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Boyden Observatory in the light pollution glow

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The Boyden Observatory is not next to the light pollution from "next door neighbours" anymore. It is right in the glow. Not long before the Milky Way will be an image on the screen and not a magnificent object in the Boyden night sky.

"next door neighbours" -  Maselspoort resort and all the owners on the banks of the Modder River.

• A close-up view of the Bloemfontein area

Earth Observation Group (EOG)

The NGDC Earth Observation Group (EOG) specializes in nighttime observations of lights and combustion sources worldwide. The group started working with DMSP data in 1994 and has produced a time series of annual cloud-free composites of DMSP nighttime lights. EOG's current focus is on nighttime VIIRS data.

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15P/Finlay is now a binocular object due to a series outbursts.

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Hot bright news (26 January 2015) Chart date 26 January 2015, 20:30
from Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Source: Comet Chasing in January; Chart: Skytools 3

15P/Finlay is now a binocular object! It brightened by several magnitudes on January 16, on top of a similar episode in mid-December, apparently due to a series outbursts.

Coma Diameter: 3.9'
Earth Distance: 1.4 AU
Sun Distance: 1.1 AU
Elongation:  49°
Tail Position Angle:  65°
Tail Forshortening: 30%
Actual Coma Diameter: 240000 km
DC:  1
Total motion: 3.06 "/min
   RA:  2.71 "/min
   Dec: 1.44 "/min

Print a Naked Eye Star Map for the Southern Hemisphere

 

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• Download and print Naked Eye Star Map for the Southern Hemisphere
  
  (Select Southern hemisphere, the time and the type of map)

Examples

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C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)

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Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) from 11 - 25 January 2015 (21:00) in the South African Night Sky.

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