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August 2002

• August 21 Autumn-like cool weather has suddenly arrived in the wake of the typhoon. I was able to see C/2002 O6 (SWAN) with the 20cm telescope yesterday and today, which was moving north in morning twilight. The 60cm telescope could not capture the comet on film, as it was blocked behind trees. It was still at 6th magnitude with a large coma. Before long the comet will become visible in the evening sky. C/2002 O4 (Hoenig) has faded a little and the nucleus has become fuzzy. The other day I happened to see a strange cloud. It was on August 3. The cloud was seen through the slit of the dome open to the south. It was glowing orange as you can see in this photograph. The time was 12 o'clock midnight. It remained almost at the same position for half an hour. Could it be a huge meteor trail or airplane contrail? The position was over the southern ocean, where airplanes frequently come and go. However, it was midnight...and the cloud itself was glowing, not reflecting light. The photograph was taken with a 70mm-telephoto lens with a 3-minute exposure.
A strange cloud
• August 15 The observatory open day was held on August 12. Cicadas were very loud around the observatory that day. Cicadas were first heard on August 12 in the city of Kochi where I live. Fireworks display was on August 12 at the banks of Kagamigawa River. This photograph was taken from an upstairs window with a 200mm telephoto lens. Autumn creeps up on us around the time when Yosakoi Festival ends and the final of the annual high School baseball tournament begins at Koshien Ballpark. Autumn is time for discovery.

• August 21
Autumn-like cool weather has suddenly arrived in the wake of the typhoon. I was able to see C/2002 O6 (SWAN) with the 20cm telescope yesterday and today, which was moving north in morning twilight. The 60cm telescope could not capture the comet on film, as it was blocked behind trees. It was still at 6th magnitude with a large coma. Before long the comet will become visible in the evening sky. C/2002 O4 (Hoenig) has faded a little and the nucleus has become fuzzy.

The other day I happened to see a strange cloud. It was on August 3. The cloud was seen through the slit of the dome open to the south. It was glowing orange as you can see in this photograph. The time was 12 o'clock midnight. It remained almost at the same position for half an hour. Could it be a huge meteor trail or airplane contrail? The position was over the southern ocean, where airplanes frequently come and go. However, it was midnight...and the cloud itself was glowing, not reflecting light. The photograph was taken with a 70mm-telephoto lens with a 3-minute exposure.

A strange cloud

• August 15
The observatory open day was held on August 12. Cicadas were very loud around the observatory that day. Cicadas were first heard on August 12 in the city of Kochi where I live.
Fireworks display was on August 12 at the banks of Kagamigawa River. This photograph was taken from an upstairs window with a 200mm telephoto lens. Autumn creeps up on us around the time when Yosakoi Festival ends and the final of the annual high School baseball tournament begins at Koshien Ballpark. Autumn is time for discovery.