Who's Going Comet Viewing?
 

Tonight is Comet Lulin's closest approach to Earth. It is easy to find, just a few fingers width below and slightly to the right of Saturn. It will rise high enough to afford a decent view under dark skies at about 10:00 PM local time wherever you are, and will be optimally placed about 1:00 AM as it rises to its highest point.

Binoculars should provide a good view under sufficiently dark skies. A telescope of any size would be better. At magnitude 5.5 or thereabouts, it is by no means a jaw-dropper, and if you have light pollution or excess moisture in the air, you're gonna be disappointed.

I attempted to observe last night about 11:00 CST, but from my back yard, the water vapor laden air was extremely light polluted, and I could barely - and I do mean *barely* make out a fuzzy patch using 10 x 50 binoculars.

TF and I might consider heading out of town a short distance to try it again tonight, but we are going to be fraught with thin clouds and thus a great deal of water vapor, so it might not be much of an improvement.

Those who can't see it with their own eyes can check in at http://www.ccssc.org/observatory/dar...rksky_cam.html for an all night webcast of the comet through a professional 'scope beginning at 11:00 PM EST.

Hope you all get to see it!

Great post Splode! Thanks.

Hey thanks for the link!! :)

Another comet, eh?

This does not bode well.

*ominous*

I've been fairly unimpressed with comets in the past. For example, when Hally's comet came around about 20 years ago, I had unlimited access to the big 12" telescope on the roof of the Physics building where my dad was a prof. I spent hours up there, pointing the telescope at the exact coordinates where the comet was located. And saw nothing. It was much more interesting to point the telescope at the window of the nurses' locker room on the third floor of the hospital about four blocks away.

But I'm going to check this out tonight and see what I can see.

Glatt, those who are unimpressed with comet phenom are unimpressed with life.

Yeah, you're right. Sorry to be negative about it. And to be fair, I like the idea of comets, just not so much the reality of what they look like in the night sky the times I've seen them.

Hale-Bopp was kinda cool, even before the cult offed itself.

Kahoutek was a big disappointment.

Halley rocked.

A massive telescope isn't actually the best for a comet like this. What you want is a wider field of view, and the FOV gets smaller as you add more magnification. Binoculars are great for comet viewing.

I agree, Kahoutek was a downer. I couldn't see it last night as I was at work.

That website was cool. Thanks again. :)

I'm more impressed by ones that remove dirt instead of leaving it in their wake...

Anyone remember this from kidhood?

Comet
It makes your mouth turn green.
Comet
It tastes like listerine.
Comet
Will make you vomit.
So get some Comet, and vomit, today.

I can't believe this.