by Bob Jardine
(Equipment: Canon 15X50 IS binocs.)
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to observe Comet C2006 A1 (Pojmanski) for the last couple of weeks. Finally, on Sunday night, the CSCs for San Jose offered a bit of hope, showing clear skies forecast for late night and early Monday morning, until around 6:00 AM. When I went to bed Sunday night, it was clear out, confirming the first part of the CSC forecast, so I set the alarm.
At 4:45 the alarm went off, and I fumbled with it trying to turn it off quickly so as not to let it awaken my wife. Then I picked up the red flashlight that I had left on the nightstand, made a brief stop in the WC, slipped on a jacket, grabbed the binoculars, and went out on the back deck.
It didn’t take long to orient myself, since I had studied the location using Starry Night Pro over the last few weeks. Cygnus was in the NorthEast, up high enough to recognize easily. Ditto Aquila in the SouthEast. But where was Delphinus? I was looking due East from Cupertino, straight across the San Jose light pollution. I couldn’t find this constellation until I used the binocs. Eventually, I could just barely pick out the four or five brightest stars of Delphinus with my nekked eyes (averted vision only), indicating that the LM in that part of the sky was around 4.0 to 4.5. The SQM recorded 18.4 (mags/sq.arcsec) at Zenith.
Locating Delphinus was essential, because I knew that the comet was about 1/3 of the way between the nose of the Dolphin and the East wingtip of the Swan. Sure enough, with binocs, there it was -- a little round fuzzball, pretty obvious, but dim. It looked like many a Messier glob in binocs, but of course there was no hint of resolution. Also, no hint of a tail. Just round, small, and dim. The comet was about 25 degrees up from the Eastern horizon. I drew a quickie sketch of the binocular field to compare with SNP later.
As I returned indoors, I noticed a bright light across the family room floor -- like a floodlight. It was coming through a West window. Sure enough, the almost-full moon was blazing away low in the West. I resisted the urge to turn the binocs on the moon. I had to get up for work in a couple of hours. I was back in bed by 5:15.
I wish I had been able to see this comet a couple of weeks ago, as it has been getting dimmer pretty rapidly. But better late than never. I was pleased to have seen it at all, given the recent weather.
Posted on sf-bay-tac Mar 13, 2006 21:23:40 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Mar 13, 2006 23:52:19 PT