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Old 01-06-2017, 09:35 PM
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Tinderboxsky (Steve)
I can see clearly now ...

Tinderboxsky is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kingston TAS
Posts: 1,031
Glimpses of Comet 2015 V2 Johnson

I have been waiting for a clear night with the Moon looming brighter and brighter by the day and threatening to spoil the party. Tonight held some promise so I set up hoping for the best.
The clouds parted sufficiently at about 8.00 for me to do the simple star hop from Izar to the spot adjacent to SAO 83458 in Bootes. Comet Johnson was immediately obvious as a faint diffuse patch but disappeared almost immediately behind some rapidly moving cloud.
Fifty minutes later the clouds parted and I had enough time to get a reasonable look. Seeing was at best 3/5 and transparency about 5/7 and the Moon was obviously interfering as the sky was not the usual inky black that I have here at Tinderbox.
All I could see was a broad faint diffuse round patch with a hint of brightening towards the centre. The central spot brightened temporarily as moments of better seeing came and went. There was a faint star of about mag 10 just on the edge of the faint patch. Inevitably more cloud rolled in and I retreated indoors for the night.
I will try again over the next couple of nights to get an appreciation of the Comet's motion but fear the brightening Moon might spoil the party.
Scope: Vixen NA140SS with LVW13 giving 62x on TRex mount.

Steve.
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