by William G. Schultz
I quickly threw together my Intes 7" Mak-Newt and caught C/2000 WM-1 (Linear) from the back yard in Evergreen. Tonight the comet was just skipping over the tree tops in my dewy (93% RH; 42deg F) city environment.
Found in Sculptor at 41X in the upper portion of Sculptor, I was initially unimpressed. At 336X it was very compact and without much perceptible tail (in city lights). I think I was able to pinpoint the bright area to indicate the head.
I was happy I was able to find this object as low to the horizon as it was. WM-1 (Linear) in no way resembles the flashier objects everyone thinks comets should resemble. I can see why Messier confused all the good stuff with these fleeting fluffy flyers.