cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
Sky report ...
The comet is now visible at dawn and dusk. It seemed smaller this am, but that could have had to to with me being half asleep at 4am. This evening it made a fine showing, even though fires in the San Joaquin Valley pumped a fair bit of haze into that part of the sky.
It is now high enough that it sets after the last bit of twilight fades. I could see it plainly with my mediocre eyes as a streak of light maybe five degrees long. In my 10x binos it looked good, and in the 20x90s it had a well-defined bright nucleus. Coma and tail have a yellowish cast, a bit like cold butter or pancake batter.
I saw an excellent overhead pass of the Space Station while comet-watching.
There is another binocular comet on the Virgo-Leo border, Comet Lemmon. It flirted with naked-eye visibility two weeks ago but was poorly placed for Northern Hemisphere stargazers. Tonight it was well-placed and at a listed magnitude of 7.7. It was plain in the 20x optics, and once I knew where to look I reliably picked it up in the smaller pair. It is the classic faint fuzzy smudge of dark gray on black.
Were the big comet not in the sky now, Comet Lemmon would be getting more Internet love. There are year-plus periods with only faint comets that need a telescope to see, and the last few months have been target-rich.
Here is where the comet was yesterday. The Big Dipper is a good guide constellation. It points almost perfectly at the part of the horizon above which to look for the comet. With the new moon, the next day or two should be “best viewing”. The comet will begin to fade soon, as perihelion happened July 03. Closest approach to Earth will be July 22, after which it’ll likely fade fast.
Here’s a pic of Comet Lemmon. The green color is oxygen-III emission.
Jupiter was at opposition yesterday. Fainter yellower Saturn reaches opposition July 20.
The two giant planets are at their brightest at opposition, and like the full moon rise at dusk and set at dawn.
The comet is now visible at dawn and dusk. It seemed smaller this am, but that could have had to to with me being half asleep at 4am. This evening it made a fine showing, even though fires in the San Joaquin Valley pumped a fair bit of haze into that part of the sky.
It is now high enough that it sets after the last bit of twilight fades. I could see it plainly with my mediocre eyes as a streak of light maybe five degrees long. In my 10x binos it looked good, and in the 20x90s it had a well-defined bright nucleus. Coma and tail have a yellowish cast, a bit like cold butter or pancake batter.
I saw an excellent overhead pass of the Space Station while comet-watching.
There is another binocular comet on the Virgo-Leo border, Comet Lemmon. It flirted with naked-eye visibility two weeks ago but was poorly placed for Northern Hemisphere stargazers. Tonight it was well-placed and at a listed magnitude of 7.7. It was plain in the 20x optics, and once I knew where to look I reliably picked it up in the smaller pair. It is the classic faint fuzzy smudge of dark gray on black.
Were the big comet not in the sky now, Comet Lemmon would be getting more Internet love. There are year-plus periods with only faint comets that need a telescope to see, and the last few months have been target-rich.
Here is where the comet was yesterday. The Big Dipper is a good guide constellation. It points almost perfectly at the part of the horizon above which to look for the comet. With the new moon, the next day or two should be “best viewing”. The comet will begin to fade soon, as perihelion happened July 03. Closest approach to Earth will be July 22, after which it’ll likely fade fast.
Here’s a pic of Comet Lemmon. The green color is oxygen-III emission.
Jupiter was at opposition yesterday. Fainter yellower Saturn reaches opposition July 20.
The two giant planets are at their brightest at opposition, and like the full moon rise at dusk and set at dawn.
Last edited:
