by Robert Leyland
It was the best night at the site for some time, as there were no clouds, no wind, and very clear skies. The only spoilers were a touch of humidity, and one inquisitive motorist with bright headlights, sigh.
For me it was a two comet evening as I located both C2003/K4 and C2001/Q4. K4 was a scant 5 degrees from M92 in Hercules, not visible in the finder or binoculars, but fairly easily seen in the 17" telescope. It appeared to be a magnitude or two less bright than expected, around 9-10. Its short tail providing a strong asymmetric aspect, with an undifferentiated nucleus.
Q4 in Ursa Major was a different story. Easily located in binoculars, near the front 'knee' of the bear, and a very nice sight in the telescope. Once found I could see it naked eye, only just with direct vision, easier with averted. The head of the comet showed a fuzzy nucleus where a few months ago it had been pin-point bright. I couldn't see a second tail.
Comets are cool!
Posted on sf-bay-tac Jun 20, 2004 11:35:18 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Jan 04, 2005 19:24:34 PT