by Randy Muller
Using 10x50 binoculars, I observed comet Ikeya-Zhang at about 7:10pm local time (03:10 UTC March 15) from my west-facing front yard. It was about 30 degrees above the horizon, and there was some light cirrus clouds I was observing through.
It was very bright, and had a tiny stellar nucleus, with a larger coma around the nucleus. It has a fairly long tail which is pretty easy to see.
The comet was 2 degrees west Eta Piscium, and a bit south. The tail was about 1 degree long, and stretched in a gentle curve in the direction of Eta Psc, reaching about half way. Using the "out of focus" method, I estimated that the comet was just as bright as Eta Piscium, which is mag 3.6.
This is a nice comet, and certainly the brightest one I've seen since Hale-Bopp!
Roseville, CA 38.73N 121.27W