46P Wirtanen

[Saturnine]

Taken Monday 3rd, ED80, 450D modded, HEQ5. 5 X 120 sec exp @ 1600 iso

[mental4astro]

Nice image, Jeff!

I saw 46P on Saturday night through my 17.5" dob. Its coma was surprisingly large, I'd estimate twice that of the full Moon - BIG sucker for a comet. Bugger all of a tail though. Just the merest of a hint really, much like your photo shows. By the time I was ready to sketch on Saturday/Sunday night it was not longer favourably positioned in the sky.

Alex.

[Colin]

Great photo Jeff!!! :hi:

[Saturnine]

Thanks Alex & Colin, also observed and imaged it last Friday & Saturday through 9 X 60 binos and 127 Triplet. In the triplet at 27X the coma almost filled the field but the view in the binos was preferable, more in context with the starfield around it.
Hopefully over the weekend we may get some clear skies again as it passes by the Pleiades. Can almost hear the camera shutters now, will be a pretty sight.

[Nikolas]

Just managed to see a smudge through my binoculars, the coma is definitely larger than the moon, pirty there is no tail orthat it's so hard to see from Melbourne suburbs even with binos