MarkGeldmeier's Blog

There are at least two other blogs about the comet...with Chris providing a sky chart and Dave's providing some background. Over the last week, I've been able to see it on 3 nights....with the naked eye, with binoculars and with a small telescope. I'm hoping that others might give some feedback on whether they've looked or not. Here are the results of my observations...

Viewing Conditions: Obviously it needs to be clear. But it's even better when it's "crystal clear". Several of the nights when the wind was light and it was cold and frosty outside were great. You can tell right when you walk outside and look up. The other concern is the moon. That last two weeks have provided moon-less nights...but it's on the way back. Thursday night might be the last good opportunity.

Location:  In our area, it would be real close to directly overhead at 11pm. I've gone out to look from 7pm to 10pm. At that time, it’s in the northeastern sky...rising higher as the evening goes on. If you know the constellations...look for Cassiopeia (the "W") which is generally straight up (slightly North or Northwest), and Auriga (which is sort of a Pentagon shape but with one bright star). Perseus is halfway in between.  Spend a few minutes looking up in the sky (which is not very dark at my house in mid-county) and let your eyes get used to the dark.  Soon you'll notice the "fuzzy spot" in the sky. 

Now that I know where it is, I can walk outside and spot it fairly quickly.  But using binoculars provides more detail.  The fuzzy area is fairly large and has been growing over the last few weeks.  One side is brighter than the other.  I've also looked at it with a small telescope...but didn't see much more than what you can see through the binoculars.  There aren't that many opportunities to see a comet that's visible to the naked eye -- so take a minute a check it out!