VZ13 and M3, 22 Jul 07

by Bill Parkhurst

I took the XT-10 out in the back yard last night to try and look at the close approach of comet Linear C/2006 VZ13 to glob cluster M3. I found M3 easily even though there was a quarter Moon, house lights, car lights, etc. But no comet in 25mm eyepiece FOV. So, I put a towel over my head and the eyepiece to block lights. M3 was faint at first but gradually got larger, granular with stars resolved throughout, and with stars escaping off the edges. Dim haze in middle of the cluster had rectangular shape. Then I started slowly searching around M3. I scanned around with M3 at the edge of the 25mm FOV. Found the comet roughly due South of M3, almost one degree separating the two objects - both just barely fit together in the 25mm. VZ13 was very, very faint. Much fainter than the view from Monte Bello two Saturdays ago. Several times fainter than M3. Just looked like a ghostly presence with indeterminate shape at 48X. No tail noted. No color. Viewed at 120X also. Point-like core visible occasionally with averted vision.

Looked at M5 GC in Ser, then M13 GC in Her. Tried to see small, mag 11, NGC 6207 Galaxy next to M13. Could not see it. Had to try brighter objects.

Looked at M92 GC in Her, then found PN NGC 6210 in Her. Had not looked at 6210 for several years. 6210 was very bright. Round ball just bigger than a star. Viewed at 48X and 120X. PN stayed in view even when staring straight at it. 6210 seemed to have a light blue color, especially when compared to several nearby stars that are more yellow'ish. Couldn't get over how bright 6210 was. TheSky lists 6210 as mag 9, but it was as bright as mag 7 stars nearby.

Viewed from 22:15 to 23:35.

Bill Parkhurst.

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