector, Scopetronix 18mm eyepiece/adaptor, Nikon coolpix 995 digital camera (F2.6, f8.2mm, ISO 800, Noise reduction on).

C/2002 V1 (NEAT) sketch 2003/1/12.

2003/1/12 19:10 EST. coma 7', DC=5, no tail. Easy to find with 8" Dob, but not visible in 7x50 binoculars (I'm observing from suburban). This sketch is made with 8" Dob + 25mm eyepiece, FOV=1 degree. The comet is at RA 0h 9m 27s, Dec 10d 44' 18" N. North is at top and west at right. The bright star at top is 34 Piscium.

C/2002 V1 (NEAT) sketch 2003/1/8.

Photo without tracking.

2003/1/8 19:00 EST. Finally see C/2002 V1 NEAT after two weeks of bad weather. Sky was hazy with thin clouds; first quater moon only 16 degrees from the comet; very windy. But it was still easy to see in an 8" Dob. Visible coma about 6' (might be much larger when conditions are ideal), DC=5 (no nucleus yet, but center is brighter). No tail is visible. Didn't estimate magnitude since weather is not good. The brightest star in the field is magnitude 9.3. The comet is at roughly RA 0h 25m, DEC 11d 30m.

The sketch was made with 8" Dob + 25mm eyepiece, 1 degree FOV. The photo was taken with 8" Dob + Scopetronix 18mm eyepiece/adapter + Nikon 995, minimum zoom, F2.6, 8 second exposure, ISO 800. Heavily enhanced. The comet is the green patch. From Green Tree, Pittsburgh.