Hey; What’s That Comet?
This just in from CMAS member Michael Kosowsky, in response to my post of earlier today.
Michael has indeed built the better mousetrap. From anywhere in the world, his Web site, HeyWhatsThat.com, can show you exactly where to look for the comet (or any other astronomical object you desire), in relation to the hillsides on the horizon of your observing site. It will draw the comet’s exact position in the sky, above the horizon exactly as you will see it, with all the hills and mountains as seen from your vantage point. Nothing is easier or more exact!
Visit either Michael’s “cosmic visibility” site:
http://www.heywhatsthat.com/cosmic.html
or, if you have Google Earth installed, try also his “planisphere” site:
http://www.heywhatsthat.com/planisphere.html
The calculations are far more heroically complex than one typically encounters online, so you may have to wait a few minutes. That’s normal, as the site requires time to crunch all the topographic data and triangulate it back to your eyeballs. Soon enough, your map will appear. We promise. It’s cool, it’s truly useful, and it was created right here in Maine by CMAS’s own Michael Kosowsky!