Right, and with the internet we got people thinking Mars could appear the size of the moon. I must agree that expectations are hard to manage, but an Astro Club should try. Many people are not discouraged by not seeing what was expected, but many are, the result is distrust in the Astronomy Clubs. My most memorable comet was hyautaki, most prior to that where disappointments (I remember many people expressing disappointment over Halley's) . To me special astro events are just frosting on the cake to general star gazing. Spectacular northern light displays are among my favorites, the more you star gaze the more you see. Our public events are meant to spark interest. If we would have hyped McNaught in the north there would have been disappointment. Not to mean there should not be star parties for comets, but perhaps headlining specific events should be avoided. On clear nights there are always plenty of good things to be seen. Erik --- outwest112@yahoo.com wrote: From: daniel turner <outwest112@yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Forget Kohoutek, do what you want. Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:14:20 -0800 (PST) Guys: So how long will we be doing pennace for the sins of Kokoutek? It has been awhile you know. The media landscape of today is vastly different from way back when you wore bell bottoms and sideburns. Today we have the internet. The "media" doesn't go to Hansen Planetarium for news anymore, they send email directly to Roger Sinot, Alan McRoberts, and Sue French. They have to do this because all of their few remaining customers are doing so. Over hype is now virtually impossible, but Underhype is a lasting legacy of the Kohoutek parable. When Comet McNaught came by the media was careful to not overhype it, so few in the north even bothered to look at it. When the comet reached the southern hemisphere, the media there was caught flat footed. They had believed that their northern media friends and assumed that the comet would be no big deal. I appreciate that Patrick went out and looked at comet West but many of today's amateur astronomers weren't alive back then. The world has moved on. Kohoutek is irrelevant. DT --- On Wed, 12/24/08, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Forget Kohoutek, do what you want. To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2008, 10:41 PM I'm VERY happy to say that I did see comet West, and it was absolutely spectacular. I've never seen another comet to equal it, or even approach it, really. There have been technically brighter comets, but they set while still in a bright sky; and a longer comet- but it was tenuously dim. What about Hale-Bopp, you ask? Meh. Not even close. A cute little thing, though. While there were "gatherings" at Little Mountain to see West, none of them ever could be considered "crowds", at least the ones I was part of. And Patrick is 100% correct in stating that the fizzle of Kohoutek was to blame for the lack of publicity for West.
On Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 11:21 PM, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com>wrote:
One of the best comets of the 20th century and few people saw it. In fact, I know of a SLAS member or two (who may announce themselves if they wish but I wont mention names <g>) who were active amateur astronomers at the time but never saw West.
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