3 nights of comet viewing

by Bill Cone

I didn't get out of work as early tonight, and the traffic was heavier, but I made it up to my viewing spot on grizzly Peak Blvd. around 5:40.There were 3 other cars parked there. A cold breeze was blowing, and a purple bank of cumulus stretched along the Pacific horizon, beyond the twinkling lights of San Francisco across the bay. McNaught was immediately visible above the cloud bank, and the lights of Lombard St., which from my position, made an oblique, bright, gash. Even though it was floating in a sea of orange light, the comet was very easy to spot naked eye. One person drove up as I was getting out my binocs, and another person was leaning against her car watching. I pointed out the position of the comet to the newcomer, and shared views through my binocs with both folks. I had brought along my Canon IS 10 x 50s which were a vast improvement over the incredibly cheap, miscollimated Sears 10 x 50s I had been using. Big, bright, circle, and sharp as a tack.

The tail appeared to stretch as much as 2 degrees, with averted vision. There appeared to my eyes to be a slight asymmetry to the nucleus and it's surrounding, curved bow, with the southern side bulging out, or the nucleus simply being slightly de-centered from the parabolic halo shape.

By 5:50, the comet's nucleus had dropped into the cloud bank, though I could still see the tail fanning faintly above the clouds through the binocs for awhile. It was cold up there tonight. 39 degrees with a breeze blowing. I went to REI today and picked up foot and hand warmers, as well as a pair of glove/mitts, the one's that have the finger covers, to prep for this weekend's viewing.

-b.

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